September 30: James 5 19-20
Key Verse: James 5 20
remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Devotion:
No matter how wise or holy we may think we are, it does not make us free from error. We can think about all the good things we do, but there are still things we do that we are not supposed to do. None of us are anywhere near perfect and we all need to make sure we remember that! If we try to hide our errors, they will find us out. If we continue to allow bad things to happen in our lives we may well get used to them and begin to think they are not so bad, maybe even think them good in the end... but that does not make them good.
When Christ told us to love our neighbours as ourselves, He wanted us to keep in mind these things too. If we are able to see the errors we do through reading His Word, then we must surely show others that same word if they are doing what we did. We are not judging others but showing them God’s Word, which in itself is able to make people see their faults. If we are able to allow others to turn from their own ways and turn back to God’s will, then we are beginning to walk in His will too. The only way we are going to hide our sin is by giving it to Christ and turning our backs on it – this also means helping others to give theirs to Christ and turn their backs on it too.
What good is it to be able to save or take a life when it is not going to make a difference to that person’s eternal destiny? We need to move towards making sure people know their destiny as dictated by their actions and their belief (or unbelief) and that is what God’s Word is for. God’s Word alone can allow us and our friends to see what we do wrong and to admit to those offences against God. Only then can we bring them to Him in humility and ask for the forgiveness which He has promised to give to us when we do. Only then in our new-found belief can we find eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Points to Ponder:
How else can you learn what you do wrong other than by someone telling you?
Do you read God’s Word to find out what you do wrong?
September 29: Proverbs 17 9-10
Key Verse: Proverbs 17 10
A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool.
Devotion:
Being able to forgive someone for something they have done to or against you is the start of a deeper friendship. When that person accepts the forgiveness and moves away from doing wrong again, they are returning that friendship. But what happens when the wrong-doing seems to go a bit far or it is something which is never normally overlooked? It is easy to forgive someone for dropping a cup or breaking something which belonged to you, but what if they did something horrific like killed your friend? Would you be so willing to stretch out your hand of forgiveness then? We like to live by limits and we set those limits according to our own feelings rather than any given set of rules. Those feelings change between people too.
When we do wrong to others, how do we show them we are sorry for what we have done? Are we willing to admit our mistake and ask for forgiveness, or do we try to hide it from them in the hopes they will not find out? What could be worse than finding out your friend had actually done something wrong many years ago and refused to tell you? Could you reconcile how they could live with that guilt for all those years? Would it not be better to accept the just punishment up front and move on than to have to face the music after lying for so long? If we are willing to graciously accept our punishment we will be able to move on quicker in our lives; but taking note why that punishment was given out and reacting accordingly to move away from doing wrong again will make us better people too.
The true mark of love above friendship is the ability to forgive and forget when an apology has been present. What more love can God show us than to forgive us of all of our sins when we bring them to Him in repentance? What better friend can we ask for than for someone who willingly died for us and continues to forgive us even though we continue to sin against Him? Being sorry for our sins and trying not to go there again will show Him some of our love for Him...
Points to Ponder:
Do you admit to your mistakes or try to hide them?
Do you really think God cannot see all of your sins?
September 28: Ezekiel 3 16-21
Key Verse: Ezekiel 3 19
But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.
Devotion:
God demonstrated His power to Ezekiel before giving him the task which lay before him; a task that we still have before us as Christians. No matter how much we can see God’s love and power and be convinced of it, we still have our mission to tell others of that same love and power. How else are those around us ever going to be able to hear the Word of God if we do not tell them? They are not likely to go into church and find out for themselves as they lead their wayward lives; they need someone to stand before them and give them the warning that God will require judgment at some time.
Ezekiel was given the task of being the one to open up the scriptures to his people so they would know about God. How could they be found guilty of their sins if they did not know of them to start with? God was warning Ezekiel because he was a man of God amongst all these people who did not know about the scriptures, the responsibility of their sins lay on his shoulders because he was not telling them about God. We may not have such a huge responsibility on our shoulders because it is very difficult to find someone who has not heard about God nowadays, but we still have the responsibility to expand on what people do know – many of them do not know the real gospel story!
There are so many people out there trying to win some sort of following for themselves through social media and the like, many will not get the truth about God. We need to show others the truth we do know so they can follow God’s Word. We also have the responsibility of helping those Christians around us who lose their way. As long as we find ourselves amongst Christians we can support and encourage each other to help each other strengthen our faith. That in itself will go a long way to allowing others to see God’s love through our faith. Don’t let others suffer just because you don’t tell them about God...
Points to Ponder:
Do you like telling others about good things that happen to you?
How often do you tell others about God?
September 27: Revelation 4 1-2
Key Verse: Revelation 4 2
At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.
Devotion:
What a wonderful thing to be able to experience and live through – being taken up into heaven... But the part which struck me most from this verse was the fact the apostle immediately became a spirit. We know Christ is going to return some day and those Christians who are still alive will be taken up into the air. We even call this the second death. But in reality it is nothing like death because it will be an immediate thing, going from being mortal to being immortal as we are taken up. When that last trump sounds, that will be the instant that we know that we are being called and in that same instant we will be changed into our immortal bodies. And that is the day we will see Christ seated upon His throne in heaven!
This vision was given to the apostle so we could know things that are going to happen. After the warnings were sent out to each of the churches about the types of things they were doing wrong, the time came for everyone to be taken up. So, just as we were told about the things that would happen, the vision was a visual description of what would happen too. The wonders John saw must have set him up for life – just knowing what was ahead of him and what glorious position he would eventually be in, death no longer would have had its sting for him.
What an amazing God we have. One who is present in all the things we do wrong. One who sees all of our sins. One who constantly tries to steer us in the right direction. One who chastises us when we do wrong. One who builds us up when we do right. One who’s love never falters. One who has prepared us a mansion in heaven. One who has laid up wonders in heaven and shown us through John’s vision what lies ahead... as long as we believe the truth, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to die for us and rose again that we should live.
Points to Ponder:
Would it make you happy to know that something good lay ahead?
What else could be better that everlasting life with Christ?
September 26: Revelation 3 15-20
Key Verse: Revelation 3 15
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!
Devotion:
One of the things we do like talking about is God’s love and we expand on just how wonderful it is and how much we can get comfort from it. What we do not talk about too much is what happens when we do things wrong. Think about your relationship with your parents for a while... They continue to give you things all the time because they love you. They also show their love to you in unexpected ways. But what happened when you were younger and did not do what was right in front of them? Did they continue to let you do things wrong in the hopes that you would find out some day for yourself, or did they set you right back then so that you would know right from wrong?
God is much the same as a loving parent from that point of view. When we do things wrong He tries to allow us to see what we have done wrong so that we can either fix things or get it right next time. He does not allow us to run off and ruin things without telling us what we are doing! Should we expect anything less than this? I hope not! This is a mark of His love for us that He wants us to get things right so we can have the best possible upbringing in His eyes. He wants us to know what is right from wrong and to move toward getting things right the first time!
The more we listen, the more we learn, the more we are able to get things right. The more we get things right, the more we realise just how much we have to let go of our old ways and bring in His ways. If we continue to do our own thing after He has exposed what is right, we are not following His ways but our own – we are saying that our own ways are better than His... we are telling our parent we will not do what He wants! If I tried doing that when I was young I would not get very far before I would realise I could not win the argument. God is great – don’t even think you can secretly get away with things!
Points to Ponder:
Do you tend to do what your parents ask?
Do you listen to what God is asking?