Tuesday Reading: Luke 2 1-14
 
Key Verse: Luke 2 1-14
1  And it happened in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2  (This taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3  And all went to be registered, each to his own city.
4  And Joseph also went up from Galilee to be taxed (out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David).
5  And he took Mary his betrothed wife, being with child.
6  And while they were there, the days for her deliverance were fulfilled.
7  And she brought forth her son, the First-born, and wrapped Him, and laid Him in a manger-- because there was no room for them in the inn.
8  And in the same country there were shepherds living in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9  And lo, the angel of the Lord came on them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. And they were grievously afraid.
10  And the angel said to them, Do not fear. For behold, I give to you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11  For to you is born today, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12  And this is a sign to you. You will find the babe wrapped, lying in a manger.
13  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
 
Devotion:
After a gap of several hundred years without the Glory of God, His Glory came back to all men to proclaim the birth of our Saviour. This time it was not to the temple, nor just to the Israelites, but to all man-kind. It was not to the Kings and prophets, but to some poor shepherds nearby. Shepherds, some of the lowest in society. The first and most important message was to them. To us. He had left as the God of Israel and was now returning as the Saviour of the world!

 

Once again His promises had been fulfilled to everyone; even to those that could not care less... Just because He cares so much for us! What an Awesome God we have!

 

Points to Ponder:
A very happy Christmas to everyone!

Monday Reading: Proverbs 27 21
 
Key Verse: Proverbs 27 21
21  As the refining pot for silver and the furnace for gold, so is a man to his praise.
 
Devotion:
One of the surest ways of finding out what a person is really like is to give them raises for something they have done. That person will do anything from the two extremes of accepting the praise with an eagerness that can only show pride and conceit to rejecting the praise in it's totality; neither end of the scale would we really appreciate...

 

If we wanted to get the most out of fine metals such as gold and silver, we would have to refine them. To do so, one places them in heat of the highest that they can take so that the impurities get burned of, leaving the true metal behind. Giving someone a whole lot of praise would have the same affect on them. All of the pretences that they hold up will almost certainly get dropped. If that person were to accept the praise and make themselves proud, conceited, boastful, even scornful of others... then that person is taking the praise straight to there head thinking that they are the ones that deserve all of the praise... That praise should not be taken up in ourself but transmitted to those that actually deserve it. We may have been the ones that have had to do the hard work, we may even have had to fork up the money... but where has that all come from in the beginning – who has made it all possible to start with?

 

God is the one that deserves the praise for the things that He allows us to get involved in and to do. God alone is the Designer. God alone is the Creator. How can we really take the honours when we know that He is the one that has made it all possible...

 

If we get praised for doing things, then we have to accept that praise in the right light. Not only has God allowed us to do that which we have done, but that praise should be a guide to us to show us what we have done right. That praise should encourage us to continue to do that which is right. It should encourage us to show more respect to those praising us. It should encourage us to stay clear of that which may bring us down. Praise should guide us in the direction of the truth. If we are able to endure good and evil, able to endure both good praise and rejection, and still come out the other side the same (or better), then we have succeeded in showing that we a true.

 

Points to Ponder:
How does praise affect you?

Sunday Reading: Job 13 1-5
 
Key Verse: Job 13 5
5  Oh that you would stop speaking entirely! And it would be your wisdom.

 

Devotion:
Have you ever got to the point where you just want the people around you to stop speaking? Maybe they were just annoying you with their constant jabbering, or maybe they were talking so much junk that they were confusing you... Whatever the case, there are times when you just what to stop the others from speaking to get some peace within your head.

 

Job had a few people around trying to give him advice about what they thought that he had done wrong to have all the problems that had happened to him come to pass. Just like that, we have probably had people gather around us to tell us of the things that they think you have done wrong to get into trouble. The problem is, they cannot know what you have done and they certainly are not mind readers – so how can they be blaming you for things?

 

We often jump in and help out with the blaming when things go wrong for those around us, but we certainly do not like it when people gather around us and dish out the dirt... or at least that is how we see it... but when we are helping others, we think of it as help... We, each one of us, have to be careful with what we do and say to those around us because they may not agree with what we say. Whilst there is nothing wrong with telling the truth, surmising about what is the truth can only get you into trouble!

 

We could all look at a few high profile people to see just how badly things can go wrong. Take a few politicians who have thought they are doing the right things and have brought down countries. Take a few scientists who think they do the right thing and make horrible and fatal mistakes... Whilst some of those are going to be genuine mistakes, there will be those times when they have done what they thought was right! We need to do what we know is right – God's Word give us those instructions!

 

Points to Ponder:
Do you get angry with people who boss you around?
 
How often do you think you know better than God (be honest)?

Saturday Reading: Luke 4 15-21
 
Key Verse: Luke 4 21
21  And He began to say to them, Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your ears.

 

Devotion:
Can you imagine being in a synagogue and listening to Christ preaching? I'm pretty sure that most people did not know exactly who was speaking to them in the beginning... but can you imagine being able to go back in time and sit and listen to Him preach! Well, we don't have to travel back in time to hear His words because they have been written down for us to read. Yes, I know, reading about it and being there are not quite the same, but we do have His Word – how special is that!

 

It is little wonder that the bible has sold more copies than any other book in history. When Christ promised that His Word would not go unheard, that exactly what He was saying... His word would reach every nation before His return. There are many people out there who are yet to hear about God. There are many people out there who are yet to see His Word... and yet we take it as if it were another book on the shelf... How do you treat your bible? How often does it get taken off the shelf to be read?

 

The more our society progresses towards a multi-everything society, the more we are loosing sight of Christ at Christmas time. The more we loose sight of Him, the more we get taken away by the temptations that surround us. The more we get lead away from His Word, the less we are likely to exercise spiritually. The less we exercise, the less we do... we get caught up in a downward spiral that leads to all manner of things happening in our lives... Would you be brave enough to stand up and tell Christ what you have been up to the last year – If we want to face Him face to face, then we had better make sure that we are on the right tracks and that we will recognise Him!

 

Points to Ponder:
How would you recognise someone you have not yet met?
 
What do you think Christ's first impression of you would be?