September 15: Acts 14 8-20
Key Verse: Acts 14 15
Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.
Devotion:
Has there been a time in your life when people have gathered around to give you praise for something you have not actually done? What was your response to that praise? Do people know the truth yet?
Paul and Barnabas were following God’s calling and going out to the gentiles to spread the gospel. They had also listened to what Christ said when He told the apostles to go out and heal people in His name. They were under no illusion that it was Christ doing the healing, but they were the ones who people saw ‘performing the miracles.’ How they reacted to the outcome of those miracles is probably quite different to how we react to every day situations in our lives. Far too often we are willing to accept the praise and adoration for things we do not do; that is not what God taught us!
Paul and Barnabas had to go a bit further than what we would want to go – they had to face a crowd who turned viscous on them because they dared to question what they thought was right. I know it is judicious to step back from certain situations in life just to help keep the peace but taking on the praise due to God is what Satan did and what he wants us to do so he can take the glory away from God! Don’t just sit there and take God’s glory!
God is the one showing us miracles each and every day, miracles we take for granted and don’t praise Him for. The miracle of life, be it in animals, vegetables or anything else; God is the one behind it all and the one keeping that life going every day. God is the one who answers our prayers and allows us to heal and help others. We may work for a ‘living’ and get paid earthly wages to buy things with, but without God instituting this regime in the beginning, we would have nothing to go on. Give God the praise He deserves for all the things He does, always!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like being praised?
Are you giving God praise due Him?
September 14: Romans 2 1-4
Key Verse: Romans 2 4
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
Devotion:
We have all been there and we will probably all go there again before long! We blame others for doing things wrong when we know we do the same in our lives. What gives us the right to judge others for what we think they are doing wrong? Do you think it is ok to judge people when you know they are doing things wrong? Stop and think a bit about how much you do wrong first.
When the people brought the woman in front of Jesus who was caught in the act of adultery, they expected to be shown what they wanted because they knew in no uncertain terms the lady was wrong! But Jesus asked them to consider what they had done wrong in their own lives first of all. Sometimes we do judge people just because we know we would not go as far as they have gone – but we are still guilty of other things, maybe even things they have not done wrong in their lives, but we have!
Jesus said we should love our neighbours as we love ourselves, and He then took things further saying we should not hate anyone; even the thought of hating someone was as wrong as actually hating them. So, thinking about what you would want to do against someone is as bad as actually doing it – because we are going there in our hearts and minds. Our bodies are not coming to heaven in the state they are now; they are full of sin and as dirty rags (as the bible puts it.) What is coming with us to heaven is what is in our hearts and minds, our souls!
Yes, it is hard to escape this one because we all get involved with thinking about stuff and thinking of the evil things we could do. So, we are all guilty. The only one who can save us from those depths of despair is Christ, the one who willingly gave His own life on the cross to pay for the things which go through our minds! It is not the things we pull others up for which bring them to repentance before God, but the love of God which shows people there is hope and life for them when they make the first step toward God. Help people on their way and don’t hinder them.
Points to Ponder:
Do you try to uphold the law?
What sort of Christian example do you think you are?
September 13: Nehemiah 9 29-31
Key Verse: Nehemiah 9 31
But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
Devotion:
I look back at some of the things the people of Israel got up to and I wonder why God would ever want to forgive them! I look back at some of the things in my own life and I wonder the same! Unless we are willing to admit to the problems we have had in our own lives and not always try to blame other people or our history or our pasts, then we are never going to quite get just how much God is willing to forgive.
I know there are issues in our lives, and I know they continue to hound us and trap us- but God is always here, waiting, willing to forgive and put things behind us. God wants to move forward in a stronger relationship with us. Unless we are willing to start the ball rolling by admitting to our issues int eh first place, God cannot make that difference in our lives – He said He would give us the choice and He has to stand by that promise.
I am amazed at how many times I have put the blame on someone else, or allowed other people to take the blame for me… But that is history, and I hope I have put most of that behind me. God knows these things and He has chosen to allow His Son to die on the cross for my mistakes. He made that decision before I knew I was making mistakes and sinning against Him; but He was still willing to continue forward with that decision so I could spend the rest of eternity with them in heaven! That is what I find most awesome about our God.
I am not one to bring pomp and ceremony into my life. I admit to forgetting about birthdays on multiple occasions, but that does not change the fact I do love my friends and family. I spend time stopping my work, stopping what I am doing and praying for them because I know I fall short of the mark – but I know my God is always there for them and always willing to do things when I cannot! I know God continues to watch over each person and waits for that special day when they too will come forward and invite Him back into their lives. I don’t like following the crowd because I know that is far too easy. I don’t go against others just to make my life difficult. I do try to follow Gods will in my life – because I have come to know that is the righteous thing to do!
Points to Ponder:
Do you have bad memories of your past?
Are you willing to give those memories for God to take care of?
September 12: Joshua 24 24-27
Key Verse: Joshua 24 27
“See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”
Devotion:
What (or was) the one thing which stopped you from making your decision to follow and obey God? Was it that you may have to agree to something for the rest of your life, or was it you did not want to give something up for the rest of your life? The latter is a truth you are acknowledging you do have issues and you do not want to give them up right now – God can work with that and try to show you a way forward and a way of living with Him in your life.
But the first is a fear of going off into the unknown. The only reason for it being unknown is you have not found out enough about God; the more you get to know God the more you will be able to see how special He is and the more you will want to be with Him. I know it can be very difficult reading some of the Old Testament books to find out the History of how the Israelites did things wrong and found themselves in deep water – none of us want to be reminded there could be consequences for our actions; but these things were written down for our remembrance. The more we get to know about God and how He did not change over time, the more confident we become about living with a God who does not change!
Writing things down can be a valuable source of self-confidence, if nothing else! When we see something we have written down many years ago and see that God has not changed over all that time, we can gain confidence in a God who is unchanging, but always willing to forgive our mistakes and issues!
I like to look at devotions I have written a decade or two ago and see what has changed in me. Have I kept my word to God? Have I changed for the better? Do I have more confidence in our amazing God now than I did back then? It is good to ask questions and it is good to look back and check up on yourself – don’t be afraid of dredging up the past to see what God has done in your life!
Points to Ponder:
Do you ever write things down to remember them?
How much of God’s Word have you written down to remember?
September 11: Joshua 24 14-22
Key Verse: Joshua 24 19
Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.
Devotion:
When the Israelites had crossed over the Jordan river, they moved into lands where people worshipped many gods, each area seemingly worshipping a different god. God knew the people would look around and mix with the local people and He knew they would give in to the ways of the people around them unless they made a stand in the beginning. When we go into a new place as missionaries, we go in with our God and we go in to tell them of our God. If we go in and join in with their gods, then we are diluting Gods power and might by allowing the local gods to flourish in His presence!
Joshua’s words were quite harsh to the people; either they gave up being tempted to go after the local customs and gods, or they would find all manner of evil things happening in their lives. Yes, God loves us. Yes, God protects us. But if we run around ignoring God and even lifting other gods up instead of Him, don’t expect Him to continue offering the same love and protection openly. Yes, He still loves us in times like this, but to show that love may well seem harsh on the receiving end.
If a parent continues to ignore what a child is doing wrong, that child is going to start thinking they are doing the right thing. But if the parent pulls them up for doing things wrong, they will learn what is right and what is wrong. They then have a choice as to whether they continue to ignore their parents and continue to get shown what is wrong or turn around and obey their parents and receive the love the parents want to show.
The same is happening in our lives with God. We run off and do things, God tries to show us what we are doing wrong, and then we are faced with “difficult” choices. Do we continue to do what makes us feel good, or do we stop and think about what is righteous? God will continue to try and persuade us toward the righteous paths; and we may not like some of that persuasion!
Points to Ponder:
Do you get involved in your local community?
Do you show your local community Gods ways?