April 23: Matthew 10 38
Key Verse: Matthew 10 38
Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Devotion:
What would you think of a person who called you their friend and continued to do what friends should do right up to the point where you had something difficult to do – then disappeared or worse still, supported the other side? Would you then call them a friend, or call them an enemy? Would you think they had been a spy all along just to trap you? What sort of things would go through your mind?
When we are alone and get into trouble, we have to bear the consequences for what we have done. When we are in a crowd, yet different to everyone else in that crowd, we have to bear the consequences for being different to everyone else… Like a football fan sitting at the wrong end of a stadium in amongst the opposition, we may well feel totally cut off from everything ‘normal’. We may even give in to those around and follow what they are doing just to fit in. What we should be doing is standing up for our beliefs and others around should be respecting that… not much hope for that at a football match!
Being a Christian is going to mean we will be that odd one out a whole lot more than we used to be – unless we continue to walk amongst other Christians for the rest of our life. But whilst we think that would be good for our strength, comfort and faithfulness, we really need to get out into ‘the other side’ so we can demonstrate our beliefs and actually get stronger and not relax in our ‘safe environment’. Earlier in verse 27 we have Christ saying, “What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear, proclaim on the housetops”. There will be times where we have to be careful and talk in the dark to avoid detection, but most of the time we can and need to be open, true, plain and faithful. Christ could not do so much of the time until the time was right because He knew He would be crucified – we do not have that hanging over us.
If we are not willing to listen to Christ when He said we should take the gospel and tell it to everybody, then are we any better than a so called friend who has turned and run?
Points to Ponder:
Are your parents still there when you find yourself in trouble?
What more does God have to do before you recognise all you have done?
April 22: Matthew 10 37-42
Key Verse: Matthew 10 39
Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
Devotion:
When non-Christians tempt us by asking if we love them (or others) more than God our response should be immediate and firm. “Of course I love God more than you!”
If they are willing to listen a few more seconds you can explain why it is so important to love God with your whole heart. It does not mean to say that you do not love them at all; far from it. For the more we can love God, the more we will be able to love others too – I know it sounds a bit of a cop-out for those who do not fully trust Him, but the more you actually trust God, the more you will understand just how this is possible. It makes your whole life worth living and gives you a much deeper understanding of how love can be whole!
Can you imagine being able to listen to the thoughts of those around you? Can you imagine what will be going through their minds as you ask them about who they love the most? Think about what actually goes through your mind and then expand that a bit for them! I would probably want to run away and hide in the desert to get away from the constant bickering! Can you now understand why God wants to know that you do love Him? Can you now understand why God wants you to hold Him above all else?
When we do turn the focus of our attention to Christ, we are able to build up our relationship with Him. Just as any relationship, the first short while (short as in not eternity) will be a rocky ride as you get to know Him. The fact He has already accepted you means He is miles ahead of you in the relationship and He is willing to forgive you already. We tend to have to be in a relationship for a while before we do fully trust in our partners. By showing them respect and trust we are showing them how we love them. By trusting their judgements, we are confirming that love.
Why should we leave God out of anything in our lives when He has already proven His absolute love for us?
Points to Ponder:
How do you judge how much a person loves you?
Do you think you live up to that with God?
April 21: 2 Corinthians 12 8-10
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 12 10
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Devotion:
There are two sides to every story, the right side and the wrong side! It is amazing how many people will try to take the words of others and mix them up into something the opposite of everything which was intended. Many people will take God’s Word and try to make it say something which is simply not written down – this way they can confuse others who are genuinely seeking the truth.
When the apostle talks here about being made strong in his weaknesses, he is not talking about being made strong in his sins. How could we even begin to think about being made strong in any sins when we know that any sin drives a wedge between us and God? How can that then lead to strength? If we want to be made strong, we have to have any wedges removed so we can draw closer to God where we will be able to find strength. The apostle is not talking about walking off by himself and finding his own inner strength, he is talking about the one who strengthens him, God!
When we find we do have ailments and imperfections (not a weakness to give into temptations, but rather physical or mental imperfections) then we need to remind ourselves how we need to seek His glory rather than our own. Yes, we can submit our prayers to God to beg for those imperfections to be removed, but whatever the outcome we need to remember that everything works to the glory of God. If we are genuinely walking with God, He would not have allowed it if it would not lead to His glory! If we have wondered off track and left Him behind, why blame God? We need to remember that each thing in our lives has a purpose – more often than not we cannot see it, but it has.
Don’t be tempted to say that your spiritual weakness is there for a reason – that is not what God teaches us… that is just our personal choice we have made! The truth of the matter is that God knows what He is doing and He alone knows what we need to strengthen our relationship with Him!
Points to Ponder:
Have you ever tried to take the wrong medicine just to see if it could work?
Why must we continue to think that we can do better without God?
April 20: 2 Corinthians 10 7-11
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 10 7
You are judging by appearances. If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.
Devotion:
Do we have to be with others in order to find out if we are doing things wrong or can we figure it out by ourselves through evidence? Most of the time we can figure things out ourselves; we know when we do wrong and we try to avoid doing those things – even when nobody else is watching! But one of our biggest problems is accepting authority from people who we cannot meet face to face. We may well think we can get away with speeding when there are no police around… We may well think we can get away with doing things we are not allowed to when we are not with our parents…
But what would we do if they were with us? What would we do if the police were following us all the time? What would we do if someone was following us all the time? Would we then try to make sure we do follow the law all the time? Is that what it is going to take for us to follow the law?
What if you had someone with you who was an ‘absolute rebel’? Would you then fall in line with them and become a rebel yourself just to fit in? Is this peer pressure, or is it just you giving in to your surroundings? I think the answer is in who you want to blame rather than what you have done!
We need to make sure we do continue to be strong in God’s law. We need to make sure we do continue to be Christians wherever we are. We need to uphold that which is right in the face of adversity. We need to quit judging people by their appearances and start to make a difference in our lives so we can make a difference in their lives! If we see warning signs on the wall, we need to take heed of them before they become someone we have to meet face to face! We may not think we have someone watching over us always… but we do!
Points to Ponder:
Do you live a different life in front of your parents?
Do you live a different life when you go to church?
April 19: Jeremiah 31 31-34
Key Verse: Jeremiah 31 34
No longer will they teach their neighbour, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Devotion:
What do you think of someone who promises to do something and carries it out? Do you trust them to continue to do what they say they will, or do you simply forget about what has happened and continue without further trust? Sadly, the way society is going, people are being brought up to trust in nobody but themselves. They will not trust in people even though they have had good experiences from them in the past; or they only trust people who give them stuff.
Throughout history we have had governments who have promised one thing, tried to do another and ended up doing something entirely different. We have governments who have brought countries to their knees… We have had leaders caught out doing what they say must not be done… Is it little wonder then that we do not trust others when we don’t seem to be able to trust those in power?
With Christ we have something so special that we cannot ignore Him! We have someone who has given us a wonderful place to live. He then has laid down the law in no uncertain terms. He warned what would happen if the law was broken and had to carry out that promise when it was broken. He then chose a people to be an example and saved them from slavery, laying down a whole set of laws expanding on the original. He then had to continue punishing people who broken that law continually, giving them warnings about what was to come. He then sent Jesus to come to earth as a man, so He could fulfil what was written down and told to everyone. He came to uphold the promises made. Through His death He gave us a way by which we could join Him in heaven without the previous heartache of man. He continues to fulfil His promises day by day – yet man continues to ignore the truth! We know the truth, we read about the truth, we see the truth – we need to show others that we believe and trust in the truth!
Points to Ponder:
Do you find it hard to trust people?
Do you think God should be able to trust you?