March 24: Luke 23 50-56
Key Verse: Luke 23 56
Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.
Devotion:
There are going to be times in your life when you just have to do the right thing! Think about that statement for a bit… We may have gone too far in our lives to realise we do things wrong all the time and then when it comes to doing the right thing, it is an exception to the norm! Joseph, the counsellor, was a just man who tried to make sure he always did what was right; but, being part of the counsel meant he was not always able to do the right things. On this occasion, the counsel had order Jesus to be put to death, but Joseph knew it was wrong and wanted to do something about it.
He took time out of his schedule to go to the Romans and ask for the body of Jesus so he could give it a proper burial instead of it being left to face the same fate as the rest of the criminals. He was stepping out and doing what was right without regard to the repercussions. He knew in his heart that Jesus was innocent and wanted at least some people to know that! But he also stuck to the rules and principals which had been passed down generation upon generation.
He took time out on the Sabbath just as they had been taught by God. I’m sure he was hoping something would happen to make this all right; maybe he even thought about what a hopeless situation this all seemed to be. Maybe this is how you see things at the moment. Sometimes we just have to step up and go through the motions of what we have been taught, doing stuff because that is the way it has always been done. Sometimes, we have to be patient and wait on our God even though we do not understand what is happening.
Being able to wait and hope on God is faith. Trust your faith, no matter how small and insignificant it seems…
Points to Ponder:
Do you face hopeless situations?
Are you trusting and waiting on your God?
March 23: Luke 23 44-49
Key Verse: Luke 23 47
The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.”
Devotion:
Many people tell us all about what a horrible time this is for Christians. Easter, the time when Christ was crucified… Yes, you can look at it as a horrible time, but you have to look past that and try to see the whole picture. People will celebrate Easter, yet few may do it for the right reason. We are told of all the terrible things which happened to Christ and we dwell on them. We dwell on the human side, the suffering and the pain. What we need to be doing instead is simply realising that it was done for us. Christ went to that cross for me! Christ went to that cross for you! It is an individual thing, very personal, between Christ and you.
There were many witnesses to the facts, so we know exactly what happened to Christ on the cross; so much so that we are able to make films and documentaries about it to teach others. But I don’t see any of those films and documentaries giving the simple message… He did all of this so you will believe and trust in God!
Standing next to Him that day was a Roman Centurion, maybe the same one who showed Him faith... we don’t know. These are the hard guys, the marine captains or commanders if you will. These are the guys who don’t normally believe in anything apart from getting the job done. They have seen it all in battle and probably don’t care anymore… Yet this one had watched it all and simply by what Christ had said and done, He knew that Christ was who He said He was. He knew Christ had done nothing wrong. His experience with criminals left him in no doubt…
Why then can’t we see the light? Why then can’t we see the truth? Is it because we have too comfortable a life to worry about things like that? If that is true, should we be surprised at all when things go wrong so that we do think about God? God is. God will forever be. We just need to wake up to the fact!
Points to Ponder:
Do you have to get into trouble before you realise you have done wrong?
What more does God have to do before you recognise all you have done?
March 22: Matthew 8 5-13
Key Verse: Matthew 8 8
The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
Devotion:
Believers come in all shapes and sizes… What is Christ looking for? True belief, not the “pretend stuff” which people are going to show off by going places and being seen there doing something! How many people do you know who go to church just so that they can be seen there. They don’t always go, because there are so many other things to do in their lives, but they have to be seen a few times a month at least… It is a sad fact many people who do go to church are doing it out of duty and not by faith.
We need to make sure that our hearts are right with God and not right with ourselves. We need to make sure that God is the one who is first in our lives and not our own feelings and desires. We need to allow others to see He is first, but not to show off about it to make ourselves look good. God is the one who is concerned about what is in our hearts. He is not concerned about where you go to church or how you go or even if you go in some circumstances… He is concerned about how you love Him!
Loving Him with all you heart and mind will allow you to do things for Him without thinking about it. It will allow you to make sure He is in fact first in your life. It will demonstrate to others just how much you love Him without you actually having to think about it… because many people will be able to see if you are making a show about it. Our Roman centurion in this passage demonstrated his true love for Christ by admitting to Christ exactly what he was like but putting his full trust in Christ at the same time. With that knowledge alone, Christ healed his son. Tell Christ you love Him this Easter!
Points to Ponder:
Do you show off you love for your partner by telling others everything?
Do you tell Christ that you love Him?
March 21: Proverbs 30 32-33
Key Verse: Proverbs 30 33
For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.
Devotion:
If you are like me, then I’m sure you would have been in a few situations where you have said that you would do something out of anger and then regretted saying so. I’m not talking about saying things in response to what is said to you, but rather in saying something after you have built yourself up into a false position. When I was younger I would talk myself up into positions I knew I did not hold just so that I would look good. Then when the time came for me to prove I was what I said I was, things fell apart!
It is still a part of our human nature to take on a mantle which does not rightfully belong to us – some would say this is the way to move forward in life… But how can you move forward on a lie? Yes, we can say what our abilities are and what we believe we can do but elevating yourself into a false position is just a plain lie. We may simply lift ourselves up in thought and not in deed; but according to God, that is one and the same thing. We each know our position. We know whether we are kings or queens. We know whether we are government officials. We know whether we are directors. We know whether we are employees. We know where we are. Making yourself more important than you actually are will have its side effects… But, equally, don’t play yourself down!
Have you ever tried whisking cream to thicken it? If you whisk a bit too much it very quickly turns from thick cream to butter! Yet if you try the same with the wrong sort of cream, it will take a very long time to being to thicken – more often than not we will end up throwing it out because “it doesn’t work”… If we try and keep up any pretence in our lives, as that pretence is tried it will go one of two ways. Either we get found out as not being who we said and we get thrown out, or we will get pushed further than we think and we turn into something we don’t need! Don’t give yourself a false label, live up to what you actually are… A child of God.
Points to Ponder:
Are you living a life that you are not?
Are you living up to what God made you?
March 20: Mark 9 39-50
Key Verse: Mark 9 42
If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.
Devotion:
You would think that anyone listening to Christ on this occasion would get a graphic picture of just how horrible hell would be and would do anything to turn away from going there… but, sadly, people do not quite understand just how much of a choice they make for themselves by not making a choice. If we are told by the sales person at the car dealership we need to fill up our car with petrol when the gauge gets to the empty marker, we would do that. Some of us have had to find out the hard way that letting the gauge go too far means that the car will stop running altogether! Fortunately for us, this is not a terminal situation…
God gives us instruction when we get our bodies. He has the whole instruction manual neatly laid out in 66 books and letters which we now call the bible. He went to great pains to make sure all we need was written in this manual as the truth and it shows us what can happen in almost all situations. It shows us what will happen when we are good, bad and indifferent. It tells us what will happen if we believe and if we choose not to believe. If we choose not to believe, then we are in effect choosing not to fill our cars with petrol and see how far we can go! We think we know how far it will last. We think we know we will be ok, even if time runs out… but truth be told, when time runs out, we have one big problem!
These verses remind us; we are either for God, or against God. No in-betweens. We are either for Him where He can support us, encourage us, protect and save us… Or we choose to go the other way where He no longer can support us. This support breaks down, not because He cannot get to us (for God is everywhere), but because we are actively choosing not to have His support. When that happens, we have to face up to whatever lies ahead… alone…
We all still make mistakes, but if we are headed off in the wrong direction there is not going to be any help ahead…
Points to Ponder:
How often do you make the right choices?
Are you walking in God’s direction?