February 7: James 1 2-6
Key Verse: James 1 5
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Devotion:
One of the biggest questions we all face in our Christian lives is “why does it happen to me”. When we become Christians, we like to think our lives are going to change and that we will no longer be bothered by the bad things in this world. Well, truth be told, the opposite is more likely to happen – the difference being we now have Christ on our side so we will no longer loose the war! We may give in to the minor skirmishes, but we will not lose the war. We will still give way to some temptations along the way because we are still the same human and still living in the same word, but we can fight those temptations if we are willing to ask for help.
The more we are willing to learn to fight against the temptations, the more we will grow stronger against them. There is nothing like on the job training to gain the most experience. No matter how much reading you do, there will always be a time when you have to put that knowledge into action... but don't let me persuade you from the reading! In reality, you have to know how to handle a situation before you can handle it; which may sound like a chicken and egg conundrum. We don't all like to lose hope by failing in situations before figuring out how to win!
God is willing and able to help you to understand how to get the most out of life. He is willing and able to help you avoid certain situations in life. He is willing and able to help you to grow stronger so you can stand up to situations... but each time, you are the one who has to make the first move to start the ball rolling. You are the one who has to stand up to the world for the first time and ask God for help to keep you on your feet. Do not be afraid, He has promised us He will never leave us! Never doubt His love for us, His power, His faith. Do not doubt your faith otherwise you will be tripping yourself up!
Points to Ponder:
Do you think someone else is in control of your life?
Have you ever realised that God is the one who is in control?
February 6: Matthew 22 1-14
Key Verse: Matthew 22 8
Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.’
Devotion:
It is a beautiful analogy Christ presented here to the Pharisees comparing the kingdom of heaven with a royal feast made by a king. The king has gone out of his way to present a feast which is worthy of the occasion and he wants his chosen people to be there, yet when he invites them, none of them want to come. Why? Because they are too busy with their own lives! Just like that, Christ sent out the invitation to a people who have rejected Him as well. But Christ has gone all out to present something far better than the best feast available!
What He has presented is a something more plentiful than the number of requested guests. His feat is laid out with enough to spare for anyone who is willing to come. But when we come to that feast, we have to make sure we are coming for the right reason and to present ourselves in the right manner. I doubt that you would be able to attend a wedding party if you were dressed as a hobo... but there always seems to be one who is willing to push the dress code as far as they can; just so they get their own way!
Christ is the one who has control over who does get to go to heaven and He alone is the one who will ensure that only people who have accepted Him as Saviour will pass through the gates. There is no way He will leave out any believer, no matter how bad their past has been. He will make sure they are presented faultless before God because He knows that He has already paid the price and has taken on our sins... before we even knew Him!
The reason why people will not get to heaven is not because they cannot physically get there. Not because they don’t know enough about it. Not because of stuff they have done in the past. Not because they don’t have enough money or haven’t paid enough… The reason will simply be because they have made a choice to reject the wedding feast of their lifetimes just to try and get that bit more out of their short lives...
Points to Ponder:
Would you accept an invitation to a royal wedding?
Have you accepted your invitation from Christ yet?
February 5: Romans 10 18-21
Key Verse: Romans 10 20
And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”
Devotion:
Faith comes by hearing and the only way that is going to happen is if people go out and take the gospel with them. This is a bit of a sore point with the Jews because they (forgive me for generalising) did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah and would not take out the word to others; they seemingly did not want to teach the gentiles their sacred ways. When Jesus told the disciples to go out into the world and teach, they knew He was talking about all the tribes of Israel – all the Jews. This was going to be a hard enough task for them to accomplish. Jesus also sent some out to go to the gentiles and spread the word, specifically Paul!
It is little wonder then that some Jews do get upset with what has happened. They indeed are the chosen race, chosen by God; but many are amongst those that have rejected Him. Why? Because it went against all the things they had grown used to doing; the extra laws they had made up for themselves to separate themselves from the world.
God continues to show His extraordinary grace and patience to all of us. Christ went to the cross to pay for our sin debt, but He continues to see people rejecting Him all around. People from all around the world have now come to know Christ as Saviour, but so many more still refuse to believe the simple truth. Man's disobedience seems to grow year after year with more people leading more sinful lives; but Christ continues to show His love to each and every one of us so that we can have that chance of getting to know Him.
Nothing we can do will ever overcome that love and mercy He has. Nothing will ever provoke Him to kill us all off – it is well within His power to do so. We continue to have the choice of believing in Him so we can be saved from our own demise. We will always continue to wonder at God's grace when we continue to see man's evil ways taking over. It is only the fact that someone refuses to believe that will keep them from God's grace!
Points to Ponder:
Do you wonder if you have been too bad?
God grace is perfect and covers all of our sins!
February 4: Proverbs 29 12
Key Verse: Proverbs 29 12
If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked.
Devotion:
How often do you put up with lies? How often do you long for the truth? Do you ever stop to think what the lies are doing to you? I know there are times when I have just put up with the lies in order to keep the peace, but having to put up with them for too long wears away at the soul. When we keep brushing them off we are conditioning ourselves to accept lies instead of seeking the truth.
God is always seeking the truth in all situations because He cannot and will not abide lies. When we lie to Him, He pulls us up in one way or another; we have to admit to our lies and bring out the truth. This is because He is just and holy. We, however, are far from being just and holy so we do tend to put up with many things in our lives. The problem is the longer we put up with those things the more we will tend to ignore them in our own lives as well as in the lives of others. The more we put up with all manner of things, the more they too will grow in our own lives.
The hardest part comes when we try to serve God in places where the people do not yet know Him. The more we mix with the local people, the more we seem willing to put up with the things they say and do and then the more likely we are to repeat them. We see this pattern echoed again and again in the bible as people have gone into different countries; unless they are depending on God for strength and guidance, they fall into the same lifestyles as the local people and lose sight of God. This angers God! It always has and always will!
We are servants of the most high God. He is always watching and listening to the things we are doing, trying to guide us to do the right things for Him. If we act like Jonah and run the other way, He will put a stop to the things we are doing one way or another. When He does that, we will not be pleased! But if we listen to Him and obey Him, we will be able to rise above the lies and deceit around us and His light will then be able to shine through us. He wants us to make a difference to the people who are around us. When we show we are different, they will be more willing to listen to His words.
Points to Ponder:
How often do you listen to lies?
How often do you lie?
February 3: Jude 1 24-25
Key Verse: Jude 1 24
To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy
Devotion:
God (in three persons) alone is willing and able to keeps us from falling into sin. No matter how hard we try ourselves, we will always give in to some temptation somewhere along the line – be it in thought or in deed. If we are willing to believe in Christ, then He, through the Holy Spirit, will be with us from that point on. As long as we are willing to depend on Him, He will help us to avoid sin – so long as we listen and obey. But in the same way as we do not listen to our parents and others in positions of responsibility, we will not always listen to Him. That is when we fall for those temptations.
Christ alone is willing and able to present us faultless before God. Because of what He has done by taking on our sins at the cross, He will be able to present us to God The Father knowing that we are no longer guilty... but only if we are willing to ask Christ to forgive us of those sins in the beginning. Without His grace, we should have been condemned a long time ago. But God gave all sincere believers to Christ so He would be able to be our Redeemer. Our faults may well fill us with fear, doubts, anger, sorrow and a multitude of other feelings – but when Christ presents us faultless before God, we no longer have any reason for any other feeling but unspeakable joy!
We need to constantly look to Him, our Redeemer, our Saviour, our Joy, our Christ and lift Him up high exulting His name before all others for what He has been willing to do for us. Allow Him to keep us, maintain us, guide us and teach us so that heaven may be full of joy when we get there. He is the Might upon which we stand. He is the Majesty upon which we trust. He is the Authority by which we must live. May it always be that way as it has always been with Him!
Points to Ponder:
Do your rebellions get you down?
How much do you depend on Christ?