December 19: 1 John 3 17-20
Key Verse: 1 John 3 18
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
Devotion:
How can we, in all good conscience, not help someone when we know we can or have the ability to help them... If we have the chance to help someone and refuse to do so, then should we expect anything less from others... Christ was the one who went out of His way to help us all by being born into this world and doing what He did. He did that because He could do it. He did not do it because He would like the pain and suffering but because of His love towards us. We need to follow on in His example and show compassion and love towards others when we have the ability to do so.
It is no good saying you are going to support someone and never getting round to doing so. It is no good saying you will be there for someone and never turning up. Christ gave His promise He would be there for us, and He did exactly that – because of His compassion towards us. He did what He did because it was right to do so. He did what He did because we needed a Saviour. He did what He did because He promised to do so.
How many times have you said to someone you would phone them back or do something later for them, knowing that you would never do what you had just said? How many times have you promised to do something just to get someone off your back? How many times have you promised to do more as a Christian and never got around to doing it? Each of us makes promises in the heat of the moment and go back on our promises after we have thought about it – or we just plain lie and never intend to carry out our promises. Others may not see into our hearts to see those lies, but after a while they will learn not to trust you. God knows exactly what we promise to do in His name...
Points to Ponder:
How often do you dish out false promises?
God never goes back on promises and never will...
December 18: Hebrews 10 23-25
Key Verse: Hebrews 10 24
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
Devotion:
How wonderful it is to know that we have a Saviour who has done exactly what He said He would do – to come to earth to be our sacrifice so our sins could be forgiven and that we could attain eternal life through Him. We have this open way to heaven. The gift He has given us is waiting there for the picking. If He had not come to earth as a human, we would still be caught up in trying to find the best sacrifices we could to offer for our sins, hoping they would pacify God.
It is one thing to believe that there is a God, but another to believe in Him! We need to be bold in our belief. We need to uphold our faith in Him. We need to show others we do believe in what we say by following His Laws. When we see others around us who are struggling, then we need to show them compassion such as Christ would have shown them. When we see the faith of those around us faltering, we need to help them to build it up again. How do we do that? We need to be there for them!
Just like Jesus Christ to come to earth to be with us, we have to take a bold step forward to be there for those around us. It is the physical presence which will most often sway the argument. Being there will allow you to explain things as they are needed. When we get called on to help others, it is best if we are with them so we can help them directly. Jesus came to be our direct help-line, to help us understand our Heavenly Father's love for us. As we move ever closer to Christ's second coming, we need to make sure that those around us do not falter as the world gets ever more caught up in the ever-increasing temptations which surround us each day. Being there to help someone will help them to see God's love at this time of year!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like to be with your friends when they need help?
Have you noticed how God is always there when you need Him?
December 17: Proverbs 27 17
Key Verse: Proverbs 27 17
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
Devotion:
We don't think too much about just how hard hitting our words can be. We often forget we could destroy people just through something we say. We like to think that we do say the right things all the time, but there are far too many times when we let slip with the wrong things. When we are talking to friends, we are more likely to say the right thing – unless we start to get angry. When we are talking to strangers, we will quite often lie... “But I don't do that” I hear echoing round... How many times do we give a false excuse to someone just to get out of doing something – like those people and their clipboards in town centres!
Our words can achieve so much, but they can do so much damage as well. We have to be aware of just what they can do and to treat our mouths with care! I don't mean flossing and rinsing with mouthwash every day, but taking care of what comes out of them! We do have the choice as to what comes out of them if we are willing to take the time to think before we speak. If we think a few milliseconds before letting rip, we are more likely to say something kind than a harsh rebuke!
With our words we can build people too. We can help others by telling them the right things, telling them about things we know so they can learn as we learn. Heading into conversations which will have a direction and meaning are going to be a whole lot more profitable to both parties than meaningless gossip. Gossip will spread bad feelings whereas the truth will build strength and trust. Some words will break down friendships where others will build them. Choosing what you say and when you say it may well make the difference between building and breaking. The wrong words will leave dents like two swords have after a sword fight. The right words could be like using those two swords carefully with each other to sharpen both blades. We have the choice as to how we use our mouths... Caution, mouth opening!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you think you say the wrong things?
Have you tried asking God to guide your mind so you can think of the right things to say?
December 16: Romans 5 20-21
Key Verse: Romans 5 20
The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more
Devotion:
Have you ever wondered how such great sinners can get to heaven simply by believing in Christ? Have you ever wondered how we can be forgiven for some of the things we have done? The answer is simple, through Christ and His righteousness we have a greater privilege than we have lost through all the sins that have come through mankind since Adam.
God's Word is a moral law. Through it we can see just how much sin we have simply by it explaining what our thoughts, words and deeds do to count against us. It does not go forward to make sure sin does abound, but rather that we should see our sin and try to stop it. It is only through us seeing we have sinned that we can then come to the conclusion how we do need Christ. It is like a light being brought into a dark room for the first time... How are we to know that there is dust and dirt in the room unless we have the light to show us that dirt!
God's Word is a just law. He has defined the perimeter. He are told that the penalty for sin is death. But God also reminds us that His gift to us is eternal life. He has promised us no matter what we have done in the past, so long as we are willing and able to believe in Him, we too will be given this most wondrous of gifts – eternal life through Jesus Christ. The flip side is that those who do not trust Christ will have to face up to the penalty.
We will never be able to attain eternal life without a pure and blameless sacrifice for our sinful lives. No matter how hard we try by ourselves, we will never be able to offer a good enough sacrifice. Christ offered Himself as that pure and blameless sacrifice so all of our sins could be covered. How can we not believe in Him...
Points to Ponder:
Do you try to help people only for them to reject you?
How many times have you rejected Christ in the past?
December 15: Matthew 20 1-16
Key Verse: Matthew 20 16
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Devotion:
There are so many times in life when we think we have been outdone or treated unequally. Maybe we have come across a similar situation to this parable where we have received less for doing more, but what we have to remember is that we agreed to doing the work in the first place and for the wage (if any) which was offered to us because we thought it was fair at the time.
The one thing you would think to cause the most commotion is that of going to heaven... Why should someone be a good Christian all their lives so they can get to heaven, whereas someone who has never given thought to God for all of their lives but does so in their last days also gets to heaven... Why should the Jews have to go through so much as a people and yet other gentile go through so little in comparison? So many questions can be asked like this, and they are, all the time. But what people are forgetting is that they are comparing two totally different things. Trying to compare this life with the next is impossible. We are bound by time and all manner of things in this life. In the next, we will not be.
The most important thing to remember is that the gift of God is His to give. We do not have control over what He should give to us. We are the ones agreeing to follow Him, to follow the truth. We are the ones who have seen we are doing things wrong and how we need to turn our lives around. We are the ones who are in need. Whether we find this truth out just before we die or soon after we can understand things is immaterial. We will all get the same reward of everlasting life because that is what God has promised to us. How many others we can convince on the way will be our reward here on earth while we still labour on. There is no better joy than to see others find the joy you have found!
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel hard done by?
How much would you do for everlasting life?