June 22: Luke 6 27-36
Key Verse: Luke 6 36
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Devotion:
When Jesus taught He would continue talking to everyone who was within ear-shot and not just the disciples because He knew people would be listening. I suppose the thing which most people remember about His teachings is that of being merciful; being able to apply mercy to others as He was going to do to us all. He knew what lay ahead, and yet He continued to go forward and teach peace and understanding. He knew we would end up having huge wars and wars which would seemingly see no end but He continued to speak so those who were willing to listen would listen and learn!
He teaches us to give to everyone their full due; to be honest and just in our dealings. How do we judge that honesty? If we lived in a perfect world we would expect all sorts of things to be carried out for us in the right manner – that is what we should be doing for others. We need to set the standard which others can look to. Christ has already done that, but we need to continue on in the same vein to make sure others see it too. What would you like others to do for you when you are feeling down or out of sorts? How about doing the same for someone else when you see then down or out of sorts!
Giving freely is something we all find hard. When we give, we do expect something in return, no matter how much or little. Being able to give and not to expect anything in return is what we need to aspire to. God has supplied us with a free gift we can never repay. He knew that. He did not expect anything in return!
Being generous in our forgiving is another thing in our lives we do find hard. Invariably we will forgive to a certain extent – but beware anyone who oversteps the mark we have drawn! Being generous with our forgiving means forgiving over and above that which we see fit. Christ has given us perfect forgiveness, why should we aim for anything less?
Points to Ponder:
Do you show more mercy to friends or family (be truthful how you answer)?
How much more has Christ forgiven you?
June 21: 1 Corinthians 1 13-18
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 1 17
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Devotion:
Have you forgotten why you are here on earth? Have you got too involved in other things to remember just who is in charge of this place that we call home? Would you dare to walk in to school and proceed in telling the headmaster what his job actually is? Or would you have the nerve to stop a policeman and tell him about how he should be driving his car?
Too many people tend to elevate themselves into a position of importance which is just not what they are, or into a position which rightly belongs to another. When we are doing that, we are deceiving ourselves as well as others. We are even robbing someone else of their rightful position or estate.
When Satan tried to elevate himself into the position of God, he found out the hard way he was not going to ever take the position of God and he would have to pay for it! The bible tells us all about who is in charge here. The bible tells us all about the wonderful things which God does for us. The bible tells us all about the things we should be doing for Him... yet we ignore it at every opportunity we can – or at least that is what is must seem like!
We were not simply grown over millions of years from a single cell. We were not created by a huge big bang from nothing. God created us in this universe. He created us within the realm of time. He created us in His image. He deserves a whole lot more than us ignoring Him! We need to show Him we love and care for Him by doing His will in our lives and showing others that we are willing to do that too!
Points to Ponder:
Do you ignore your teachers in class?
God created us out of love. God wants us to show Him that we can love Him back.
June 20: John 7 37-39
Key Verse: John 7 38
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.
Devotion:
On the last day of the feast of tabernacles, the Jews drew water and poured it out for Christ. As always, He took every opportunity to make sure everyone heard the gospel! He reminded everyone there they could get the living water, the gospel, if only they would come to Him. If we want the understanding which He can give us, we need to approach Him with a willingness to learn. He will be more than happy to fulfil that will to learn!
Once we find out about the truth of the gospel, then we have a thirst for more knowledge and more truth. This is true in most walks in life, the more we find out about good things, the more we want to know. But the difference here is Christ gives us the understanding which we need to get the most out of His Word. We may take a look at the words in the bible and think there is no way we will be able to understand anything – but as soon as we are willing to trust in Him for that understanding, we will get it! That is when we can share the new-found knowledge so others can follow Him as well.
Christ's comfort and willingness to teach us flows like a river – never ending, unstoppable. The more knowledge and wisdom we get from Christ, the more we grow and the stronger we get. Our river continues to grow and pretty soon becomes a torrent that others will recognise and seek out. (Isn’t it better to watch a raging river than a trickling stream?) There is nothing wrong with going with the flow when Christ is at the centre of that flow – but as soon as we try to make our own flow, we find there is an end after which we can go no further.
Being with Christ is not just about following blindly, but living and learning in Him and being taught by Him!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you just accept what others say and go with it?
How often do you try to uncover the truth about Christians?
June 19: Isaiah 55 1-3
Key Verse: Isaiah 55 3
Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.
Devotion:
How many times have you gone to or past a market where someone is shouting out about how cheap their produce is. You cannot but help to hear about what they are shouting and may even be persuaded to go over and have a look. Imagine if they turned around and started shouting about how their best produce was free – imagine the stampede when people found out it was actually free and not some sort of enticement! Unfortunately, no matter how free God's gift to us is, people are still very wary of us shouting out about His gift to us.
Isaiah shows us the words which Christ would say to us if He were to stand on the street corner and proclaim His gift at that time. He does not just shout it out to the Jews but to anyone who passes, anyone who is in need – more specifically, anyone who begins to realise there is something more to life. Those who are swept up in all things worldly will not see the need and will pass over this free gift or walk on by because they see no need yet.
He also reminds us that it is a free gift and we do not need worldly possessions in order to buy it, just a willingness to accept it. When we do accept His free gift, He is willing to give us more than just that gift!
Why should we go out and work so hard and spend so much to obtain things which do not mean anything? What good is buying things we cannot take with us to our life after death? Yes, we need to have some things. Yes we do like to indulge in comforts. Yes, we even expect certain things in life. But we have to do the right things in order to get them – Getting life eternal is simple... The gift is promised already and so are the comforts... we just need to listen and learn!
Points to Ponder:
Are you caught up in the rat race?
How much love do you give to God in return for His?
June 18: Proverbs 23 19-26
Key Verse: Proverbs 23 23
Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.
Devotion:
God is patient to wait for us to rid ourselves of our own selfish ways before we turn to Him, but we need to make sure we do not over-extend our delay for fear of missing out on His return. We need to take heed of His warnings and of His Will. Just like a loving parent, He wants us to listen and learn; to gain wisdom and be guided by His Words. We can be so easily persuaded to do other things without thinking; we do need to stand up and take notice of His Will in our life so we can have a better chance at heading in the right direction!
Not only have we been taught to listen to our parents so we will find out the right ways of doing things in our lives, but we need to listen to God to make sure that we do the right things too. Eating and drinking in excess can be seen as being nothing better than a short sharp fix which has adverse effects on the rest of our life. The more we focus on short term goals (if you can call them that) the less we see the bigger picture and the more we lose track of what we should be doing in our lives.
As we grow older, we may think we know more than our parents, but their wisdom comes from years of practise and we need to take notice of that. But far more than that, God has always been and His wisdom is without reproach. We need to be willing to sacrifice a few things in order to get to His truth. We need to be willing to give up our earthly pleasures in search of our wisdom which we can gain from God. We need to be able to put aside our wanton lusts and be able to focus on what we need in our lives.
When we do, our parents view of us will change for the better – but far more than that, we will be showing God we do really care about Him so that His love will not be one-sided!
Points to Ponder:
Do you still get carried away with your pleasures?
How often do you seek out God's Word?