May 23: Mark 9 42-50
Key Verse: Mark 9 45
And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.
Devotion:
Why would Christ repeat three times the phrase about going to hell if it were not true? Why would He give us such a stark warning if He did not mean it? We often see warnings in our lives, be it a sign on the road warning about an obstacle further on or someone shouting at us to tell us we are doing something wrong – warnings are there for a reason! Ignore a warning and you are then travelling on into danger...
But warnings are sometimes a bit harder to accept than a simple sign or word. Some warnings are very physical like the pain we feel if we cut ourselves. But that warning is there to make sure we do stop what we are doing otherwise we begin to put our lives in peril. What is it to endure a short period of pain and to know we have averted death?
Christ warns us of our impending doom if we are not going to accept Him as our Saviour. He warns us we do need to make sure we are saved so we are certain that we will get to heaven and be with Him. It is not such a difficult question to answer: Would you suffer a short while to be absolutely certain you have everlasting peace ahead of you? Or would you look for not cuts and bruises now and be uncertain of your future? We already know the answer to this because we are willing to go to war with countries who threaten our freedom!
Yet when it comes to the really important things in life like everlasting life, we tend to overlook things just because we cannot understand the importance of them. We don't fully grasp just how important some things are in life until it is too late! And if we have overlooked them when we find out it is too late, guess what, it really is just too late! So, putting up with a little hardship should never turn us away from Christ; it should be doing the opposite and making us depend on Him even more!
Points to Ponder:
What would you do if you lost your best friend?
What do you think Christ thinks every time He loses another person?
May 22: Proverbs 22 6
Key Verse: Proverbs 22 6
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
Devotion:
Do you look at this verse and say, “if only it was that easy?” Or do you turn round and think to yourself “why didn't someone tell me that in the beginning!” As parents, we try to guide our children in the right direction so they will have a better future for themselves, and this is what we expect from our parents; but we all have free will and we all end up making our own choices!
As children we expect our parents to be able to give us enlightenment so we will be able to go forward in life. What we do not think of at the time is just how important the stages are that we go through. We tend to decide for ourselves what is right and wrong and what we need to remember! We begin to think we know more than our parents and that we know what we should be learning!
As parents we try to remember the things which we learned and the things which we got wrong. We try to measure up to expectations and even over compensate for many things too. We try to adjust our children’s learning so they will not have to go through all the pitfalls we did. But still we see them trip and fall and go through many of the same learning experiences as we did.
But there are happily many things we do learn from our parents which we do not forget. There are many things which stick in our minds and that make us the people we are. If our parents are going to set a good example for us, then we will remember the good example they set and aim to live up to that example. What we also need to do is to look at the example Christ has set for each of us. We need to strive towards that mark so we will allow others to be able to see Christ through us, not just our parents. Living up to Christ's expectations may be hard, but it is well worth it!
Points to Ponder:
Just how much do you learn from your parents (both right and wrong)?
How much are you looking to Christ for your example to live by?
May 21: 1 Corinthians 10 1-13
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 10 13
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Devotion:
Our bibles not only open up the wonders and greatness of God but they show us many things which have happened in the past. In fact, most of the bible tells us about things which have happened a long time ago, things we are too young to even know about or remember. This is why God made sure they were written down for us so we could know of them and think on them.
God has been with us from the beginning of time and continues to walk with His people no matter when and where we are. But what does this mean to us unless we are willing to acknowledge that He is with us always and will be with us to the end of time? God has been the one leading Moses to do so many things for His people. God has been there protecting them and even feeding them in the desert. God has been there for us over so many thousands of years and continues to promise more each and every day.
Did He not see everything His people did? Did He not watch over them day and night? Did He not allow His Son to come and die in our stead? Is this not enough proof for us that He is an omnipotent God who is willing to do anything for us? So why do we still have all these bad things in our lives! Why do we still get tempted? Why do people still die?
We live in a world which has been corrupted and all but destroyed by mankind and the evil things he gets up to. Over time we have broken every law God has given us and given in to every bad thing we have encountered. This does not mean each one of us has done everything wrong, just man as a whole. But God has not stopped being with us. God has not turned His back on us. Yes, we will face bad things, bad times, horrible disasters, evil people… but God is going to be there to hold out His hand to us every step of the way. Have courage and trust Him to bring us through so we can be there for others who face similar circumstance.
Points to Ponder:
Do you get strength from others who support you?
How often do you actually allow God to support you?
May 20: Exodus 4 1-17
Key Verse: Exodus 4 11
The LORD said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
Devotion:
I want us to look at two different sides of God’s power for today and tomorrow. First we can look back at God’s confronting of Moses when he was chosen to lead the people of Israel out of Egyptian captivity to the promised land, and the second being God’s power over our temptations we face.
Moses knew God but was not ready to depend on Him as much as God was asking now. Think about what is being asked of Moses here… He is being asked to go up against the leader of another country, but not just any country, one of the most powerful countries at the time where the leader has his kind enslaved. Moses knew of the conditions his people were being kept in and the power and might of Pharaoh over the people; this was just a bit too much for Moses to cope with.
So God shows him a few miracles. First his staff is turned from a stick to a snake and back again, then his hand is turned from healthy to leprous and back again. To most, these signs would be enough. But Moses still had the knowledge of Pharaohs power in his head and that was overshadowing these miracles still. Moses then played the “poor me” card and reminded God how bad he was at public speaking to which came the inevitable reaction from God.
Don’t forget who actually made this earth and everything in it. Don’t forget who allowed people to be in power and not. Don’t forget who can and does do anything! God alone carries ultimate power in this universe and it is Him who we are called to serve. Don’t allow the world and all it can show us cloud our minds when God made even them! Trust in God alone and He will use you for greater things!
Points to Ponder:
What makes you afraid in this world?
Who made the things of which you are afraid?
May 19: 2 Corinthians 12 1-10
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 12 9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Devotion:
So much to talk about and yet so little space. I wonder if this is how Paul thought when he was writing these words! How do you look at life? Do you look at all the good things which have happened and think about how good life is, or do you look at all the bad things in life and think how horrible it is to be alive? Or maybe, like most of us, you weigh up the good and the bad before giving your opinion on life.
Paul does something a bit different here and makes sure he brings God into the equation; for if we leave God out we are leaving out the most important thing in our lives! When we know what God has in store for us in life after death we can look forward to what is going to happen to us; but don’t let us get caught up in the despondency of death itself or the great glory of life eternal – just those thoughts may make us wish we were dead to this world so we could be with Christ in Heaven!
Instead we need to take comfort in the words given to Paul and to us: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” When we lament at the bad things in our life or how we cannot do things, we need to remember that nothing is impossible for God. When we have Him in our lives, He is willing and able to do things for us and with us which we could not even think about without Him. His strength is able to make us whole. His grace is able to allow us to live with the dross we have in our lives.
Look to God and invite Him in to give you grace to accept your life, strength to endure it, wisdom to learn from it and courage to take these examples and use them for the furtherance of His Word. Take what God has allowed in your life and show others how God has brought you out the other side with His power and His might alone!
Points to Ponder:
When was the last time you just wanted to stop and give up?
Are you willing to ask God for His strength to continue on?