May 8: Proverbs 22 1-2
Key Verse: Proverbs 22 1
A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
Devotion:
If you were to listen to the businessmen of this world, they would be persuading you about all the work you have to do in order to achieve great wealth so that you will be happy. Unfortunately, what they do not tell you is how it is not the wealth which makes them happy. King Solomon was arguably the richest man on earth and yet he describes wealth as folly! His considered opinion on many of the things which people still strive for was folly! Why do we not listen to Him? It is the old adage that if enough people say that it is ok, then it must be – so we strive on for the things people have persuaded us to do or aim for.
When will we seek out the truth and what the truth stands for? Jesus Christ gave us the example, and yet because it is not plastered all over the walls, we ignore His example and go with the crowd. Oh, when will we learn the folly of chasing after earthly riches. How much happiness can we bring to people with earthly riches? Well, quite a bit really, but those riches will come to an end if we continue to use them. After that we will be left by ourselves once again. If we then do not have the right things to give back to others, they will no longer think much of us! If, though, we start out by giving from the heart rather than from our wallet, people will respect us for what we are doing.
Giving from the heart means we are more likely to continue giving in like manner way beyond the point where earthly riches give out. Giving from the heart shows we care deeply about the others circumstances rather than just their current plight. If people continue to see we are willing to give real help, then they will be more willing to believe the things we can tell them about God. When out time on earth runs out, we will be standing side by side with the greatest and richest and none of our earthly wealth will count for or against us. God will be looking deep inside our hearts!
Points to Ponder:
Is money is one of those temptations that will only go away after we have tried it?
Christ can give you so much more than money if only you let Him!
May 7: Proverbs 21 27
Key Verse: Proverbs 21 27
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable— how much more so when brought with evil intent!
Devotion:
No matter where you go, I think you will always find someone who will be saying one thing and doing another thing. We are often at a loss to explain why a person has done the things they have done when we have thought of them as very different people. The answer is obvious – we cannot look into the minds of others. We base our perceptions of others on the way they act and the things they do. If we only get to see the good side of someone, then we will never see what sort of bad things they get up to. Kind of obvious when it is said out loud.
That is where we often fall because we begin to assume everyone cannot see anything bad that we do. We get to think we can think what we like and others will never get to hear what we think. We may even start to live another life within our own selves. Unfortunately for us, we will eventually let some of that out and others will be able to see it. But rather more importantly, God can see everything that we get up to in our heads!
It is one thing to admit to our sins and ask for forgiveness in front of someone, but it is another thing entirely to actually mean what we say. We often find ourselves saying something just to please others knowing full well we are going to continue to go off and do the opposite. That sort of attitude with God will just not float! He can see right through you even before you begin to say your meaningless “sorry”.
How we would hate it if someone told us one thing and did the opposite. How we would hate it to not be able to depend on others. How much more God hates it because He can see it before it happens. How much more God hates it knowing it is premeditated!
Points to Ponder:
How many times have you lied to yourself?
How many times have you tried to lie to God?
May 6: Amos 5 18-24
Key Verse: Amos 5 24
But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Devotion:
On the face of it you may get a bit worried about reading a few verses like this, but upon further study it is a stark warning for those who know that God exists but are doing nothing about it. It is a warning for those who are accepting that just being good, doing the right things and following the old laws will get them to heaven. God is not a God who will ignore the bad things which are in our minds just so He can see the good things we do or try to do. If we are not willing to give over our bad thoughts and ways, then we are not going to get any closer to heaven than the killer down in the city jail!
What would you say to someone who said they would want to be your friend, but you knew they never kept their promises. What would you do if you could read someone's mind and just after they said they would be your friend, they thought “just wait, I'll get you later?” If we all had the ability to be able to see people for what they actually are; I don't think we would go very far in life if we were not totally honest in our words with each other. How do we expect to get around the fact God knows our every thought?
It does not take much looking around to see the awesome power of God, the amazing planet He has given us, the intricate details of life He has thought through for us. It does not take much thinking to actually see He is our Creator. Yet we still harbour thoughts about how we have evolved or how we used to be something else. We still try and find a logical explanation for things we find hard to explain. People still try to explain away the power of God, just so that they can explain Him away; just so they can live their lives in whatever style they want.
The problem being they will meet Christ one day when they will have to explain why they continued to turn their backs on Him.
Points to Ponder:
Do you know what your friends are thinking?
What do you think God hears when He listens in on your thoughts?
May 5: John 8 25-29
Key Verse: John 8 29
The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.
Devotion:
If we are ever looking for an example of how to live our lives, there can never be an example quite like Jesus Christ. No matter how good we try to be, no matter how good we think we are, no matter how good others perceive us to be... we will always have things wrong within us. None of us like to think of ourselves as sinners or even bad people; but according to our bibles that is exactly what we are. It’s not nice having anyone tell us we are filthy in God’s eyes!
When we carry on reading our bibles we will see how comforting it can be for someone to care so much for us they want to make us clean no matter what we have done wrong in the past! When we invite Christ back into our lives, that is exactly what He is trying to do for us. Because He has paid the ultimate price on the cross and took the punishment for all of our sins on the cross, we have the chance of being made absolutely blameless and pure before God.
What a comfort it is to know Christ is willing to go to such lengths to make sure we do appear perfect before God. What a comfort it is to know someone cared enough for you and me to take on our punishment. So why do we continue to live the lives that we do? Why do we give in to temptation so easily? We are no longer constrained by the law. We no longer have to try and be perfect. We don't have to follow hundreds of rules just to try and get us a clear path to heaven. But that does not mean that we can throw it all away as soon as we are saved and live a riotous life knowing that we will be forgiven!
Christ lead by example. He did what God the Father wanted Him to do. He did what He knew would please God. He taught things God had shown Him. He made Himself to be a mirror of God. He made sure people knew that too. If we want to continue in our walk with Him, we have to continue to be a mirror into which people can see Christ and not the world!
Points to Ponder:
How many times do you look into the mirror each day?
Do others see you in the same way as you can looking in the mirror?
May 4: Hebrews 10 35-37
Key Verse: Hebrews 10 36
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
Devotion:
Unfortunately, as a Christian, we are not kept away from all things bad. We are not kept away from all temptations. We are not protected fully from our own selves! What you may well find is that being a Christian actually means you have to face up to things more often than others may do. Many people in the world will give up and pass over things which they do not agree with, but as Christians we try to do what is right. As Christians, we cannot simply give up and pass on to the next hurdle. What God would have us do is to have patience with what we are faced with and to endure things knowing that what we are facing here on earth is going to be nothing in comparison with what we will have in heaven! So what if we have to put up with a little roughness, so long as we are confident we will have a wonderful life in heaven as promised by God!
But, the one thing we can count on is that we will run out of patience at one time or another! No matter how hard we try by ourselves to be patient with people or with things, there is going to come a time when we do give up waiting. There is always a limit to how much we can take. But if we are willing to allow someone to help us, then we will often show much greater patience. We try to put up with things, we try to change things, we try to make things better; we do try! And yet we also fail. We are simply not strong enough to keep going by ourselves.
But, with God's grace, we are able to continue facing issues, we are able to continue in the face of discomfort, we are able to help shed a bit of His light – knowing that we will have our place in heaven where we will no longer have to face those issues! He has promised not to leave us. He has promised not to abandon us. All we need to is depend on those promises!
Points to Ponder:
How many bad things can you name here in your country?
How long will they last in comparison to everlasting life in heaven?