Frieday 3 Sep 2021

September 3: Luke 5:33-35
 
Key Verse: Luke 5:34
Jesus answered, ‘Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them?'
 
Devotion:
How many times have you felt guilty about missing church when you have gone to be with your family for a special occasion? I used to get up tight when I would miss out on a Sunday service because I felt guilty I was not doing what God wanted me to do – until someone pointed verses like these out to me!
 
God knows we live lives! That includes all the things which happen in normal lives (or even not so normal lives!) He wants us to live our lives to the full and that often means doing something earthly! Parties were part of life during the time Jesus was on earth and continue to be part of our lives. Jesus even went to parties for special occasions, and the last night was spent having a feast!
 
God wants us to be happy with what we have. It does not mean we should go out of our way to avoid church or avoid living... But we should take note of what we do at those parties, celebrations and whatnot! Just because He wants us to enjoy ourselves, should not mean going totally overboard with things, nor does it mean being totally minimalistic about everything. We have to find a balance with our earthly lives where we can still show people we love God!
 
When we are not celebrating birthdays, weddings and other special occasions, we should be reminding people we are Christians who chose to live for God and for His values. This will often mean we do things differently to the rest of our friends. It may even mean we do things differently to the rest of our family. Whatever you are going to do, take God with you and enjoy this life He is giving you!
 
Points to Ponder:
Do you avoid parties?
 
Will you celebrate your next party with a difference by taking God with you?