June 9: Mark 4:1-9
Key Verse: Mark 4:9
Then Jesus said, ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’
Devotion:
Have you ever doubted whether you could tell people about Jesus, or how you would get muddled up when you tried, or how you would get asked a question you couldn’t answer... These are the doubts the evil one is putting in your head! He does not want you to go round telling people the truth about Christ otherwise they will know he has already lost the battle!
We are like the farmer in this parable, sowing seeds - I.e. talking about Christ. When the farmer sows the seeds, he does not spend hours trying to ensure ever seeds gets placed in the correct position so it has the very best chance of germinating – he throws them all over the place and depends on God to get the seeds to germinate correctly. This is how we need to tell people about God. We need to tell anyone who is willing to listen and allow God to get those words to germinate in their hearts.
This does mean we are going to talk to more people than those who will accept Christ into their lives; we are going to spread our seeds all over the place and not try to place the words exactly where they should be heard and in the perfect order in the most eloquent sentences! We talk what we know and we talk from our hearts; we talk to everyone and allow others to overhear what we say – because we don’t know who will be the ones who listen and take those words into their hearts!
I know I have tried to do things right and fallen flat on my face in the past. But when I have opened up the floor and allowed God to not just guide me, but to talk to others as I spout words I think make sense... It is God who will allow the right people to make sense out of the ramblings which come out of my mouth!
Points to Ponder:
Are you trying too hard to say teach the gospel perfectly?
Will you allow God to take your words and touch people’s hearts?
June 8: Matthew 5:21-24
Key Verse: Matthew 5:24
leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
Devotion:
Talking about facing the music... what do you feel like when you get angry with something or someone? How does it make you feel about yourself? Too often we get caught up in the heated discussions or arguments and we lose sight of what we should be doing or what we are doing to God and to our neighbours!
The more we get caught up in the heat of the moment, the more we lose sight on what is important, focusing on the little things which grow into big things which stop us from achieving our goals. God does not want us to lose sight of how we affect the people around us; Jesus taught the disciples to be mindful of the people around at all times and to love them as much as you love yourself... which means you have to start loving yourself before you can get very far!
To love yourself you have to let go of the things which are holding you back – typically the things which we have lost control to and which have started to take over our lives instead of releasing us from the burdens. Jesus also taught the disciples to bring all their burdens to Him so He could help to lighten the load; the same is true for us!
If we have something which is disturbing our hearts and minds, then we need to bring it to God and release it before we can move forward in the way God wants us to. What are the things which hold us back – well, mostly the strife from the arguments we have had and not let go of. God wants us to set them aside and allow Him to guide us forward in our lives and in our love.
Points to Ponder:
What is holding you back today?
Will you bring it to God and allow Him to lighten your load?
June 7: Genesis 3:8-15
Key Verse: Genesis 3:8
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Devotion:
What do you do when you know you have done something wrong and have just been found out? Do you run from the situation and try and hide, or do you stop and face up to what is going to happen? Yes, it’s probably going to depend on what you have done wrong and what sort of trouble you will get into... So you don’t have to answer!
When we do something wrong in our lives, God is not going to turn away from us and ignore us because we have sinned – He is more likely to come looking for us and find out why we did what we did! The same can be said for many of our friends – they will want to find out why we did what we did and help us to get things straight again.
When we hear that small voice in our heads saying “don’t do it!” it may well be God trying to get through to us so we don’t run off and commit the sin in the first place. God does not want to continually run after us and get us back on track – He would much rather we stayed on track and listened when He tells us we are about to fall flat on our faces! God is not the God of punishment. God is just, but because of His mercy He is more likely to warn you before you fall!
But, when we do fall and break the rules, we will have to face the music at some stage. We cannot keep running from the truth and running from God and His rules! It’s not us who are inherently evil, but the world we live in and the evil one who tricks us into doing those evil things just because he can! God may have won the war over sin, but we face continual skirmishes all the time as he picks and prods at us to stop us from drawing closer to God.
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel the weight of sin?
Will you ask Christ to help with your burden?
June 6: Psalm 130:1-5
Key Verse: Psalm 130:5
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
Devotion:
No matter where we are in our lives or how we feel about things, God is always going to be there, listening and answering prayers! Were you told stories as a child about how Father Christmas would keep a record of who has been good and who has been bad – and he would only deliver gifts at Christmas to the people who were on the good list! The best thing about God is He does not keep count of all the things you have done wrong! Can you imagine how long the list would be if He did keep record of everything we have done wrong!
One thing we can be sure of is Him listening to our cries – not because we have been good, but because He promised to do so in the beginning! Nobody's prayers would get listened to if God kept records of our sins! Instead, Christ has given us a sure way God will not just listen to our prayers but will answer them!
So what do we have to do? Simply wait on God! There is no point shouting about how God is not doing anything for you if you are not willing to wait for Him. He is the one who knows when and where the best time and place is to answer your prayers – we cannot know that sort of information because we do not know anything outside of our world we live in.
God is not limited by time and space like we are and certainly is not limited by our physical world. Christ showed us how He was willing and able to do so many miracles for people who were willing to wait on God. We have this hope in Christ which goes far beyond what we can think of – simply wait on God...
Points to Ponder:
How long do you wait after praying for something?
Are you willing to say yes to God even if He does not answer your prayers yet?