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July 20: Mark 6:53-56
Key Verse: Mark 6:55
They ran throughout that whole region and carried those who were ill on mats to wherever they heard he was.
Devotion:
Who do you run to when you need help? We finished off yesterday with this question to ponder; do you seek out a brother or sister, a parent or guardian, or even your best friend? Sometimes the people around us are not the people who we can fully trust in because they do not have all the answers we seek!
Wherever and whenever people saw Jesus, there was recognition and the word spread very quickly. People were desperate to bring the sick and inform to Him so they could get blessed and even healed. They knew they could just touch something from Christ and they would be healed – they had learned this through things Jesus did.
Whenever people brought forward their sick friends and relatives, Christ had mercy on them and would normally heal the people who needed it. Because of this people would always seek out Jesus and reach out to touch Him with absolute faith their infirmities would be removed just by His touch! They had faith in what God could do through Him – this is the faith we need to share with others by showing them they have a friend in Jesus who is willing and able to do so much with and for us!
Imagine the crowds if they had social media back in those days – I think the internet would be buzzing whenever people saw Christ. Can you imagine the crowds and the chaos as people flood in to hear Christ? Why should this not be happening just because Jesus is not physically here in human form? Christ can do many things and is not bound by the physical limitations we build up around ourselves. Look forward to what it will be like to be with Jesus!
Points to Ponder:
How do you show people Christ is with you?
Will you send out a few invitations to people to show them Christ is real?
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July 19: Mark 6:30-34
Key Verse: Mark 6:34
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
Devotion:
I wonder how many times you have got so carried away with work or a hobby, you have forgotten to eat and drink properly! I know I have done this on many occasions with computer work and also in doing God’s work. When we get going, it is hard to stop and doing something which seems menial such as eating or drinking when you have so much more work to do!
God wants us to take time out at regular intervals so we do not wear ourselves out. He showed us to take one day of the week as a day of rest and recuperation – something many of us forget to do in our busy lifestyles. Jesus upheld this by reminding the disciples to take time out and to try and spend it with God.
But when Jesus tried to take the disciples away to a quiet place so they could rest, many people saw where they were going and followed them expecting to be blessed in some manner by Christ. Jesus found a way to getting peace by taking them out onto the water so others would not try to follow them – but they had to come back to dry land in the end. This is when the people crowded round them.
When Jesus saw them all, He had compassion on them. Not because they had wondered out into this place, or even because they came out without food and drink... He had compassion on them because He could see they had no real spiritual leader to turn to. They did not have a good shepherd at that time. He knew He would be able to step forward and take on this mantle, but He also knew what else He had to do before then...
Points to Ponder:
Do you always go out fully prepared to do God’s Work?
Who do you put your trust in when you need backup?
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July 18: Psalm 23:1-6
Key Verse: Psalm 23:1
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
Devotion:
King David knew God. This does not mean he was perfect. This does not mean he did not sin against God. It meant he knew God personally because he was in a personal relationship with God. Because of this, he was able to write these words which we use to encourage ourselves in times of great adversity!
Jesus continued to tell the truth about what happened, what was happening and what was going to come in the future. He told it at the right time to others by listening to God and obeying Him. David, at the time of writing this, was close to God and knew he had to listen closely to God. When he listened and obeyed, good things happened and he felt the power of God in things he did.
If we are willing to listen closely to God and to obey His requests, then we too will feel the power of God through the things we do. This is what Jesus promoted and what has been written many times before in our bibles. This is the power of God working through people around the world and throughout time. I love David’s description of this power he experienced.
His words ring true: even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil! Why, because God was with him and walking by his side. The more David relied on the power and wisdom of God, the more he was able to do and the more people got to hear about the power of God through him. God wants us to be these beacons, ready to shine and willing to obey God’s will in our lives.
Points to Ponder:
Are you willing to obey?
Will you tell someone how good it is to be with God?
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July 17: Mark 10:32-34
Key Verse: Mark 10:33
‘We are going up to Jerusalem,’ he said, ‘and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles
Devotion:
Have you ever had to tell someone close to you some very bad news? It is not easy to tell someone something you know they are not going to want to hear! And even harder when it is to tell someone something unstoppable is going to happen which will end up in a life being lost. Jesus was trying to break this news to the disciples without them losing faith in everything because He knew it would not be the end – despite it being the end of His physical life.
Jesus wasn’t going to broadcast this to everyone because God wanted them to see a human being raised up from the dead in no uncertain terms! If they knew of it before hand, they would have come up with some excuse for it to be trickery instead of reality. God does not deal in tricks but in the truth!
Jesus especially did not tell any of this to anyone who would report it back to the chief priests – they were the ones who would be largely responsible for all this happening! Jesus was not going to give them any reason to stop what they were going to do; how else would He be able to be the ultimate sacrifice for everyone.
When we have to tell someone any news, it should always be the truth and we should trust God to show us how best to tell of this news. From the very best news about Jesus, to the very worst news about family members passing away, we always need to be truthful and open. God showed us this through Jesus being truthful with everything in His life and about God as well.
Points to Ponder:
Do you try spare people the truth sometimes?
How could we believe Christ if His Word was not the truth?
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July 16: Matthew 10:5-8
Key Verse: Matthew 10:6
Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.
Devotion:
When Jesus sent out the twelve disciples, He gave them authority of many things, to do miracles just as He had been doing, and to teach the people about God. But He did not send them out to all the gentiles; rather He sent them out to the Jews, the lost sheep of Israel. Why would He exclude most of the population of the area?
Jesus was sending these twelve disciples to get the Jews into action. Up until now they had been slowly wandering away from God and taking things into their own hands, making the own rules and not following the prophets as they should be. Jesus knew how urgent it was to get the chosen people of God back on track.
Often, we look out and we try to find the people we think who need the gospel more than others – we tend to look away from our homes and out toward people who we think have not yet heard about God. Quite often God wants us to focus on the people around us rather than those on the other side of the country or world!
When Jesus said the gospel was going to be told to all the people, He did mean everyone; but at this time He knew the importance of focusing on the people who had forgotten themselves. Sometimes it is the Christians who need a bit of encouragement or guidance. Sometimes it is the people in church who need that word from God. We don’t always have to take it to someone new all the time!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like telling others about God?
Have you told the people in your household?
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July 15: Philippians 4:15-20
Key Verse: Philippians 4:17
Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.
Devotion:
Depending on what mood you are in and how your journey is with God, you will come out with a differing view of the words in this passage! So, what is my take in my journey today?
The Apostle reaches out to the people in the church of Philippi with words of encouragement and thanksgiving. He started off his journey on his mission around the area to try to open up God’s Scripture and Christ’s love to the people who were in need - everyone who would listen! He was very grateful to the church of Philippi for the support he had received ever since he had been there. He had faithfully stepped forward as Christ had requested and had not saved up enough to make sure he could go places before going – he went and trusted God for support.
Sometimes in our lives we tend to hold back and try to get into a safe place before we start. We don’t like to take risks and we hold back because of that. We don’t get very far with our mission because we have held back all along. But when we step forward and trust God with our lives, He is more than willing and very able to provide for our every need.
This is faith. Faith is stepping forward and trusting God. Faith is not leaping into a fire or jumping off a cliff (physically or metaphorically) to see if God will live up to His promise. Faith is listening to what God would like you to do and stepping forward to do it, trusting God will provide the necessary things along the way. Living by faith is hard, but so very rewarding!
Points to Ponder:
Do you have the strength to live by faith?
Will you trust God with more of your life?
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July 14: Ephesians 4:1-6
Key Verse: Ephesians 4:3
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Devotion:
Do you find it hard to live a life as a Christians when you are surrounded by so many people who are doing their own thing and not caring too much about anything else other than themselves? We are encouraged to look out for ourselves and to make sure we live a life we enjoy... but this is not what God teaches us and not what the Bible teaches us!
God continues to try and encourage us to live a life filled with love for one another where we can keep the peace because we know God’s word and we are encouraged by it. It if God through Christ and the Holy Spirit who continues to encourage us to live a life for Him. When we do listen and obey, we find it a lot easier to live with love for each other – this is the way Christ taught us and the way the Holy Spirit encourages us.
We need to focus on God, which means focusing on Christ and the Holy Spirit, keeping abreast of things through reading His Word and listening to Him at all times. When we do focus on God, our lives become more attuned to living His way and keeping Him as the focus in everything we do.
The more we live our lives with God in them, the more we begin to realise He is in everything and we see just how much He has done for us from the very beginning! Don’t wander off down the path which leads to worldly ways and possessions – instead keep God close and allow Him to show us how love and sharing go so much further!
Points to Ponder:
Do you live for personal goals?
Will you try to live for God’s goals today?
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July 13: Psalm 25:8-11
Key Verse: Psalm 25:9
He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
Devotion:
It is good to read through God’s Word. It is better to stop and think about what you read from God’s Word. God has set many things in motion to include sinners from all around the world in His teachings. He has made sure the bible is written in many different languages for people all round the world. He has made sure it is printed and spread everywhere... we are all given a chance to get to hear the bible.
What makes the biggest difference is what we do with the words we hear! Do we listen to the words but not hear them because we are thinking of something else when they are read to us. Do we listen and then move on to another topic as soon as we have heard them? Do we stop and think about the words? Do we meditate on the words?
God is good and continues to make sure we all get opportunity to hear His Word. He even gives His word to the most ardent of sinners. But it is the humble who stop and ingest His Word – these are the people who get to learn the most from God’s Word.
When we do hear His Word, we should not just listen, think and meditate... we should try to move forward and change our lives to fit in with what we are learning. Yesterday I was wearing a T-shirt which has the words Pray & Obey on it. When we get to hear God’s Word, we need to take it in and pray for understanding from the Holy Spirit. When He teaches us what we should understand, we should obey His teaching and move forward with Him in our lives. Not just sinners – all of us!
Points to Ponder:
How do you hear God’s Word?
How do you react to God’s Word?
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July 12: Mark 6:14-16
Key Verse: Mark 6:16
But when Herod heard this, he said, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!’
Devotion:
How many times have you heard a short passage from the bible and recalled what you thought was important rather than listening to the actual words being spoken? I know I have drifted away many times in church because I have thought I knew the passage – but the more we read the bible and think about the words we are reading, the more we will learn about God and about us.
Jesus was becoming a bit of a talking point. Many people knew about Him and many could probably tell you a story about Him which they had heard before or from someone else. People were talking! But when people talk, the truth is not always passed on – we tend to embellish on the story to suit our own wants or we change things a bit to make it more exciting!
When Herod heard the stories, he even extended the truth a bit in how he retold it! We all get caught up in the heat of the moment and we all tend to say things which may not be the exact truth, or we leave out key parts so the story sounds better! This is our human nature – one which Jesus had to face and fight every day He was here with us.
When we tell stories, we have to stand by what we say because people are going to expect us to uphold our word! So we should be very careful how we tell people stories or we may end up having to extend the truth, hide facts or make things worse because we have to cover up an untruth we have told before – things just keep getting worse and pilling up on our shoulders!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like telling a good story?
Will you stick to the truth when you tell people about God?
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July 11: Amos 7:7-9
Key Verse: Amos 7:8
And the Lord asked me, ‘What do you see, Amos?’ ‘A plumb-line,’ I replied. Then the Lord said, ‘Look, I am setting a plumb-line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.
Devotion:
How many times have you read things which don’t seem to make sense until someone explains them to you? At first glance, this could be one of those passages, but when we read it a few times and think about it we may come to a very different conclusion!
God was angry with the people because they were no longer following His ways and had turned to do all manner of things for themselves and for worldly gain instead. Each time God told Amos He was going to do something bad to the people, Amos pleaded with God to not let it be so... why was Amos pleading with God on behalf of a people who did not seem to care for God anymore?
Amos must have seen some good people and for God to do something against all the people would mean they would get into deep water too. Amos knew God had every right to do whatever He wanted, but that did not stop him pleading for the people. When God then showed Amos the Lord standing by a wall with a plumbline in His hand, Amos was a little confused by this.
A plumbline is there to make sure the builders are building walls which are vertical and hence stronger. If they are not vertical, they will fall down more easily when any force comes up against them. God wants us to be strong and upright so we can stand against temptations when they come in. Any walls which are not upright should be torn down and rebuilt to make them strong again – this is what God was saying would happen to the people who were no longer living upright lives!
Points to Ponder:
How do you think you compare to God’s plumbline?
Jesus is our builder who is building perfect walls!