June 1: Psalm 100:1-3
Key Verse: Psalm 100:2
Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Devotion:
How many big church celebrations do you think you have missed out on this past year? I can think of quite a few where I would have loved to be there with a whole bunch of others Christians singing for joy and worshipping openly... and loudly! But, alas, we have been through some horrible times lately where we have not been able to mix with others and certainly not gather together in crowds for fear of spreading this virus!
No matter how many things we have missed out on and no matter how dejected we may feel because of the lack of gathering or singing together, we can still worship God in many ways. It is not all about the singing together. It is not all about being in a massive crowd listening to a famous preacher tell us all about God and Christ and the Holy Spirit... It is all about how you worship God personally!
Do you have to wait until you are gathered together before you can worship God? NO! You can worship God in many ways which don’t need singing or large gatherings. When Christ said we are all God’s children, He meant it! When we do something, no matter how small it may seem, to or for another person, we are doing it for a child of God. Just because someone does not yet know Christ in a personal way does not mean we should not treat them as God’s child.
It may be the simple fact we help someone out which prompts them to listen to someone talking about how God helps us which leads to them seeking God and starting their own relationship with Christ. We do not have the foresight to see how God works, but we can do things and see what God does after we have done things. God wants us to step up and show people Christians live life differently!
Points to Ponder:
Do people know you as a Christian?
Will you show someone what a Christian can do today?
May 31: Romans 12:9-16
Key Verse: Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Devotion:
We have talked much about love this year in its forms described in our bibles. We have talked of the love God has for us, how it has always been there and how we don’t always see it. We have talked about the Love Christ demonstrated toward us and how we turn our backs at times. We have talked of the love we need to have for each other because it was an instruction from Christ.
What we need to talk of today is our hope we have because of so many things which have been demonstrated for and to us! All God, Christ and the Holy Spirit have done for us have been to give us hop in a future with Him – not just here on earth but also eternally with Him in Heaven!
Sometimes it does get rough or difficult because the world seems to work against us – but don’t forget about all God has done in this world to show us He is still in charge and has defeated the evil one. Let us never forget the love God has demonstrated all of the time despite us doing so much to rock the boat!
What we are reminded of here is the real hope we have in God because of all the love in this world and in Heaven above! God made a way to fix our brokenness, to set right the things we have done wrong and to allow us to know Him. He did this despite the afflictions He faced as Jesus. He did faithfully as He had promised. Let us stand up in Joy for all He has done, raise our hope for all He has promised, endure the affliction the earth throws at us and pray for endurance to finish the race with Him!
Points to Ponder:
Do you find it hard living where you do?
Will you remember the faith Christ showed and live with Hope today?
May 30: Isaiah 6:1-8
Key Verse: Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’
Devotion:
I love reading the descriptions of the Lord and angels in the Old Testament. They are so out of this world at times and yet so personal at times. This passage from Iasiah tells of the splendour of our Lord and the seraphim who were over Him, reminding us of the days when the Ark of the Covenant was taken everywhere to show the people God was with them... mankind has always sought some sort of visual aid to remind us the Lord is with us!
Many times now we use the cross as a reminder of the things the Lord has done and how He promised to always be with us after His death, burial and resurrection. It was no different back then as people looked for various descriptions of the majesty and splendour of God to make sure they never forgot His position in their lives!
We must never forget His majesty, splendour and power; we must never forget His humanity and closeness at all times. We must never forget His promises or the demonstration of all He has done for and with us. And then we must also remember what has caused all the problems He came to fix and to pay for with His life – our sins and giving into temptations!
But, throughout all of this, our focus must be on what Jesus did to set us free and to allow us to be closer to God at all times. No matter the debt we owe due to our sins, Christ has done enough for you and I to ensure we have a place in Heaven close to God. We must remember God is Holy and just, but loved us so much He sent His Son to be the ultimate sacrifice which would cover all our sins and set us free! What are we going to do in return?
Points to Ponder:
Do you make light of Christ’s life?
We must remember what Christ has done and step forward saying “here I am!”
May 29: Romans 8:12-17
Key Verse: Romans 8:12
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation – but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.
Devotion:
Yesterday I saw a tweet about how people are going to be talking about the Holy Trinity every day for a week, just because it will soon be Trinity Sunday when, as Christians, we celebrate the Holy Trinity... So, I thought I would look over favourite verses and come up with something different!
I don’t think I have ever tried to fully explain the Holy Trinity other than by quoting verses and showing how God is, well, just unique! But what about us? God created us in His own image – this is what the bible tells us, the words scribed by Moses to tell generation after generation amongst the Jews. That is so very special! Look at all of nature around you and the amazing beauty we are surrounded by; but God chose to make us in His image rather than in the beauty and splendour of the world around us!
That set a precedence for us to follow. No longer are we just homo sapiens, or just people, we are human beings who have been created in the image of God. We certainly do not all look alike – in fact each one of us is totally unique, even identical twins have differences! God has made each of us our own people. He has given each of us a choice as to how we live our lives and what we do.
We may feel like we can get trapped in certain things in life, but God still gives us the freedom to live our lives the way we want to. We can live life to the fullest and still die without anything. We can gain all the riches in the world and still have nothing. Our lives are not just the physical lives we see and hear, but the deeply spiritual connections and lives we live on the inside – the lives God gets to see, the lives God loves! We are children of God because He chose us and made us the way we are... don’t throw it all away!
Points to Ponder:
What are your goals in life?
Will you include your spiritual self in the life you lead today?