May 8: Acts 10:44-48
Key Verse: Acts 10:45
The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles.
Devotion:
You can tell by the tone of these words Peter was not expecting the Holy Spirit to come on the Gentiles; after all it was the Jews who were the chosen people and the 12 Disciples who were Jews who first received the Holy Spirit in such an open way. But this is God showing His love for all people – all who are willing to believe what Jesus has accomplished and what He has promised for us all.
And, once again, it was not a private indwelling of the Spirit on a single person, but a very public outpouring of the Spirit on all the people in a crowd. This is where God shows the difference between the love a person has for another and the love which God has for us all! This is a very public and physical love as well as spiritual and all encompassing!
God continues to try and open people’s hearts to the truth, but because the world shouts very loudly at times, it is hard for people to focus on Him instead of the world. But when we join together in a crowd, we can tune out the world and focus more on God. This is why He encourages us to gather together, just as these people had gathered together to listen to Peter.
Peter encouraged those who accepted the Holy Spirit to take a very public step forward and get baptised. Which bring forward the best example of what baptism is – a public declaration of what you have already accepted in your life! Baptism is not a conversion but a show of your conversion which has already happened... and if you think otherwise then you should question why. Accept Jesus as your Saviour and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into any public declaration, don’t let the public declaration be “the thing.”
Points to Ponder:
Have you accepted Christ as your Lord and Saviour?
Have you stopped to listen to the Holy Spirit?
May 7: Psalm 121:1-8
Key Verse: Psalm 121:2
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Devotion:
Being on top of things all the time takes a lot of work and energy. Some people will try to convince us to continue to be on top of things so we can go far in life or gain great wealth or health... but where does this wealth come from? It comes from other people... The more we try to gain out of the world, the more we are taking out of it. If we are not careful we will take a whole lot more than we put into it.
We are currently moving toward a state where we take too much out of the world and the earth will not be able to carry on giving without something going wrong – some will call it global warming, others ecological crisis, others the divide between the rich and the poor; but really we are doing all of this to the earth at the same time.
God wants us to think more about the world and about other people and less about ourselves all the time. The more we concentrate on selfish things, the more selfish we will grow. But, if we are willing to look to the one who can give us the love and support we need to survive this world, we will be able to do a whole lot more.
God does not have to sleep or take a power nap so He can continue loving and supporting us. He continues to watch over us all the time and is always ready and willing to help us to do what is best for us. This Psalm recommends we continue to look up to God and look for the help He is willing to give us. God has created this world for us and continues to make sure the sun provides warmth and growth for plants, which gives food for us and animals. This is all in place for us to live in and with – don't spoil things by focusing on yourself only!
Points to Ponder:
What do you consider to be the most important thing?
Will you allow God to occupy that slot in your life?
May 6: Psalm 139:1-6
Key Verse: Psalm 139:5
You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
Devotion:
I know when I was a very young lad, I used to feel happiest when someone was looking out for me, but as I grew into a young boy, I wanted to have some sort of freedom and didn’t want to be looked after all the time. But as you grow older and, hopefully wiser, you realise you are ultimately safer when you have someone who is watching over you – not because they will be able to prevent you falling off anything, but because they will be there if you do fall off!
The safety is not in knowing you are protected from breakage, comes in knowing there is someone close by who will be able to pick up the pieces and help with putting things back together! When we, as Christians, talk about feeling safe with God, it is not so much safe from being stupid, but safe in the knowledge that is we do mess up, God is going to be close at hand to help us put things back together again!
God knows everything about us – and because He is not limited by time as we are – He knows what is going to happen to us. Should we get a bit close to falling off the rails, He is going to try and encourage us to a position of safety before we fall off the rails. This is not going to stop us from being stupid and stepping off the rails!
Allow God to constantly guide and protect you. He does know what is in your heart. He does know what will happen before it happens. He does try to direct you to safer places... but if we are not going to listen, then we will not stay in those safer places by ourselves! God will try everything to make sure we are safe, including using the space around us as well as the people around us to keep us safe. This mind-blowing, knowing God can be totally in control if we let Him!
Points to Ponder:
Do you think you are a strong character?
Will you try to listen to God more?
May 5: John 14:25-27
Key Verse: John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Devotion:
Jesus wanted the disciples to know even though He was not going to be physically with them for much longer, He was going to be spiritually with them through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit would not just be with them, but would continue the work He was doing – teaching, encouraging and also loving and supporting!
Jesus’ love and support was a focal point in His ministry. Everywhere He went and everyone He spoke with was made aware of His love and mercy at all times. His purpose was to continue the love the Father has for us in personal encounters with people as He physically met with them. When He was preparing to go back to Heaven, He made sure there was going to be someone in place, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who would continue that personal encounter with people.
When we are open with the Holy Spirit, we continue this loving, merciful relationship with God – hence Jesus called Him the Advocate. But this is not just some person we or God has hired to be in place because it’s his job! This is God in the Holy Spirit who wants to continue loving and supporting us in the same way as God wants to and the same way as Jesus wants to.
The love and support we have through the Holy Spirit is greatest when we stay close to Him. If we ignore Him, we are not going to hear the things He wants to teach us. If we walk our own ways, we will not hear about the right ways of living with God. But if we are willing to stop and listen to God, we will experience the full love and support He continues to promise us every second of every day!
Points to Ponder:
Do you long to hug someone during this pandemic?
Are you fully embracing God through the Holy Spirit?