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June 5: 1 Samuel 8:4-20
Key Verse: 1 Samuel 8:19
But the people refused to listen to Samuel. ‘No!’ they said. ‘We want a king over us.
Devotion:
One of the things we do as humans is look for other humans we can hold up as our leaders – we elevate them into positions where they hold far too much power over us and yet we don’t see it as such! When Samuel was getting old and the people saw none of his family were ready to take on the mantle of being the prophet to lead them, they turned to human ways and wanted someone they could think of as powerful to look after them and lead them.
What they were not thinking of was how God had been the one who was always there for them and always looked after them – albeit through the prophets because they would not listen directly to God!
The more we are surrounded by worldly issues, the more we look for someone who is willing to tell us what to do to get us out of the problems! If we were to set aside our physicals wants and look to God for our answers, we would be in a much better ways than we are now. The power and position of authorities gets to people’s heads and pride and greed take over their ways!
God wants us to not get too hung up with earthly way6s and power, but to look to Him in all ways for guidance and strength. He continues to offer us the guidance, but we keep on turning to mans ways to get us out of the problems when we should be looking for Gods ways! As the Israelites looked deeper at the issues which lay ahead, all they could do was to think of an earthly way forward... just like us!
Points to Ponder:
Who do you turn to for guidance when things go wrong?
Will you try to listen to God this time?
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June 4: Luke 9:12-17
Key Verse: Luke 9:17
They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Devotion:
Sometimes in life we tend to rely a bit too much on what we think is probable rather than what God has promised. We water down God’s Word because we think it is a bit too difficult or hard to believe in the miracles. God is not limited by what we think is possible, probably or even by what we think is improbable!
Just like the disciples, when we see a problem approaching, we think of all the things which can go wrong and we expect them to start happening. Because we are looking for the problems and issues, we overlook what could be solutions to the problems and we get caught up in a mess – just as we expected!
When the disciples could see nothing but a big problem approaching, God told them to face the problem with a miracle. God is not going to leave us in the lurch if we are willing to listen to Him and obey Him. When the disciples started to listen and obey, they saw a solution to the problem which required God to do something extraordinary. They had to step up and allow God to do something extraordinary! They had to put all their faith and trust in God and allow Him to work out the problem.
If we are willing to do this for God, He is willing to do extraordinary things for us to allow us to face problems which seem insurmountable when we see them through our earthly eyes. Only seeing things through God eyes can help us to solve things His way. God wants to help us. God wants to show us He is capable of anything when we trust Him.
Points to Ponder:
Do you find it hard to work past big issues in your life?
Have you tried giving them to God?
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June 3: Isaiah 54:7-10
Key Verse: Isaiah 54:10
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Devotion:
If you ever find yourself doubting God’s love, mercy or compassion, then I challenge you to read this chapter from the book of Isaiah. God acknowledges He has turned His back on the Israelites, but now He is setting a new promise in stone for them to rely on. Just as He made the promise the earth would never again be covered in water at the time of Noah, so too is God making a promise – this time to never again turn His back on His people!
I love the way He describes that time as a brief moment – because, when compared to how long God has watched over us or how long he will watch over us, the years when the Israelites were in captivity were but a moment! Now, for us as humans, we don’t regard those years as a brief moment because we tend to measure everything in comparison to our earthly lives; but God is comparing this to the time He has watched over us... which is so much more!
But, like the moment He turned back to bring the people together under His mercy, so He is turning toward us and saying we no longer have to fear being alone any more. This is the turning point after which His promise will stand forever!
But we do have warnings which remain – there will be tough time ahead, time when the mountains will shake, times when complete hills will be removed; but His love is going to continue and His promise will stand no matter what! His covenant is an everlasting covenant which will never be shaken, never mind being broken! God is faithful and will uphold His promises!
Points to Ponder:
How long is too long when you feel rejected?
How long have you ever turned away from God?
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June 2: Isaiah 24:1-3
Key Verse: Isaiah 24:3
The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The Lord has spoken this word.
Devotion:
When we read verses like this we may well get very worried God is going to decimate the world and leave us all homeless and starving in a desolate land! We need to take verses like this in context and to understand what it is God is talking about. The more we study places like this in the Old Testament the more we will understand how many warnings God has given mankind about building up treasures on earth!
No matter how many times we read how we should not build up our treasures on earth, we still do and we still look at earthly wealth as being something tangible. Society keeps track on the most wealthy people and even judges people by their lack of wisdom in building up earthly wealth or treasures. We have people who make a living out of teaching people to build up treasures... yet God has been trying to warn us time and time again...
So does this mean we should give everything up and live in a tent? No, God does not teach us to do nothing. God wants us to be able to love and support people around us, which means sharing in many things instead of hording them for ourselves. When God was leading the Israelites through the desert, He instructed them to gather the right amount of manna for themselves and their family – any hording would be met with rotting food and hence a lack of food in the end!
We also need to understand this is something which will affect all people, no matter what standing in society, how far up or down the wealth ladder people are and no matter where they live. The more we horde, the more we will see the breaking down of everything we have. Not gathering enough, or spending too much will leave us short... It is a balance of making sure we listen to God whilst living in the world!
Points to Ponder:
How wealthy do you think you are?
Measuring your wealth only in spiritual terms – how wealthy are you?
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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?
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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?
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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!”
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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?
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May 28: Matthew 9:1-8
Key Verse: Matthew 9:8
When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.
Devotion:
This is the power God gave to Jesus while He was yet a human being walking amongst us; not just to heal people like this paralysed man, but to forgive their sins! When Jesus was going to return to the Father in heaven and bring the Holy Spirit to be with us, He wanted people to know they would have the power to ask for many things in His name and He would make it so!
This is similar to the promise God gave Jesus – to be able to ask for many things and have the surety God would answer and provide. God wants us to know He is listening to our prayers and when we ask for things in the name of Jesus – Jesus will take those prayers directly to God and plea on our behalf!
Now, there are going to be many people who will try to tell you prayers will not be answered for one reason or another. Many will claim we have been too naughty to receive and answers to our prayers. Many will claim God is no longer listening because the world is so corrupt. But I put it to you God is listening even closer because He can see how corrupt the world has become and He knows Jesus paid the ultimate price to cover our sins!
If we want to see the world become a better place, then we need to start by behaving like Jesus did. Not totally righteous and without sin, because we have already gone too far and have sinned before God, but by asking things of God through Jesus’ name and expecting a positive response! God wants to answer our prayers – but if we don’t believe He can or will answer, then why do we ask in the first place! Trust in what Jesus has done and lift up your prayers in expectation!
Points to Ponder:
What attitude do you have with your prayers?
Will you expect more from Christ today?
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May 27: Mark 10:42-45
Key Verse: Mark 10:43
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant
Devotion:
Jesus was very quick to point out the failings of mankind to the disciples, and quick to point out it was because of those failing that He had to go through everything He would have to! Pride and greed are just a couple of things which bring us down – when we sense the power we can gain from a position of authority or social stance, we tend to forget about justice and righteousness – choosing the ways of the world instead of God’s ways – and bringing everything down around our ankles!
God wants us to take notice of the things in our lives which will bring us down – they are not called temptations for nothing because they will tempt us away from the path God is trying to guide us on and they will cause us to falter and even fail!
Jesus used the state of the government to show them what was likely to bring down society and work against God. But it was not something the disciples recognised until it was too late and He had paid the ultimate price on the cross for our problems and sins! Jesus wanted them to see they would have to give up their desires for riches and glory and allow God to get all the glory. They would have to put down their desires and try to fulfil the wishes of their God!
When we go into the world to try and show people what our God is like, we have to be more like Jesus and less like mankind. We have to put aside our desires and lift up the will of God. We have to reach down and pick people up when they are low. We have to allow people to see how much God wants for them in their lives and less about how much we want!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like the sense of power in authority?
Will you give God the authority in your life?