April 8: Luke 24:36-43
 
Key Verse: Luke 24:41
And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’
 
Devotion:
I wonder how much joy Jesus got out of appearing in amongst the disciples after His resurrection! From this account we can see how the disciples could still not believe Jesus was back from the dead – they are the ones who had witnessed all Christ went through, the death and the burial! Jesus wanted them to know He was fully raised from the dead and was once again in human form; He asked them for something to eat and joined them in eating some fish.
 
We are brought up to know the gift of life is very special and the closer we get to death, be it our own or friends and family around us, we begin to know how final it may seem. Yet Christ was giving the disciples, and us, hope there is something more after our physical death – even life eternal!
 
Here Jesus was asking the disciples to extend their faith from what He had told them during their ministry together, to the reality of what God can and will do. This was the physical proof they needed to have absolute faith in everything Jesus had taught them. This is now all written down for us to read and digest over time so we too can bolster our faith in Christ.
 
In everything we read about the life of Jesus whilst here on earth in human form, we read a set of deliberate events all to achieve the ultimate goal of being our Saviour because of His great love for us. The more we read, the more we should realise this was all deliberate and aimed at saving us from ourselves. This is the basis of our faith.
 
Points to Ponder:
How often do you meditate over what Christ has done for you?
 
Will you accept what Christ has done and share it with others?

April 7: Acts 3:1-10
 
Key Verse: Acts 3:6
Then Peter said, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’
 
Devotion:
When I read this story, I always think of the modern professional beggars who are always in prominent places around cities, where they know they either have a captive audience, or they know the people are kind. This man had learned of the kindness of the people who came to the temple, but I’m sure he was not expecting a gift of this magnitude when he was there this day!
 
I also think of the saying my grandmother used to say to me when I was young - “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.” This man had learned to ask for help and in those times, it was looked at as a humiliating act which he had been forced to do every day for as long as he had been lame. There was no other way he could make a living...
 
Peter and John stopped when the man asked them for a bit of spare change. Peter admitted to the man he did not have any money because they had learned it was not good to save up their money when it could be used for greater good. But just because they did not have any money on them this time, did not stop them from doing the greater good!
 
This time they relied on what Jesus had taught them and what Jesus had blessed them with because of their faith. Peter told the man to get up and walk in Jesus' name! He did not tell him to get up and walk because he was now a healer but relied on what Christ could do when he said something in Christ’s name. And Christ made sure the man was healed and was able to spread the good news to more people!
 
Points to Ponder:
Have you ever tried to do something and failed?
 
Will you invite Christ to do it with you next time?

April 6: Acts 2:36-41
 
Key Verse: Acts 2:37
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’
 
Devotion:
When the people listening to the disciples realised what Peter was saying and how much they had ignored, they were cut to the heart. They wanted to know how they could put things right after supporting the crucifixion or at the least ignoring it... Nowadays we have films and many stories about what happened, some very graphic and terrible to watch... we do need to know the truth!
 
But we also need to remember why Christ did this and what we have to look forward to now it has been done! Christ did this all because of His love for us and because He wants us to be free from the death we often look at in our lives. I know many people around the world are still in mourning for losing friends and family to this virus or other causes, and it is at these times when we search for answers to “why!”
 
Far too long we have ignored the “why” by passing the blame on to others or not wanting to hear the truth. We may, one day, find out exactly where this virus came from, but even when we do – can we blame someone? Which one of us is without blame? Which one of us has not broken the rules and done something they shouldn’t have? Which one of us is without sin?
 
What we can do, though, is take the example from Christ and show forgiveness and mercy. He came to show us how it can be done on a grand scale – we can copy that example and do it on a smaller scale to and for the people around us. We can spread this Good News by example and leave the evil scattering, trying to find a hole to hide in. Expose the truth and put it behind you to move on with Christ!
 
Points to Ponder:
How many things have you done wrong already today?
 
Will you ask Christ for forgiveness and show Him you mean it?