March 24: John 8:31-38
Key Verse: John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Devotion:
I always find the language fascinating as used by the people at the time this was happening. To be able to wonder where they were in their hearts and where they were spiritually gives the gospels so much more body! We could look at this and wonder why they could not see their history as we see it. You could look at this and think why they could not recognise Jesus as the Messiah. Or you could look at this and wonder what God wants you to gain from it!
If you are not wondering what God wants you to learn, then, just maybe, you are trying to lay the blame on someone else’s shoulders. This is the stance we take too many times in our lives – we want to apportion some blame on someone else or make it so there is a defined reason for everything which happened... Maybe what we should be doing more often is stopping what we are doing and thinking about what we can learn from these words!
God gave us the bible so we could learn more, draw closer to Him and apportion praise and worship where it should be sent rather than blaming others for things we do not have control over. God wants us to grow in our lives with Him and not to be strangled by pit holes and trappings we cannot avoid because of our nature.
When we accept Christ’s ways into our lives we are going to find a new freedom in our lives which when have never had before. Before, when we felt trapped by unseen forces and circumstance, we can step back and see a new way forward offering us hope and freedom with God at the middle! Aim for what Christ is trying to teach us and not for how we can blame others for things wrong in our lives.
Points to Ponder:
Do you like blaming others?
Will you accept the path Christ lays before you?
March 23: John 8:27-30
Key Verse: John 8:28
So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.
Devotion:
How many times have you not believed something until it was too late? I know I have been in that boat many times before and so, now, I tend to believe my friends and family and I have not missed out in so much anymore; but it also means I have to spend more time supporting friends and family too. That has made me a much better person!
I believe this is one of the main reasons why Jesus wants us to love and support our neighbours so much. If we can all draw closer and spend more time together, Covid depending, then I believe our communities will grow into much better places to live. When I first moved onto an estate in London, I was very surprised by the amount of people who were willing to take a chance and make a difference. Don’t be put off by the look of a problem or by the statistics the government or other authorities put on different places – God knows what is in people’s hearts much more than we do. Trust Him.
Jesus knew what lay ahead for Him and He knew how much He was going to have to do in order for us to know Him as the Son of God. He was willing to do this all despite the horror which lay ahead. If He was willing to do this for us even before we knew Him, then how much more should we be willing to do this for the people we are getting to know in our communities!
God has spent a lot of time preparing the ground – we need to come in and tend to the ground so His long-standing work is not in vain! Just as you love and support your God, love and support your community because God has put the people into your community for a reason!
Points to Ponder:
How many opportunities do you see in your community?
What are you going to do about it?
March 22: John 8:2-11
Key Verse: John 8:11
‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’
Devotion:
How quick are you to blame someone for doing something wrong? Do you talk about people and say how many bad things they have done? Do you use the law of the land or ‘righteousness’ to say how some people are bad people? We all do this to a certain extent because we live in a land where we have to uphold the law.
When the teachers of the law had Jesus in front of them, they brought in a person who had been caught in the act of adultery. Now, according to the laws handed down via Moses, someone who was caught in the act of adultery should be stoned to death! Not nice, but those were the laws to try and prevent people from causing so much pain and hurt in other peoples’ lives.
When they confronted Jesus, He asked which one of them had not done something wrong in their lives... and none of them could answer because, just like you and I, they had done something wrong. Let’s face facts – we are all guilty of something or other and because of that, we don’t really have the right to bring judgement upon others!
God has taught us we need to have witnesses and trials to make sure people who are accused of doing wrong get what they deserve – but when it comes to taking a life, do we really have the right if we have done things wrong in our lives which can be just as damaging as what they have done wrong. This is a debatable topic and one which has caused many countries to stop the death penalty all together. Jesus is willing to forgive anything we have done is we are willing to try and change after admitting what we have done is wrong in God’s eyes.
Points to Ponder:
Do you blame others for what is wrong in your community?
Have you tried changing your community through love?
March 21: Jeremiah 31:31-34
Key Verse: Jeremiah 31:31
‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.
Devotion:
Who would have thought the Son of God would come down to live amongst us, die for us and be raised from death to show us the way forward which God promises here! Who would have thought these words would mean Jesus would come to live with us – we can look back on them now and realise what God meant, but often we find we hear things we don’t fully understand... not because we are not listening properly, but because we cannot comprehend the marvellous things God can do and does do for us!
When we hear from God, we almost always think back of the things we have done before and try to make sense of things from what we know already. Too many times we don’t hear the words “I am doing a new thing” when God say so.
One day, when we are with God in Heaven, we will understand some of the things He has said to us in the bible. Some of the things written down for us still don’t make sense to us – because we are limiting God’s ability to our own thinking instead of allowing Him to expand our minds and hearts.
When I first went to work in deprived areas, I was worried whether I would be able to cope with this new work; but once you allow God to take control and allow Him to really guide you instead of trying to steer Him, then you can get to grips with what God wants in your life! It is not easy at first because it is often uncomfortable because we feel like we are not in control – that is exactly what God wants! He wants to be in control!
Points to Ponder:
Do you try to do your best for God?
Will you allow Him to change you?