March 4: Luke 16:19-31
Key Verse: Luke 16:31
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Devotion:
What does it take for you to believe something someone else says? Do you believe them because they are a friend, or maybe you believe them because they are an enemy! It takes all sorts of situations to change our minds about the things we have thought to be true or beyond doubt.
Do you think your task as a disciple of Jesus is to try and persuade others the Word of God is the truth and what they have held on about the earth is simply that – of the earth? I put it to you the answer to this is NO. Your task is not to persuade others the bible is true, but to open the bible up to others so they can make their own decision based on what God is trying to get them to believe in!
We often look to the evangelists to bolster our faith because they make it all sound so good – but we are set the task of basing our faith on what God has said and what He impresses upon us when we meet with Him in prayer. He will take, and has taken, steps to make sure we always have someone who will help us to believe the Word, but also always makes sure we are the ones who make the decision about our own faith. This is important because God wants us to not just believe Him but also to know our own beliefs.
We will probably not get a personal evangelist to visit us and keep us going. We will probably not get the ideal church leader in our local church to keep us going. It is our task to delve into God’s Word and come to our own conclusions – this is our faith!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you delve into God’s Word?
Will you make a point of convening closer with God today?
March 3: Matthew 20:17-19
Key Verse: Matthew 20:19
and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
Devotion:
Jesus knew what was in store for Him and He still went ahead with following God’s will and obeying God in every step of His life on earth. What an example for us to follow! It is very hard to go ahead with something when you are sure you will get persecuted or hurt. We learn to be afraid of some things in life and we avoid them in our life to live a bit longer... but what happens when that clashes with God’s will?
We are going to face some horrible things in life just because we live with some horrible people on earth. People abuse their power and their positions in society and often make other people’s lives a misery! Jesus warns us against this because it is working against or hurting people who He created! We are all His creation, and He loves us all – when we work against someone, we are working against God’s child!
Jesus showed just how hard it was to stick with it, but He showed us so we could be encouraged to not just follow God but to do what he asks. Sometimes what we do is skewed by our own desires instead of listening to what God wants. This is because of our own wants and needs and even fears. Sometimes we have to stop what we are doing and face up to those fears so we can do more for God in the future!
Jesus was getting closer to facing that time when He would be beaten and killed, but he knew this was the only way He could be there for us all and pave the way for us to join Him later in Heaven. Jesus did this because His love for us was greater than His fear and He knew it was what God wanted.
Points to Ponder:
Do you know what God wants in your life?
Are you willing to listen to God and Obey?
March 2: Matthew 23-1-12
Key Verse: Matthew 23:3
So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
Devotion:
One of the things I try to be careful of is to not give out advice if I am not going to be able to follow it myself! I have faced too many people who have said one thing and done another to be very wary of those who do like to shout about all the good things we should be doing!
As a young person searching to find out what faith was all about, I visited some churches in which I was disillusioned by the people saying one thing and doing another. Fortunately, I was able to be encouraged by some elder boys in my school who opened up God’s Word and explained how we are each given free choice to do what we want – even if the bible is saying one thing. This allowed me to move on from being disillusioned and find my own faith with God.
Things like that tend to stick with you for a very long time and make a very big impact in your life. This is why Jesus was warning the crowds they had to make their own choices to follow God’s Word and not to follow the few teachers who were not doing as they said!
Getting caught up in the power of God is something we need to watch for. If we begin to think we can do more than what God is telling us to do, we end up giving out our own advice instead of God’s truth. When we do that, we may well be taking people away from what God wants in their lives and pushing them to what we want in our lives. That sort of power can be appealing, but ultimately very destructive in the church!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like telling others about God’s ways?
Do you practice what you preach?
March 1: Daniel 9:3-11
Key Verse: Daniel 9:3
So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
Devotion:
Daniel had studied the words of the prophet Jeremiah and knew what God wanted him to do – not in every single thing in life, but as a whole. Part of that knowing is to obey what you know God wants and to listen for further instruction as God leads you forward in your life. Daniel knew he did not have to stand on street corners shouting about God, or preaching at the temples, but to follow God’s instructions where he was at that time!
When God calls us to be disciples, it is most often calling us to be disciples where we are living and not to go to the other side of the world. God wants us to be Christians where we are so our communities will get the most from His Word.
When God calls us, it will probably not be to own a nice house and have a good job so we can be upstanding citizens in our communities. God calls us as we are and how we are so we can be examples for Him as ‘normal people!’ God wants us because we want to believe in Him and to follow Him. He does not call us because we can have an extravagant life living for Him!
And, when God calls us, He is not going to give us a big advance in our salary so we can buy things for people – no matter how big our hearts are! God calls us as we are, whether we are rich or poor, healthy or sick, tall or short, male, female or otherwise. God calls us to be there for others. Sometimes we need to step forward and be willing to show God how willing we are by spending more time in prayer, more time in fasting and less time promoting ourselves!
Points to Ponder:
What would be the ideal way God could use you?
He is calling you as you are right now!