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!
February 28: Romans 4:13-15
Key Verse: Romans 4:13
It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
Devotion:
You may look back on many of the Old Testament stories and think it was all about what the people did which allowed them to get closer to God and you will probably find many people who would encourage you to believe that side of the stories; but when you get to read the stories properly and in context, you find out people all had a choice as to what they would do.
God still gives us the choice and what we end up doing is really a display of our belief and our faith. We could try to be as righteous as possible and expect to get to heaven because we are good – but that is not going to fly with God. He looks inside your heart and Christ will judge you according to your faith. If you have faith Jesus is willing to save you from your sins, then He will do so because that is His promise to you.
But if you think you can work your way into heaven by doing all the right stuff, wearing the right clothes and saying the right words, then you are sadly mistaken! It is and always has been about our faith and our beliefs. Is this when you start getting scared and wonder if your faith is strong enough to get you into heaven? Don’t be! Jesus has explained how the smallest of amounts of faith can do so much and that is what He is looking at!
We don’t have to be spiritual giants in order to get to heaven. Just a small amount of faith in the right direction can get us directly there. Jesus came to die for all who are willing to ask Him into their lives. We may not have the faith some of the people from our bibles have shown, but we do have a firm promise from Christ He is willing to save us if we believe. Nice and simple!
Points to Ponder:
How much faith do you think you need?
Do you know Christ has already done enough for your faith?