January 7: Matthew 2:1-4
Key Verse: Matthew 2:2
and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’
Devotion:
I wonder if you have ever been in a position where you thought you were in charge or at least the contact through which others should interact – only to be set aside when other people were queried or contacted instead of you! I think I would be pretty put out by that sort of action, but I would not go as far as King Herod went...
These Magi were well thought of and must have caused a bit of a scene by coming to find where this ‘new king’ was who had been signalled by the changing of the stars in the sky. We have recently seen the confluence of two planets in our system which gave us a brilliant ‘star’ in the night sky, especially when viewed from Southern Africa; but that was just an alignment of a couple of planets...
These Magi were students of the skies – they watched the skies for all manner of changes and concluded something special was happening and the bright light in the sky was going to show them where! We are still not sure where these Magi came from – other than the East – but they would have stood out from the crowd.
I wonder if you are someone who stands out from the crowd or someone who blends in to hide amongst numbers. I prefer to think I try to stand out from the crowd because I want people to hear what I have to say about Jesus! I am known as the guy who wears Jesus T-Shirts at all times – something I strive to do now because it gives me a chance to allow others to see where my heart belongs.
Points to Ponder:
Do you try to be noticed as a Christian?
Will you stand up and be noticed this month – even in lock-down?
January 6: Mark 6:35-44
Key Verse: Mark 6:37
But he answered, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?’
Devotion:
The choices God gives us can sometimes confound us just as the choice Jesus gives the disciples here. The disciples could see the thousands of people all around and they knew they had very little and now Jesus was telling them to feed all of the people with virtually nothing! But, when God asks you to do something, He already has a plan in hand and we just have to follow His instructions.
God wants us to be brave and be willing to give everything for those in need; whether it is to feed a hungry person on the side of the road or to just give a stranger a word of encouragement, God is asking us to listen to His instructions and to trust Him with those instructions.
I bet the disciples were a bit perplexed when they found out the sum total of food the crowd had brought with them was five loaves and two fishes! But this was no obstacle for God – the only people with the obstacles in front of them were the disciples and probably anyone who overheard them talking! People just don’t believe miracles are going to happen to them!
Jesus continues to show us miracles every day, but most of them go unnoticed as we put things down to random chance and other people’s decisions. But God can and does use all manner of people to make miracles happen. Here He used the people or person who brought along the loaves and fishes to be able to feed thousands of people!
Points to Ponder:
Do you limit God with what you think is possible?
Will you allow God to show you miraculous ways?
January 5: Judges 6:13-19
Key Verse: Judges 6:15
‘Pardon me, my lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.’
Devotion:
Sometimes we will want to question what God says to us, be it directly or through other people; we will have doubts and we may even believe we have heard things wrong or others are not telling us what God actually wants... Our lives are filled with moments, feelings and thoughts which are not too dissimilar to this!
Gideon did not want to believe the words he was hearing from the angel; how could he, being the least from his family, a family least amongst others who were greater in standing and probably prowess, how could he be the one being called to defeat the Midianites!
God knows what we are capable of, but He also know how much more can be accomplished by us when we trust in Him. Gideon was not strong enough to take on the Midianites, and nor would the army be which was gathered together. So God strips the army of Gideon down to a bare minimum, a minimum so small there would be no hope of getting close to the Midianites, never mind overthrowing them!
Sometimes God is going to lead us into places where nothing makes sense according to our rules or the rules of the world, but He does know what He is doing and knows how best to use us so He succeeds where nobody else can! It all comes down to the trust we have in Him and His words...
Points to Ponder:
How much do you think you trust God?
Are you willing to lay aside your life to work with Him?
January 4: Matthew 2:13-15
Key Verse: Matthew 2:14
So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt
Devotion:
Right from the beginning, God has tried to show us every day how He wants to be able to look out for us and to protect us. Joseph and Mary listened to what God was telling them and obeyed! Two very important things, to listen and to obey.
Once we get that into our heads and start to follow these simple rules, we will begin to see just how much God does care for us. If we don’t listen and obey, God must work even harder to try and help and protect us! The best way forward is to remain close to God and listen to the instructions as they come in and to obey as soon as we can.
Joseph and Mary left in the middle of the night to make sure they could get a good start and escape what was coming. When we used to go on holiday back when I was young, we would often leave very early in the morning so we could get to our destination on time and enjoy the vacation as planned. If we spend all of our time fighting against the crowds and trying to escape, we will not enjoy things as much as we could.
If we look back on all the stories we have in the bible, we will see how being on time, listen and obeying has proved to be the best way forward. God has taught us this through example and expects us to make the right decision and follow those examples. If we do, we get the best deal possible. If we don’t, we have to put up with what happens!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like to be ahead of the crowd?
Will you try to listen and obey a bit quicker today?