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?
January 3: Psalm 84:1-4
Key Verse: Psalm 84:4
Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.
Devotion:
One thing we can certainly look forward to is a place in heaven which is beyond our dreams; a place where we will feel even more loved than a sparrow in her new nest, somewhere where we will be close to God and be able to praise Him forever more. As I sit and listen to someone doing something special for the doctors and nursing staff who have paid the ultimate price of their lives whilst looking after others, I begin to realise just how wonderful the doctors and nurses are as they give it all for us when we are ill.
I cannot begin to thank the NHS staff enough for keeping me alive despite my body breaking down; they came back day after day and continued to care for me even when I could not and when I didn’t know what was happening.
Jesus set the precedence by stepping up and putting His own life on the line for us so we could eventually have an eternity with God in a very special place! He did what the doctors and nurses are doing during this pandemic – stepped forward and other people’s lives before His own.
This is the example Jesus set for us to follow and I saw so many nurses doing exactly that for me and other patients when I was in hospital. This is the example we need to keep in mind as we show others a new way of living, a way of living with Jesus and aiming for the goal of eternal life with God in heaven. Step forward and put your own life on hold for a few minutes and give that time to someone else so they too can live for eternity in Heaven!
Points to Ponder:
Have you ever been treated for a life-threatening disease?
Death without Christ is life-threatening!