December 21: John 1:9-13
Key Verse: John 1:10
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him.
Devotion:
When you make something, you will normally be able to recognise what you have made for some time; some of those things will be your pride and joys which you will never forget. When God made the world, He created something which He was proud of and something we all marvel at in our lives; but still there are people who refuse to believe He was responsible for creating the world!
It is wonderful to be able to study art and construction because many things will please us in ways we cannot explain in full. How does a piece of art invoke such emotion within us? How do people not have more emotion invoked by what God has done for us?
God has given us something which is so special it gives us what we need to be children of God; we just make the choice to believe in Him and He makes sure we are filled with love, joy and peace. But the person standing by our side may choose to not believe in God and they will have to rely on our love, joy and peace rather than having their own.
As we make our way through the last few days before Christmas, many of us face the idea of not being able to be with the people we love on Christmas day because of the pandemic still affecting so much of the world. Though we may be apart, we still will have the love, joy and peace God has already given us to sustain us until we are able to be with each other safely once again.
Points to Ponder:
How much do you get out of your relationship with God?
Will you step forward and take on a complete relationship with Christ this year
December 20: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:16
Rejoice always
Devotion:
Ok, who is going to start the online party today? Seems such a far cry from last Christmas where we were able to be with each other in person most places around the world – but this year things are going to be very different for many of us. I am moving this Christmas! That is going to be a bit different!
I love the words from these verses: Rejoice always! We always can find something to be happy about and to share that happiness with others! We need to keep rejoicing in what we have. We recently said our final goodbye to my dad a few weeks ago, but we found so many good memories about all he was able to do over the years he was alive with us. We were able to rejoice as well as mourn on the day of his funeral.
If you are finding it hard to think of anything to rejoice about, stop and lift up your prayers to God. Yes, He knows about your position, but if you don’t acknowledge things to Him, you are never going to get them off your chest! God wants us to be free from our burdens, which means giving them to Him so we can rejoice is what we do have!
Listen to the good news from those around you and lift it up for others to be encouraged with. God wants us to share the good news, not just the gospel and His miracles, but everything we do with Him. Turning away from temptations and evil in our lives will allow us to see better and better things. Evil always eclipses everything when you focus on it instead of on God. Allow God to bring you the peace you deserve – the peace He has promised you!
Points to Ponder:
What are you focusing on today?
Will you allow God’s peace to shine today?
December 19: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15
Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:13
Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
Devotion:
Wouldn’t the world be so much better if we were all able to live in peace with each other! Well, there is nothing stopping us from making a start because peace does have to start with someone making the first move after arguments, fighting, wars and such... But far too often we allow our pride to get in the way of things and we stop trying to make the peaceful move in the first place!
How about stopping to think about who does what, where and when... I know lockdowns are hard on everyone and we all try to just get on and do something, but we do need to acknowledge those people who are already trying. We have some fantastic church leaders who are striving to share God’s peace and faithfulness with a peace and faithfulness of their own...
How about stepping forward and asking if you can help with something or asking a neighbour if they need a hand with anything. Someone must make the first move to start the ball rolling. Jesus came into this world to not just make the first move but to start an avalanche which would shake the core of the church!
One way of starting to share peace is to mobilise people who have sat on the outskirts watching what others do. Getting people involved with what God is trying to do in your communities will make for a community which think about others. Yes, there will always be those who do not embrace the peace, but this should not stop us from making the peace grow in the first place!
Points to Ponder:
What are you doing to show others some of God’s peace?
Will you stop and help someone today?
December 18: Luke 7:31-35
Key Verse: Luke 7:34
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, “Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.”
Devotion:
What do you really think Jesus was like? Did He stand out from the crowd? Well, obviously He did at times when He was surrounded by people trying to get healed or blessed, but what happened early in His ministry? We don’t get to hear about all His days of growing up learning carpentry or what He used to do in His home town at the time...
To me, Jesus would not have stood out from the crowd as we think of it nowadays – but He would have stood out because of the way He acted toward others. Too many times in our lives we do things because it seems like that is what is expected, or we do something because someone else has done it. We copy and emulate others. Jesus did not. He did things because that is what was required! He was purposeful!
In His brief comparison to His life and that of John the Baptist, He shows the meanness of human ways. When we see someone acting differently, we have got to find a cause... we blame them or their lives for what they are doing because it is different to the normal. I like being different. I like to show people they can be different. I don’t stand up and shout about it, but try to be persistent in my ways to bring attention to God and not to me...
People talked badly about John because he lived outside the city and dressed and ate very differently from others. People spoke badly of Jesus because He dared to reach out to the marginalised in society – something we should be proud of doing, not shying away from doing just because it may look odd.
Points to Ponder:
How do you treat people around you?
Are you willing to try to treat all people as equal?