December 10: Isaiah 11:1-5
Key Verse: Isaiah 11:5
Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash round his waist.
Devotion:
I stiff find it amazing how the prophets wrote about the coming of Jesus hundreds of years before He did come to live amongst us as a human man. God spoke to the prophets and told them a Saviour was going to be born from the ancestral line of Jesse, King David’s father. I wonder what the other sons of Jesse thought about when they heard these words!
David, the youngest son of Jesse, was to be picked as the next King to lead the Israelites with wisdom and justice; something which he was able to do to a large extent. But, being human, he did sin and fell from grace because of that. When confronted, David lifted his sin to God and asked for forgiveness – something God would grant him. But this came at a price for David’s sin.
It is during the late autumn months or winter months when trees are trimmed or pruned. These are the words which describe what would happen here. But, like any pruning, new growth would sprout up and grow anew. God knew there was still hope and wanted people to see the hope even after David’s sin was exposed.
No matter how far we go in our sinful lives, we can still turn back to God and ask for forgiveness. God is faithful and willing to forgive us if we are honest and open about what we have done wrong. If we turn away from our sins and embrace God’s ways, we will see new growth and blessing come our way. If we are in need, we will see how Gd can help us directly and through others.
Points to Ponder:
Do you try and help others in their times of need?
Will you follow God’s example and faithfully help those who need it most?
December 9: Jeremiah 10:2-7
Key Verse: Jeremiah 10:3
For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
Devotion:
How often do you look at nature and marvel at the intricate design, beauty and splendour of the things God has created? From a simple flower which is so delicate but brings out passion, compassion and love in us all, to the power and stability of a mountain which has stood for thousands of years, God’s creations show us what is possible if you have the right attitude during creation.
We have learned to take some creations which look dull and even lifeless, and bring them to life by carving, chiselling and adorning them with shiny decorations. We have learned to take the delicate flowers and arrange them in ways which show our love. We have learned to mix soft and malleable items together to make hard, enduring structures for our good.
But nothing we do can compare to the things God creates for us; though we strive to make it happen in so many ways. God wants us to know His love for us by the things He does for us, but also through all He has created around us. If we stop and look at things, we will see the depth of His love!
No matter how powerful some nations say they are, and even prove in the battlefield, they are nothing compared to the power God has; all we need do is look at the ultimate force of natural things to see just how powerful our creator is – because He holds all of these things in His hands!
Points to Ponder:
Who do you look to as the most powerful person?
Could they place the moon in just the right place to move around the earth?
December 8: Colossians 3:12-17
Key Verse: Colossians 3:14
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Devotion:
God continues to want the best for us and from us; and in order to accomplish that, we should always strive to abound in love because this is at the centre of our lives and our relationships with Him. Without love we cannot have a true relationship with Him, and without love we cannot hope to have a proper relationship with anyone here on earth!
God knows if we focus on the love He has for us and share it with others, we are going to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience: just some of the attributes we normally associate as being the fruits of the spirit. It is little wonder they are known as the fruits of the spirit because God is love!
Baring with one another and not getting stressed with each other as we face things which do not go our way is one way to make sure we always have God’s love in our hearts. God wants us to show His love to others. God wants us to show the fruits of the spirit to others. Much of this starts with forgiveness, just as God first forgave us and our sins, so too must we strive to forgive others in our lives.
Allowing God’s love to bubble up inside us will ultimately allow it to overflow from our lives and into the lives of those around us – then we can see the tangible results of this love as it fills the lives of those around us just as God’s love filled the disciples lives as they walked with Him.
Points to Ponder:
Do you allow your love to fill other people’s lives?
Will you accept more of God’s love so it overflows from your life?
December 7: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 13:12
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
Devotion:
O I long to be able to meet people with a big hug or a kiss! These times can be very testing, but keeping each other safe and secure is how we can show our love for each other... just because you see someone else doing something does not give you the right to go ahead and do whatever they are doing. God does not want us to blindly follow others but to test what we do against what He has commanded us through His Word.
The bible does not have many words about global pandemics with new virial infections, but it does teach us what people did with things they could not control back in those days – such as leprosy. We have to separate ourselves to keep each other safe. Unfortunately, we do not know the moment when we may catch the virus, so we should err on the side of caution and keep each other safe.
I have had to do a bit of travelling over the last few weeks helping to organise things for Dad’s funeral, but I have done everything I could to be as helpful as I could without throwing caution to the wind. I would have been so much easier to say, I’m ok and go about normal life, but taking a step back and giving people space and still showing compassion has been rather encouraging in many ways.
We don’t have to give in to the ways of the world in order to do the things which need to be done – staying safe and being cautious can still be done and must be done until such time as enough people have been vaccinated against this virus! God is with us and greeting each other with a Holy Kiss is not necessarily walking up to someone and planting a wet kiss on their lips!
Points to Ponder:
How are you faring during these tough times?
Are you keeping your eyes fixed on Christ?