November 24: Hebrews 13:15-17
Key Verse: Hebrews 13:16
And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Devotion:
Gone are the days where we must find unblemished lambs, goats, doves or heifers and sacrifice them to atone for our sins! Thank goodness! Jesus took on that mantle by giving Himself as the perfect sacrifice to cover all of our sins forever. He gave His own blood so we can live with no fear of the debt we owe for our sins.
So, what do we do now with all the “free time” we have not having to find the animals and sacrifice them and all that goes with that? We have been given clear instruction from Christ we ought to give the sacrifices of praise and spreading the gospel. This means taking time out of our busy lives and spending it giving glory to God for all He has done for us. Then telling other people why we do what we do and why it is necessary.
We have church leaders who have continued to tell us what God has done, what Christ has achieved and how the Holy Spirit continue to be with us. These are important parts of our lives with God and our leaders continue to obey God by spreading and teaching the gospel. We too have a task to spread the gospel to those around us who do not know about Christ yet.
God has also told us we will be held accountable for the times we do or do not tell people about Christ. It should not be seen as a burden we have to do so we don’t get punished but rather seen as a joyful thing we can do to help others. Telling people about the hope we have through Christ and the joy we experience is not a burden – it is a joy! Everyone does want to know about hope and joy...
Points to Ponder:
How often do you speak to others?
How often to you tell others about your relationship with God?
November 23: Hebrews 13:1-8
Key Verse: Hebrews 13:2
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
Devotion:
The more we continue to love the people around us, the more we get to see how much more a true community can do instead of a bunch of individuals. But it is not about putting up with the others just to get the job done, it is about loving them as if they are friends and family so you build up a trust relationship with them.
The more we can fully trust the people around us, the safer we feel and the better we can work to achieve our goals together. Those people around us may be our neighbours or they may be people we work with or in proximity to. If you work in a prison, then those people around you are mostly prisoners. If they can feel totally confident you are doing the right thing and will always strive to keep them safe as well, they will respect you and trust you.
If we go about trying to do thing for ourselves without caring about the people around us, then we are failing at what God is asking us to do. We are going to face all manner of difficulties along the way, some through the type of people we have to interact with, some when God asks you to move to a new place to continue His work...
But each of those difficulties can be overcome by continuing to listen to God and continuing to obey what He asks of us. He will always look out for us and we need to remember to always trust Him wholly! We must remember God does not change and will always be there!
Points to Ponder:
What is God asking you to do?
Are you obeying Him?
November 22: Deuteronomy 10:12-22
Key Verse: Deuteronomy 10:17
For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.
Devotion:
We don’t have to look very far to see how much corruption there is in the people who are supposedly running many of the free world countries! We have stories of corruption, evidence to back up many of those stories, and the results on show of that corruption; and yet we continue to require people in charge of our countries, so we have something to aim for...
How much more hope can we gain with someone in charge who is not corruptible, someone who will never take a bribe, someone who has laid down promises which are true and just! Our hope we get from believing in Jesus and following His commands is so much more than anything mankind can give us – yet we still hope in our governments and the people in charge!
I thank God He is the one looking out for the people who need Him most of all – the children with no parents or guardians, the widows and those who cannot earn enough to live on. These are the people God reaches over and protects, not because they may be the ones who shout the loudest in their prayers, but because His love extends to every person in need!
And, yes, we fall into that bracket because we are all in need of Him to be our Saviour. We cannot obtain forgiveness for our sins other than through Jesus Christ and what He has done for us. We cannot stand on any promises without them being backed by Christ. We need Christ in our lives, every day, every step and every breath!
Points to Ponder:
What promises do you stand out for?
Will you share some of God’s promises with someone else today?
November 21: Ephesians 2:4-7
Key Verse: Ephesians 2:6
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus
Devotion:
One of the most amazing things I continue to be astounded at is how we have a seat in Heaven with God just because Jesus Christ loved us enough to make sure we can be there! It is because He is willing to forgive us for anything we have done in our lives that we are able to join in the Heavenly realm!
Jesus made sure enough people got to see and hear about His love for them by living amongst us, sharing His knowledge of God the Father, encouraging people to draw closer to God and by obeying God in everything He did. We need to step forward and try to follow the example Jesus showed us to introduce others to His ways and His love. The more we can do to, the more other people will get to know the love of Jesus.
It is purely this great love which has enabled us to gain access to Heaven. It is not how good we are, how much we can follow the rules or how many times we go to church on Sundays! It is just the love of Jesus which has opened the door for us to get to Heaven.
This week we said goodbye to a giant in our lives, my Dad, who loved Jesus so very much – just as I do. It is the greatest comfort to know He is in Heaven, not because of anything we have done, or he did, but because Jesus loved him enough to make room for him! I know he is with Jesus right now, and probably planning things to do just as he used to plan things here. In loving memory...
Points to Ponder:
How do you share Jesus’ love?
Who will you reach out to today?