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December 14: Isaiah 61:1-3
Key Verse: Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners
Devotion:
When you read verses like these, you know the author was sent by God to do His will; it is little wonder then Jesus used these same words, read from the scriptures, to apply to His own life – He was sent by God!
God wants people to know the truth in all things. Some of it is hard to hear because we want to be able to go and do our own things which sometimes clash with God’s ways. Sometimes the words are encouraging and make us want to go and do more for God – but in all of this, we should never forget we must do what God bids us to do. We are His messengers who are being sent out into the world to tell the world about a God who brings hope to them.
We are sent. We do not run off and start something new to try and get as many followers as possible and hope they will get to know God through what we do... we must take what God is giving us and share it with others to allow them to see God is with us and God is for us.
God wants us all to be set free from the trappings of the world – to be set free from the pits of despair we dig for ourselves and our friends. God wants to share the hope we have, not because we can do great things, but because He has accomplished it all already and is waiting for us to pick up the banner and allow others to se what He has done.
Points to Ponder:
Do you like telling others about God?
Do you do it for your own pride or for God’s glory?
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December 13: Hebrews 5:7-10
Key Verse: Hebrews 5:8
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered
Devotion:
When God calls you to a position, it should be accepted with humility and reverence; those who has been called before as high priests before Jesus was born on earth, did so with all their wits – not only did they have to offer up the sacrifices for the people, but they would first have to offer sacrifices for themselves to make sure they were worthy!
Jesus did take on the position of high priest for himself, even though He had every right to, but instead waited for God to call Him His Son and a priest of the order of Melchizedek. Jesus continually offered up prayers and petitions to God the Father to see if He could find another way to pay the sacrifice instead of with His own life, but knew He must be obedient to God, no matter what!
By earthly standards, children have special preference and meaning to parent; we don’t like to see our children hurt or suffer in any way – whatever we can do to avoid that, we often do. But God knew there was no other way in which Jesus could pay for our sin debt, so He had to watch Jesus suffer and die for us; something we don’t often think too deeply about.
Because Jesus was willing to do this all for us, we have become as children of God, obtaining that special position where God does not like to see us suffer either. Jesus began to realise what He had to do at an early age, but still He was willing to go through everything and be the ultimate sacrifice for us.
Points to Ponder:
Do you protect those you love?
Are you willing to step up and fulfil the position God is calling you into?
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December 12: 1 John 5:13-15
Key Verse: 1 John 5:15
And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.
Devotion:
How is your confidence faring during these times? Are you growing weary of all the things going wrong, the businesses closing, the people not working, the governments failing? We all get disgruntled when things around us are not going our way or as we expect them to – but there is a foundation which remains strong and firm.
When we show others we have hope in Christ, they look up to us and wonder where the hope is coming from. We can then introduce them to the truth of Christ and His kingdom. We can show them how we pray with a confidence which is real! We need to keep record of answered prayers so we can encourage others to ask for things as well.
The confidence we have in asking for help from God and expecting that help is what will build others up and allow them to have confidence in Jesus as well. When our faith wains, the faith of those around us tends to wain as well because they begin to believe in our failings. But when we grow in faith because of answered prayers, then those around us are encouraged to ask and receive, growing in their faith too!
God listens to us as we lift our prayers to Him. He is faithful and just to answer our prayers just as He has promised us. What we need to do is to ask with greater confidence, believing God is going to answer and waiting for those answers and not just hoping some of them will get answered. I thank God He continues to answer my prayers in way which build up my faith, daily!
Points to Ponder:
What is your attitude to prayer?
Will you pray with confidence today?
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December 11: Galatians 4:1-7
Key Verse: Galatians 4:7
So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
Devotion:
Have you ever wondered why others are called by God and you don’t seem to have a calling to do anything special like them? Have you ever wondered what it is like to be called by God to do something for Him? Well, don’t panic because we have all got our time to shine – just like Jesus had His time to shine and to do something very special for everyone!
Jesus was born as a baby, just like us all. He did not sit up immediately and start telling people all the things God wanted us to know, He spent time doing things babies do! I’m pretty sure that included all the things we see and hear from other babies! Yes, it was a very special birth and was at an appointed time by God, but it was still like other births.
Jesus had to be looked after by Joseph and Mary. He had to be fed and changed; because that is what it is like to be born into this world as a human being. He was constrained by the world just as we are and lived just as we do. God made sure everything fell into place by telling His earthly parents what and when to do things as well as teaching them how to care for Jesus.
We are born as humans, live and humans and die as humans – just like Jesus did. What we do when God calls us out to do something is going to shape our lives just as Jesus’ life was shaped by what He did when God told Him to. Jesus was born just like that so He could cover all our sins. Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for us all. We are no longer slaves to this world but have been set free!
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel constrained by this world?
Do you know God sees you as His child!
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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December 6: Luke 2:1-5
Key Verse: Luke 2:1
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
Devotion:
So much of the world is based around money and the management of money; it is hard to avoid worrying about it and about how much you need to earn just to survive. How far we go with the need to know exactly what we have all the time and how much we have to spend may well detract your attention from the important things in life. God wants us to be good steward of everything He allows into our lives, but He certainly does not want us to make the love of money the centre of our lives!
Many governments will order a census to find out exactly where people are and how much potential there is to raise money from taxing people. This is judicious and will allow governments to plan ahead with spending and building a better place for people to live – as long as that is what they are focusing on and not just the money!
Caesar Augustus’ plan for the census was to try and locate the money but also to try and identify where this ‘self-proclaimed king’ was. He was trying to flush out what someone had prophesied so he could remain in control of his known world! Making people go back to their birth towns would allow him to control where this baby would be born and to try and control the outcome...
God wants us to rely on His Word in our lives to guide us to the best outcomes. If we look to the world and money for our outcomes, we will see nothing further than the world and money. But if we focus on God in eternity, then we shall see opened up to us the realms Jesus spoke of and the blessings He promised. Trust in God and look to Him for your future...
Points to Ponder:
How important is money to you?
Will you look to God for guidance instead?
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December 5: Luke 10:38-42
Key Verse: Luke 10:40
But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’
Devotion:
Many times in our lives we get caught up in the rush and end up forgetting to do the important parts; we are left feeling bad afterwards because we have missed out on something important, but we also felt we were doing the right thing by rushing round trying to do everything at the time! Sometimes, we need to take a step back and just spend time with God instead of embedding ourselves in the world!
I must admit to feeling like the last few weeks have been a bit like what is described here with Martha when I know I should be spending my time just listening to God like Mary. Understandable or not, we do need to stop and wait on God. He does have our lives in His very safe and capable hands. He wants us to be able to rest in those hands from time to time too.
The weekend is upon us, and you may well be busy trying to do all sorts of things for church, but spend some time being with God, listening to His word, breaking away from the hum-drum life and allowing the Holy Spirit to fill you once again, ready for a new week.
God continues to watch over us all the time and will take care of us if we ask. But when we start taking Him for granted and lose ourselves in the world, we lose focus on what is important and stop listening to important things He is trying to tell us each day. Our daily bread comes from God and we do need it to sustain us. Stop and be with God!
Points to Ponder:
Do you find yourself very busy?
Will you stop for a few minutes and try listening to God?