September 25: Luke 9:7-9
Key Verse: Luke 9:9
But Herod said, ‘I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?’ And he tried to see him.
Devotion:
Sometimes people are not going to show their true colour until the unexpected happens... With this pandemic in various states of disrepair in countries all around the world, we are beginning to see many of the issues people are facing in their own countries which we don’t get to hear about.
We don’t often think about why John was not on the scene for too long, even though we have a loving Gospel written about all he was able to do in his short time on earth. We know him as the loving disciple because of the love which is written about in his Gospel; what we don’t get to hear too much about is the hate which was constantly working against him...
Jesus faced a whole lot of haters in His life on earth as well, all because He wanted to show people the truth and true love. I know what I face is nothing in comparison to what they have faced, but people do still get upset with us when we tell them about Jesus. People don’t like to be reminded of the bad things in life or how they have broken the basic rules in life to get where they are...
I am glad the baggage I carry round in my life is small in comparison to many – because I do like to share my baggage with Jesus; after all He has offered to help me with it, always!
Jesus gives us the power to do many things in our lives if we work with Him and include Him in our lives. He wants others to see His love and His power and willingly gives us the ability to spread that love and power! Don’t let the haters shout you down, even when they show their true colours...
Points to Ponder:
Do you care for the needy people?
How far are you willing to go to stand up for those in need?
September 24: 1 Kings 18:41-44
Key Verse: 1 Kings 18:43
‘Go and look toward the sea,’ he told his servant. And he went up and looked. ‘There is nothing there,’ he said. Seven times Elijah said, ‘Go back.’
Devotion:
What do you do when you pray? Do you throw up a prayer and continue running off in the other direction, or do you sit and wait for an answer? Sometimes we do throw up prayers because we are in a state where we cannot sit and wait for an answer. I don’t think people on the motorway would think too kindly of me for stopping in the middle lane and waiting for an answer from God!
But sometimes we lift up a concerned prayer and then get side-tracked with the small things in life before we have heard back from God; because there is so much happening around us and so much to get on with in our busy days... But hang on, don’t we all have to try to do things differently now? Don’t we have life on pause due to the pandemic which seems to be on the rise once again world-wide?
Ok, enough of a guilt trip... what do we do when we do hear back from God? How long does it take to put down our normal routines and pick up what God is asking of us? I have done a few impulsive things in my life and they have often turned out to be very difficult times, so why must I go back there and face it all again? Because God is asking!
When God says something, we need to listen and trust in what He has said. We need to stop thinking like the politicians and start getting back to living our lives for God. This does not mean rushing back to ‘normal life’ as the world around us descends into chaos from Covid restrictions... it means getting busy and working to help people who need it because of Covid and working safely rather than pretending we are not facing a dire plague!
Points to Ponder:
Are you ready to answer God’s call?
Will you work safely with God?
September 23: 2 Samuel 12:1-10
Key Verse: 2 Samuel 12:4
‘Now a traveller came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveller who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.’
Devotion:
The more hardships people face around the world, the more there are people who take advantage of the poor to promote their own ways. This may be the way we view things now, but this has been going on throughout time and will continue to happen until people take God seriously!
It is during the hardest of times the true extent of the disparity between the rich and the poor comes out. It is never more prevalent than when the poor are at their poorest and the rich are coasting along as if nothing is happening. Sadly, that time is now. I like the following verses in this passage where Nathan tells king David the ‘rich man’ in his story is David himself! Often, we do not see the damage we are doing until someone else has the courage to point it out.
Instead of rebuking people who are rioting or protesting, take a week to go through what evidence there is to support what they are complaining about; see for yourself how things are covered up. I say a week because, if we glance at the evidence, we will continue to cover it up with our own preconceptions. We need to take time to look over things so we can put aside our own bias thinking and seek the truth.
The same can be said about God. People put aside a relationship with God because of their perceived ideas about religion – something Christians all around the world are fighting against. We need to put aside our learned responses and work toward a love which encompasses all instead of a desire to promote oneself...
Points to Ponder:
Have you ever thought of yourself as being privileged?
Will you spend a week trying to find out the truth about something?
September 22: Romans 13:8-10
Key Verse: Romans 13:10
Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.
Devotion:
When Jesus impressed on the disciples how important love is in everyday life and in communities, they listened, and they acted upon it! These are very strange times we are going through where we don’t know whether we should be visiting people or not because of the rate of increase of the Covid-19 virus. But, one thing I have learned from my parents is making sure you are safe and clean in a medical environment is paramount. I look back on my days as a child and now see just why my dad was so insistent on having clean hands (well, everything) in his pharmacy!
I marvel at the way dad was able to reach out to so many people who were ill and continue to supply medicine as best he could. This was not just a job for him but a lifestyle and life choice he made.
I like to think I have picked up on some of his ways as I reach out to the people on the estates around me; God wants us to continue being here for communities and for people in need... but at the same time, He wants us to be safe and well – otherwise we will not be able to do our work for Him!
Love comes in many forms; one of the biggest is loving other people with the utmost respect. Loving them enough to make sure they are protected from the world around them and from sickness. It is only when you hear of someone not being well in your community that your focus is on the sickness which surrounds us all the time.
So today I would like us all to take a bit of time to pray for those amongst us who are not well or face hardships because of sickness, past or present.
Points to Ponder:
Do you keep yourself fit and well?
Will you be more careful as you reach out to your community?