August 12: Matthew 14:25-31
Key Verse: Matthew 14:30
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’
Devotion:
How many times in your life have you found yourself in a very tight spot and not known any way out of it? I would not wish this on anyone because you feel like your whole world has just collapsed upon you and there is literally no way to go… At least no way on earth to go!
God has made sure we get to know this story about Peter walking on the water and remember it too. It is a story which none of us can normally relate to, but all of us want to happen to! I mean, who doesn’t want to be able to walk on water! But it is a story which has some very meaningful sides and one we ought not to put aside easily.
Jesus walked out to the disciples because he knew they were becoming worried about the growing storm. Some were fishermen and knew all about storms, but that does not mean they were not concerned. But what concerned them more was seeing someone or something walking on the water toward them! Their first reaction was probably what would cross most of our minds, but when Jesus called out to them they knew it was Him. Peter took the step of getting Jesus to prove it was Him and had to live with the consequences!
When Jesus calls out to us, we call back and ask for help and comfort and strength and all manner of things. But we should be careful what we ask for, because Jesus will answer us and grant our prayers. For Peter this meant stepping out of the boat and walking on the water. As soon as he realised what he was doing, he took his eyes off of the Lord and looked at the worlds ways again. That was his downfall.
When we ask help of Jesus, we should expect Him to answer our prayers and then we need to keep our eyes on Him whilst He answers. That is the place we will get our strength and courage from. That is where Jesus is...
Points to Ponder:
How often do you call out to Jesus?
How often do you turn away when He first answers?
August 11: Matthew 14:22-27
Key Verse: Matthew 14:23
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,
Devotion:
Jesus spent a lot of time with people, healing, teaching and caring for them. He continues to do this all the time. But, whilst He was here as a human being in the form of Jesus of Nazareth, He needed time to stop and just be with His Father. This is an example for us to follow and one we should hold dear to us. We cannot keep going 24 hours a day and 7 days a week without some sort of rest. God has taught us this from the beginning and continue to uphold this.
God wants us to spend time with Him alone. Not in a big crowd where our own thoughts and feeling somehow get tangled up in the rest of the crowd, but alone with Him. That time alone is special, just as we should spend time with our loved ones to stop and listen and talk, so we should be doing the same with God.
Jesus gave no thought to earthly limitations… well, He obviously did give thought to them because He was here in human form and limited by human limits. But He also knew that so much more was possible when He continued to rely on God for everything. This was a point where He was totally relying on God because He was walking out toward the boat on the water during a squall! The disciples did not think about How God could make things so different.
God is not limited to our world. He does not have to obey the rules of nature. He does not have to give in to the things of this world just because they seem to be unsurmountable! God can and does continue to watch over us and care for us in ways which we cannot understand. So maybe it is time to stop what you are doing. Speak to God. Listen to Him.
Points to Ponder:
How much time do you spend alone with loved ones?
How much time do you spend alone with God?
August 10: 1 Kings 19:11-18
Key Verse: 1 Kings 19:14
He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’
Devotion:
How many times have you wondered whether you are the only Christian in your community? How many times have you wondered why nobody else can see they are doing things wrong? How many times do you judge others! Yes, if we are honest, we have all been there and we all judge others at one stage or another. It is not up to us who gets to say who is doing things wrong and who is doing things right… we have law enforcement people and judges to do that in our societies...
But what happens when they seem to be corrupt and the law breaks down? What then! Well, if you haven’t turned to God for answers yet, then you are looking in the wrong place still. Elijah knew the people were doing things wrong and he had warned them against it, but He went to God to seek guidance and help. He did not take things into his own hands – despite knowing they were worshipping Baal and other gods.
God’s response to Elijah was probably not what he wanted to hear either. When we see the people around us doing things wrong we should be praying for God to release them from the places they are in – not in a judgmental way but in a way which shows God you love the people and want them to survive!
The message for Elijah was to put in place a new set of rulers who would judge harshly until the people turned back to God. Sometimes we don’t know where to turn because we are fearful of what will happen to the people because of the things they are doing. If we are willing to continue showing love to the people and God, just maybe God will show us a way which will allow people to live in His love.
Points to Ponder:
Where do you turn when things go wrong?
Do you rely on God’s guidance to show you a way forward in your community?
August 9: Psalm 103:7-12
Key Verse: Psalm 103:11
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
Devotion:
These few verses say so much about God which we take for granted every day. He talked to Moses and made sure people were able to get to know Him when they were not at their best in life! He made sure the people knew He was a just God and told them all about the rules they would have to follow. But His love for us showed even more than all the rules and regulations, proving to mankind He loves us more than any of our faults and problems!
Often we look at the things we have done and we don’t expect others to forgive us for those things. We think we have gone too far and we do not expect people to be able to forgive us. We do the same with God as well! We continue to look back at the problems we have in our lives and the things we have done wrong, expecting God to remember them all and to hold them all against us when we come before Him… after all that is a kind of justice, or at least the kind we know!
God looks past the things we have done, looks beyond what we have done in the past and looks ahead to what we are able to achieve in the future. He does not limit those thoughts by our earthly standards and does not hod on the the earthly barriers we hold up either. God sees the potential in each one of our lives, the true potential we have lost sight of because we are focusing on the things of this world.
The only way which is descriptive enough about how God separates out issues from us is by describing it as far as the East is from the West. If we go north, you will eventually start going South again after you pass the poll, but if you go East or West, you continue on going that direction even though we cover the same ground again eventually. Look at that as being the way God separates us from our sin. We may cover the same ground again, but it is still in the opposite direction to where we came from!
Points to Ponder:
What holds you back in relationships?
What holds you back in your relationship with God?