Saturday 16 Dec 2023

DJ

December 16: Matthew 17:10-13

Key Verse: Matthew 17:12
But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognise him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.’

Devotion:
Some people get very particular about what is going to happen in the end times before Christ’s return. To them I say we should be focusing on what we are acting like before God and not focusing on working out the exact turn of events! Jesus warned the disciples about focusing on the wrong things a few times and this is one of them.

Some were teaching that Elijah would come first. Jesus’ response was to say, yes that is true, but he had already come and nobody noticed! People get too fixated on the physical world around them and on how others should behave; they miss the important happening because they are not taking each day as it comes.

When we expect things to happen in a particular order because we think we read or heard about it, we may well miss out on the real things happening because they are not what we expect to happen. We are so focused on what we expect, we miss the unexpected.

We have been told enough times Christ will return like a thief in the night, not announcing His return to everyone and everything, but coming and going without people realising… because we are focusing on what we expect rather than what is happening!

Points to Ponder:
Are you too caught up in what you expect to happen?

Are you truly listening to what God is saying here and now?

Friday 15 Dec 2023

DJ

December 15: Isaiah 48:20-22

Key Verse: Isaiah 48:22
‘There is no peace,’ says the Lord, ‘for the wicked.’

Devotion:
Isaiah was fortunate enough to hear enough from God to make sure he did not get totally disheartened! It must have been very tough to tell the people of Israel about all the bad things which were going to happen with the Babylonians coming to destroy all they had built up. But those times came with a dire warning because the people had all but forgotten about God!

These few verses would give them something to hope for again – but only after they had turned their hearts around and started communing with God once again. God gives us so much, more than we ask for, so how do you think He feels when we turn our backs on Him after He has done so much for us?

God knew the people of Israel would end up coming back to Him, but He also hated the fact they were turning their backs on Him when they should have been praising Him and thanking Him for all they had accumulated. Don’t get me wrong, this was not God punishing them for turning their backs – this was God warning them things would not be comfortable when they turned their backs because the Babylonians wanted everything they had.

This was, in the end, the consequences of their own actions. This last verse says it all… there is no peace for the wicked… If we go down the path of the wicked, we should not expect God’s peace to follow us. Similarly when people work against us with wicked intentions, they should not expect to overcome us but for a little while...

Points to Ponder:
When do you give up hope – when you have it all, or when you have none?

Don’t give up on hope just because you think you don’t need it!

Thursday 14 Dec 2023

DJ

December 14: Matthew 4:1-11

Key Verse: Matthew 4:11
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Devotion:
What do you think about when you read this story about Jesus being tested in the wilderness? Do you think about how evil the devil was to try to tempt Jesus by offering Him things he could not deliver on? Do you think about Jesus being strong enough to resist those temptations? Do you maybe think about how weak we are in comparison to Jesus and how we need help to be able to reject those types of temptation?

Whatever you think of, I would like you to think of something which struck me as I was writing this down… Jesus went through all of these things in the wilderness before the angels came to attend to Him! In other words, despite God having all the power to be able to turn things around, Jesus still had to go through these difficult times before God stepped in to send angels to comfort Him!

Sometimes we face things in our lives and wonder how we can ever get through these things, begging God to take these bad things away from us… but sometimes God knows we have to face something like what is happening before we will understand what it is like for others! I can remember thinking this while I was in hospital and  coming to the conclusion God wanted me to know what it was like to be on the receiving end of bad health and unlucky times!

But, no matter what we go through, God will provide respite after the even when we continue to fully trust in Him!

Points to Ponder:
Do you think you are having a bad time?

Is God showing you things before He can reward you?

Wednesday 13 Dec 2023

DJ

December 13: Isaiah 40:25-31

Key Verse: Isaiah 40:30
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

Devotion:
As I grow older I start to feel the limits of my body more and begin to realise I am now part of the ‘old people’ clan! But my mind continues to thrive on all things and keeps me thinking I am younger than I am. As a youngster I used to think I was able to do so much, and compared to now, it was a whole lot more, but I don’t complain because I know the Lord has much more for me to do yet.

As a young man I did not see much of the beauty of the world around me, instead I looked for more things to do and explore. Now I tend to see much more of the awesome world around us and see just how much love God has put into creating this amazing world we live in. As humans continue to expand their knowledge of the universe I realise there is a lot more to things than just my little corner of the world.

We see scientists and explorers expanding the ‘known universe’ and humans doing things faster, better and smarter in all walks of life; except for those who just don’t seem to grasp what it is all about! Even then we seem to reach limits and records which stand for a long time, waiting for someone to come along and change things up once again. But if we continue to hope in the Lord we will continue to see things expand and improve because we know we can gain strength and wisdom from God: that is when we get to soar!

Points to Ponder:
Is there something you are trying to get better at?

Will you take God with you and praise Him when you achieve the next step?