July 10: Isaiah 55:9-13
Key Verse: Isaiah 55:11
so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Devotion:
I used to think I would never be good enough to get up in front of a congregation and bring the Word of God to other people – my first attempts at public speaking in university did not go down too well with the powers that be! But after many years of just speaking about God and saying what God has taught me, I have realised it is not about me and the way I can do things, it is all about what God can do when you have the faith to get up and share your journey with others.
The prophet Isaiah tells us how God told him it was not about his own abilities but about God’s abilities to use our lives that makes the difference! Just as the mad weather we have at times is actually used to water the plants around the world, so are our mad abilities used to reach people around the world. I love the fact I can write something here in the UK now and a decade later someone on the other side of the world will come across what I have written and it just clicks in their lives!
It is what God can do with us and not about what we can do with God! Allow God to encourage you to reach out and say things as the Holy Spirit guides you. If you say something out of turn, people will tell you and you can learn from what they say. If you say something rather special which is going to apply to someone a decade later, don’t expect to have them congratulate you – just allow God to use what you have done to reach others.
I continue to live and love on the estate I live on in London and don’t expect to be put up on any special pedestal, in fact I hope for the opposite. I hope my words I write will be able to reach out silently in someone’s life and allow them the freedom to believe in God, not because I have followed the rules or because they have followed the rules, but because God has deemed it so. Give the glory solely to God!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you wait for feedback before saying anything about God?
Will you just say what you believe God is telling you?
July 9: Isaiah 55:6-7
Key Verse: Isaiah 55:6
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
Devotion:
We do all have a choice as to whether we listen to someone speaking about God or whether we turn off and allow our minds to wander in our deepest thoughts. Yes, we have all been there and we have all allowed our minds to wander instead of listening to our church leaders, but what do we do about it when our church leaders are not with us? Do we switch off and do our own thing, or do we continue to try and uphold what God has tried to teach us?
It is a difficult thing to continue doing something when it seems like the whole world is going off to do something else. It is difficult to focus on something small and quiet when the rest of society is shouting at the tops of their voices about something else. But God asks us to stop from the noisy world and focus on Him for a short while to hear what He has to teach us.
God is with us. He is not at the other end of a long dark tunnel when seems to lead into oblivion – He is with us, here and now. Just because the world is in a dark place or in a noisy place, does not mean we have to join them. Step aside and listen out for God. He is not going to be that tornado whistling past us, not the thunderstorm bashing our ears… He is going to be that still small voice which reaches out to us and asks us to listen intently and humbly.
God wants the world to stop and listen. He has tried doing things the hard way by sending a flood or famine in the past, but now He wants us to make the choice and stop to listen out for the real God in this very real world! God continues to show us amazing mercy and love, with a faithfulness which is faultless and without end. Stop and listen...
Points to Ponder:
How easily are you distracted by noise?
Will you stop and listen just for a short while?
July 8: Romans 10:16-21
Key Verse: Romans 10:17
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Devotion:
What does or has your church life look(ed) like during these times of lockdown? Have you been able to continue worshipping God in some way on your normal ‘church day’ or have you had to do something by yourself? I am so pleased to be in a church where we have been able to shift everything online and continue with some sort of church service every week. You don’t realise just how important this is until you are faced with not being able to do ‘normal church!’
God has continued to try and make sure people gathered in one way or another so they can encourage each other as well as be encouraged by the Holy Spirit – especially since we have not been able to meet together face to face with all of our normal church family. Even during the early church years when God was gathering the people of Israel together, people still would wander off when they did not hear from God in one way or another.
Those early years were centred around the prophets being able to bring God’s Word to them, but not everyone would listen. For those who chose not to listen, they missed out on the message God was trying to get across to them – much the same as we are going through at the moment. Just because we are all stuck at home does not mean we should be ignoring God’s Word. If you are part of a church where nothing is going on because of a lack of technology or expertise from the leaders, then I encourage you to find something online where you can join in a ‘home service.’
One thing we need to be careful of is not trying to compete to make the best online service in the country! We need to focus on the people we are trying to reach in our communities and continue to share the content we would normally share in a service, but doing it in a new way. Our church service has changed somewhat and is made available through a chat group which goes out to all our community. We all come together around this chat group and worship God in our own homes, and if we’re late, no problem… It’s God we need to focus on and not perfect online presences with perfect timing!
Points to Ponder:
How do you meet on your Sabbath day?
Do you still get back to God’s Word?
July 7: Nehemiah 8:7-8
Key Verse: Nehemiah 8:8
They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
Devotion:
After the walls of the city had been rebuilt the people came together to be reminded of the law, the scriptures, given to the people by God, through Moses. These were the rules by which they should have been living and now realised they had lost so much by going off and doing their own thing. Now they sat and listen intently to the leaders as they read the law once again in the city.
The Levites went one step further and they interpreted the law for the people so everyone was in no doubt what the law said – no excuses this time round. If we want to be able to help the people in our communities then we have to be willing to go through similar steps to what Nehemiah went through and to go those few step further for the community.
Our first task is to go into the communities and to start by doing the physical works. Start by rebuilding things which have fallen apart. Start by organising relief for those in need and expertise for those who need it. What is a community if it is still falling apart? Once we have got things moving in the right direction again, we can continue helping those who need help and helping them to start helping each other again. Communities used to all club together and get things done – we need that spirit back!
When the community is at rest again they will make time to listen to God’s Word. When it is still knee deep in pain they will continue to ignore everything else, including God’s Word. This is when we can start explaining God’s Words in ways the community can understand. Jesus showed us how important this is by talking in parables for people to understand. When people begin to understand, they are more willing to spend a bit more time listening and so the cycle of learning about God continues!
Points to Ponder:
Who was the first person to explain the bible in simple terms for you?
Are you ready to simply the bible for someone else now?