June 4: John 20:30-31
Key Verse: John 20:31
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Devotion:
What is the right level of getting out there and letting others know about Christ? How far do you go before you lose people in the abundance of words… Let’s face it, there is so much to tell people about Jesus and so much we still have to learn. There just does not seem to be enough time to sit down and talk about it! If we were to sit down and tell people everything we know about Jesus, it may well take us the rest of our lifetime to say the words out loud...
So how much is too little and how much is too much? The disciples wrote down things which they thought were important for us to hear about. They did not have time to write everything down so they had to get others to write it down while they talked or told others who then wrote it down… But they did this because they knew it as the truth and they knew it would count for something. They also spoke out loud to many people around the area, trying to get more people involved so more could learn the truth.
Let’s look at it another way… the disciples still had to face the Jewish authorities who insisted Jesus was not the Messiah and would do anything to stop people from spreading this gospel message. They could not simply walk down the street and preach to everyone at any time, just as we are not allowed to do that either because there are rules about not interfering with other people’s lives… even though we know it as the truth!
It is a fine balance each of us has to find in order to keep people informed without prejudicing our case and without upsetting people who just don’t want to know. To them we have to show them what we are and what we stand for; words will not suffice and words may even land us in trouble. We are the disciples of this world now. We need to allow other people to know the truth, but we have to do it without using worldly ways otherwise we will just be seen as being worldly!
Points to Ponder:
What do you do to allow other to see you are Christian?
Will you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you next?
June 3: John 20:19-23
Key Verse: John 20:21
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
Devotion:
I love the simplicity in which the author relates this story of Jesus visiting them after His death and resurrection. First he makes sure you understand there is no way Jesus could have broken into the place – they were on lock-down and secured in a way which prevented the Jewish leaders from even coming into the building. Yet, Jesus was able to just be there, without setting off any alarms or anyone witnessing Him coming in.
And what was Jesus reaction to seeing them? To give them the peace only He can give. To calm the storm and allow them to walk on water again. He stood there and wished the Holy Spirit into each one of their lives in such a way they would be able to go out and help people in the same way Jesus was, even to the forgiving of sins! But it is not the disciples who were given the authority to forgive sins, just the act of them saying people’s sins would be forgiven which would make it so!
Christ made this possible for all of us through us accepting the Holy Spirit into our lives. We do not have the authority to forgive sins, but we do have the authority to tell people their sins will be forgiven by God because of what Jesus has already done! Jesus shared His love again and again, even after His death and resurrection, Jesus was able to share His love and mercy.
Now He has given us all the authority to take these words He has given us and spread them around the whole world just as a virus spreads – but this is the virus of truth, the gospel truth. With the Holy Spirit within us, we are able to give out this truth in the knowledge it is not just the truth, but the way in which we can join Jesus in Heaven when that day comes! Jesus asks us to move forward with Him and forgive people, telling them they are forgiven and moving on with the Holy Spirit.
Points to Ponder:
Do you wonder how you can forgive some people?
Have you asked the Holy Spirit your direction through which you can do this today?
June 2: Psalm 104:24-30
Key Verse: Psalm 104:26
There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.
Devotion:
Stop and have a look at the world around you. Go and find out what the world looks like now with more fresh air and clearer skies before we go back to spoiling it all again! God has created this all and He continues to love and support this world we live in – but we continue to spoil it through out antics and through our greed! What use is a whale other than for our pleasure to watch and marvel at?
God provides feed and shelter for the wild animals – mankind comes along and destroys much of it without thought. But as we go through this time of lock-down we can see a big difference in our world, a big difference which allows us to re-see the beauty God created in the beginning. When I look at some movies depicting end of the world scenarios where cities have gone back to nature, I see a lot of artistic licence because we have done such a bad job at spoiling things I fear it will never be that easy for nature to come back again.
But, as we look around and see some of the beauty, we can stop and think about how much God loves us – the fact He set this all up in the beginning and He set it all in balance so it would survive and thrive. I should not take too much for us to change the world for a better place to live in – but mankind is a bit lazy and a bit too greedy to allow that to happen just yet.
I do hope and pray you have all stopped and looked at the world around you today and seen what God has given to us. I do pray it will make you think about the way you live personally – because if we all change just a little bit, the overall change is going to be very dramatic, just as we have been able to witness during lock-down. Stop and give God a go!
Points to Ponder:
Do you live according to God’s wishes?
Do you really live according to God’s wishes?
June 1: Numbers 11:24-30
Key Verse: Numbers 11:29
But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”
Devotion:
How do you feel when other people prophesy over you? I must admit that I am sometimes a bit scared of what people are going to say about me… I was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in a wonderful hot climate where we spent most of our time outdoors; I still long for the time when I can spend longer periods outdoors and in the bush. When I came to England I spent a while travelling around and finally settled in Suffolk where I enjoyed being close to nature again and far from cities. So when someone told me I should be thinking about going to London to work for God, I was a bit stumped! Why!!!
But the longer I am here the more I realise why God has put me here in them middle of an estate in London – because this is where He wants me to be, this is where the need is. As we live through this lock-down and start to come out the other side of it I know so many people here on the estate are fearful of what is ahead for us and fearful of what will happen because so many people live in close proximity to each other. But I also know we were brought here to share the hope we have and allow people to see the greatness of our God!
It is wonderful to see so many people engaging with God on this estate; I must add I am a late addition to the team here because our vicar has been here for over a decade already. I love seeing the local people rise up out of their entrapped lifestyles and blossom as they receive gifts from the Holy Spirit, all unique and all so desperately needed here. God knows exactly what he is doing but we don’t always see it!
We really do need to encourage people to live with the Holy Spirit and accept Him as part of their lives. Through this we will see God’s kingdom grow and more people start their wonderful and eternal relationships with Christ!
Points to Ponder:
Do you get jealous when others hear from God?
How often do you stop and listen?