February 28: Matthew 25:1-13
Key Verse: Matthew 25:5
The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
Devotion:
I don’t know about you, but I sometimes have a problem with being likened to a virgin, because I know I am anything but a virgin! Not in the physical sense but because my life has had it’s ups and downs and I have strayed away from God, sometimes without thinking, but also willingly as well! But this is the way Jesus wanted us to think about how He looks upon us – as potentially pure and very special!
This parable talks about ten girls who were to meet the bridegroom – not absolutely sure of the whys and wherefores because society has changed so much since then. Their task was to keep themselves ready and waiting until the bridegroom came to them; doesn’t sound such an onerous task for anyone… But some of them became very impatient when the bridegroom did not arrive when they thought he should! They did things their own way and were not fully prepared when the bridegroom did finally appear.
If you think of us as being the virgins, then we should be ever prepared for when the bridegroom does come – when Christ returns. We do not know when He is going to return! Some thought it was going to be soon after His death and resurrection, whilst others put a longer timespan on it. We still don’t know the date or time despite what people will try to tell us; all we get is clues about what the world will be like before He returns.
Many of those clues are coming true in this generation, but still we cannot be sure of the day! Instead, we should be prepared for that day and continue to be ready without nodding off to sleep, walking away or not having enough oil when the time comes! So what does the oil equate to? Everything in your life which will make you ready for Christ’s return, from reading His word, being prepared, keeping ourselves for Christ – the list goes on and on… which makes us weary as we wait!
Points to Ponder:
What would you do if you were told Christ was returning tomorrow?
What are you doing in your life to be ready?
February 27: 1 Corinthians 11:27-32
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 11:28
Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.
Devotion:
Now and again we need to be reminded about why we have bread and wine as a commemoration of Christ on the cross. When we continue to celebrate mass or the Lord’s Supper week in week out, we tend to take things for granted and do not think as deeply about why we do this because it becomes a habit rather than our Holy Communion with God.
I’m not saying we should not celebrate the Lord’s Supper every week, but I am suggesting we take our time to think about why we are doing this each time. I am used to being told by the priest we should each think about whether we are worthy to come before God and partake of this recollection of what Jesus did for us; but I know I am guilty of not always stopping and thinking about my lifestyle and my ways before accepting the bread and wine…
Jesus sat with His disciples in the upper room and He broke the bread showing the disciples this was going to be a way of remembering what happened to Him, and similarly with the wine being a way of remembering how He allowed His own blood to be shed for us. He wanted them to remember what He was going to do and to think about their own lives and judge for themselves whether they had lived up to the promise they were making to follow Jesus and His ways.
Do we take life for granted and live it to the best, or do we take every day as a gift and live it for the best for God? We may think these are one and the same, and we may well mean it when we say it – but if the people around us take it as living the best for the worldly ways around them rather than the best for God, then we have reminded people of themselves instead of Christ. Our lives should be lived as a constant communion with God and our outward ways as a reflection of what Christ wants in our lives – that way people will be shown God’s ways and not our own ways...
Points to Ponder:
Do you live life to the full?
Does your life actually reflect Christ?
February 26: Galatians 6:1-6
Key Verse: Galatians 6:4
Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else
Devotion:
When you go into an unknown situation, it is always good to know someone is looking out for you and even better if they have been in the situation you are heading for so they can guide you through it. As Christians we need to be looking out for each other as well as looking out for people who are not Christians; the problem comes when we have to face the things others face because we might be tempted to give in to the temptations facing them, just as they may want to give in.
Jesus led the disciples through their lives when He was with them, guiding them and showing them what was best. He also guided them away from any sins in their lives where He could. He did not ban them from sin but rather gently showed them a right way of approaching things so they could make an informed choice in their own lives. This is what He would like us to do – the problem being we do not always know what is best for others…
The best we can do is to listen to the Holy Spirit and do what He says is right for each of us. In doing so we become better examples for others to follow and examples through which they can gain strength. Part of that is in carrying each others burdens. Not only is this what Christ wanted of us but also the example He showed us so we could follow. Christ continues to say we should share our burdens with Him so we may find strength and guidance through His example.
When we begin to raise our thought about ourselves and our abilities above what we are capable of, we only fool ourselves because others will see through our deception! So each of us needs to watch what we do and what we are capable of doing, without comparing ourselves to others. When we do start comparing ourselves to others we become disillusioned with our own lives and things break down. Christ wants us to live our own lives, but when we learn more about Him, we should be willing to share that information with others freely.
Points to Ponder:
Do you keep to yourself?
Or do you share your life with your friends?
February 25: John 3:19-21
Key Verse: John 3:21
But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
Devotion:
No matter how much we try to tell people about the gospel truths, we will not be able to reach all people; people have grown to love the darkness and the wrongs ways of living. We do have an uphill task of trying to tell people about this amazing light which Christ has brought into the world, not to blame people or show them up, but to give them the option of finding out the truth and following that truth as a choice!
The more we live in the world and live by the rules of the world, the more we move away from God and get stuck in the worldly ways. These ways are often the wrong ways and it seems a lot easier to go with these ways just as the rest of the people around us are doing. Why rock the boat when you can move ahead just like everyone else? Well, if the road everyone is on leads to the wrong destination, we need to come to our senses and get off the common road and head back to the right destination!
Christ warned us the road to the wrong destination would be free and easy to go forward on, but would ultimately lead to spending our lives away from God and certainly not going to live in Heaven with Him for eternity! The road to heaven may not be an open highway, it may not be easy and it may go through many torturous ways, but we can be certain it will lead to us being able to spend our eternity with Christ in heaven.
If we continue to go along this wrong highway for too long, we will lose sight of the road to heaven and get so caught up in the wrong ways we may even convince ourselves these wrong ways are the right ways. They are not! We need to open our eyes and see the world and its ways for what it is, adjust our ways and try to stay walking with Christ along the rough and ready road which will give us eternal life.
Points to Ponder:
Do you like sticking with the crowd?
Are you ready to step out and know you are on the right path?