Monday 4 Dec 2023

DJ

December 4: Isaiah 2:6-9

Key Verse: Isaiah 2:6
You, Lord, have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob. They are full of superstitions from the East; they practise divination like the Philistines and embrace pagan customs.

Devotion:
This is what Isaiah saw as visions and words from God. He knew there would be a division between people where few would call others to worship God and many would succumb to the ways of the world. They describe people abandoning everything they once stood for so they can follow after money and other riches instead; the very things God warned them about years beforehand.

God know we give in to the temptations of the world very easily because we lack the riches of the world. What is being described here is the love for money instead of for God, the love for superstitions instead of the laws of God, and the ways of the strangers instead of the ways of God.

The more we get entrapped in the ways of the world, the more we lust after them and the less we an focus on God because our hearts and minds have been taken over by these things, temptations and greed which surround us.

Isaiah does not want God to forgive and forget the sins of the people – why should he have to work so hard and sacrifice so much only to see those who do not care living the lives they seek. But it is not our choice as to whether God will forgive them or not – that is Christ’s choice alone because He came to give His life instead of us having to face the price for our sins.

Points to Ponder:
Do you just go with the flow and follow what others are doing?

Or do you try to live a separate life with Christ?

Sunday 3 Dec 2023

DJ

December 3: Mark 13:32-37

Key Verse: Mark 13:36
If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.

Devotion:
Have you ever been baby sitting for someone and not knowing when they are coming home? You tend to be on your very best behaviour all the time to make sure if they come home early you will be ready! This is the idea Jesus was trying to get over for the disciples; to make sure they were always going to be ready for when Jesus will return.

I like the way Jesus made sure they knew He did not know the time when He would return because it was entirely dependant on the Father. Jesus was walking into a nightmare where He would be taking on the sins of the world and having to be separated from His Father for a time while He took on the sins of the whole world.

Jesus sees how we have the face the world and knows what it is like. He has been through it all, the only difference being He was able to avoid sin for the whole time right up until the moment He had to take the sin of the world on His shoulders. He was our perfect sacrifice to ensure we would be able to spend eternity with Him and His Father in Heaven.

Jesus did not know when He would return because the Father had kept that from Him to ensure He was totally prepared as a perfect sacrifice for us. As we move into December and start thinking of all the worldly celebrations and family gatherings we will have, spare time this year to think about what Jesus had to do for His short life on earth just because He loves us so much!

Points to Ponder:
Do you know when you will die?

Are you ready right now in case?

Saturday 2 Dec 2023

DJ

December 2: Luke 21:34-36

Key Verse: Luke 21:34
Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.

Devotion:
One of the things which always seems to pop up at this time of year is some sort of depression: the nights are drawing in, it’s getting dark far too early, it’s cold and icy and lots of people come down with colds. But one of the things which affects us most is staying indoors for longer periods because the weather is just not hospitable outside – or at least that is the excuse we give.

Scientists and phycologists will tell you there are reasons for us all feeling down and for people taking up drinking and allowing the anxieties of life to take hold – they say it is because of the lack of sun and being outside. But it is more than that. That may be the physical reason why people to feel down, but when we do allow those feelings of anxiety in its many forms to take hold we are allowing the world to take over our lives.

God has warned us for a very long time we should not allow the ways of the world to grab hold of us and lead us away from Him. Sadly, anxiety and depression are just some of those things which take us away from God. We can call out as much as we like and tell people they only have to read the bible, but unless they have some sort of relationship with Christ, reading the bible may not help because they may not understand it!

God wants us to be in a relationship wit Him so He can guide us through the dark times; physically, mentally and spiritually. These worldly feeling can pounce on us like a trap and we will feel helpless against them; but with God’s help and encouragement we can weather them!

Points to Ponder:
Do you allow worldly feeling to take hold?

Have you tried depending more on Christ to stay those feelings?

Friday 1 Dec 2023

DJ

December 1: Psalm 139:13-18

Key Verse: Psalm 139:13
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Devotion:
How often do you look at the biology of the human form? I was never any good at biology because I could not remember all the names of the parts of the body and how they worked together; I could remember some parts of various others things like plants, but human anatomy just went over my head. I can, however, get my head round most engineering things, mathematics and technical drawings…

So when it comes to the bible talking about how God knows everything about me, I look at it as an engineering problem instead; even then the logistics of how we exist in this work are far beyond my computational thinking! So going through these verses makes me think of a designer who has thought long and hard about the design to make it the best possible knowing all the pitfalls and problems it is going to face for years to come.

So many things in our lives don’t seem to be designed to last. Instead people seem to design for a limited lifespan so they can make things obsolete and not have to worry about them in the future. Not what God has done! God has made us to live forever with Him, having a spell down on earth while we make the choices we need to make first.

God was there, doing things, planning and waiting patiently until you finally came together inside your mother’s womb and started the greatest journey on earth in preparation for the greatest life in eternity with Him and all who believe in what He has done for us all!

Points to Ponder:
Do you know when you started life on earth?

Are you ready for when your life will end on earth?