February 4: Acts 20:22-24
Key Verse: Acts 20:24
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
Devotion:
Have you ever faced a decision where no matter what choice you make, the choice looks like a bad choice or a bad outcome will be awaiting? I can remember times at school when I would have to make the choice of going to see a teacher knowing the outcome of that meeting would mean me having to go and see the deputy head or generally get into trouble; but I had to face it!
Paul knew what was waiting for him in Jerusalem was not going to be nice because God had warned him through the Holy Spirit on many occasions. Now was the time he had to make the choice of having to go back to Jerusalem and find out what horrors would be there waiting for him! He kept his faith in God and walked back into Jerusalem.
When God has asked us to do something and the only outcome we can see seems to be a bad outcome, we need to have faith God knows what He is doing and has planned for this to bring glory to Him in the right manner. Yes, we will face hard times and we may even have our hearts broken – but giving the situation to God and trusting Him for the right outcome is what He is calling us to do.
We have many situation in our bibles describing people who have given their ‘bad choice’ to God and asked Him for protection; and in each case God has received glory far beyond what He would have received if those people had not fully trusted in Him. So, next time you are faced with a decision where the outcome looks very bleak, lift up your situation to God and place it firmly in His hands – don’t try to work out the outcome for yourself because you will end up spoiling God’s perfect planning – listen closely to what God has to say and trust in those promises He made to us in the beginning.
Points to Ponder:
Do you like making horrible choices?
Have you tried to place your horrible choices fully in God’s hands?
February 3: Mark 12:1-12
Key Verse: Mark 12:7
But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
Devotion:
We can look at these verses and be appalled at the way the people renting the vineyard are behaving, but when we look closely into our lives, we must draw parallels with our lives and God. The farmers who came to look after the vineyard may well have been doing a very good job at looking after the crops and the land, but what they were doing to the owner was simply not right!
God has asked us to live a life on this earth and has given us everything we need to live our lives – but what are we doing with those lives? Are we taking good care of them? Are we looking after them with a long term vision or with a short term goal to get the most out of them we can while we live? Too many people look at life as being a very limited resource and do what they like to either enjoy life or to build up riches so they can enjoy their later years in life…
But what is going to happen when God sends a visitor to us to see how we are doing and to ask us to show Him some of the fruit we should be growing? Are we going to be like these farmers and send God’s servants away or even kill them? Are we going to listen to who they are and show them the respect they are due? Are we going to plot against God just as these farmers plotted against the vineyard owner?
I think many of us would try and say we would do the right thing and we would show God’s servants due respect… but when we go into the world and work for God, we see very quickly how many people do not have any respect for us and for God. People do compare very well with the farmers in this passage! That does not give us the right to act like them or to live our lives our own ways. We have a duty to God to listen to Him and live according to His wishes. He is going to give us space to do our own thing – but what we do should be in line with what He planned for in the beginning!
Points to Ponder:
Do you live life to the full?
Where is God in your life?
February 2: Micah 3:9-12
Key Verse: Micah 3:11
Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they look for the Lord’s support and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.”
Devotion:
When religion takes over, God is not left with a lot of choice but to allow religion to run its course and receive what it deserves… We are supposed to be in a relationship with God and not following rules and regulations which no longer have a place with Him. Christ came to break the walls down and release us from having to do religion! We now have a relationship with Him through which we have direct access to God and all He has promised for us.
Micah was trying to point out to the people how they had gone away from the relationship model and were now caught up in worldly ways which were taking them away from God. When we follow this path we too get caught up in the ways of the world and not God’s ways; we should not expect anything less than Micah is saying will happen to the house of Israel here!
Don’t get me wrong – we do live in the age of grace where Christ has paid for our sins and continues to be our advocate defending us all the time, but when we take up worldly ways and use God as an excuse to do those worldly things, then we are not walking with Him… we are trying to drag Him along in our sinful ways!
Ours is not to make Christianity a business or use it for political gain, our goal should be to maintain a full and proper relationship with Christ. Ours is not to judge others but to include them in what we do so the Holy Spirit can work in their hearts and bring them into the relationship we should have with Christ. Ours is not to profit from being Godly but to share with people who are in need, showing them the love of Christ can overcome all things. Ours is not to build up a congregation with our own promises but to show other people the promises of God and how they can and do come true.
Points to Ponder:
Are you working for yourself or working with God?
I’ll ask that again; are you working for yourself or working with God?
February 1: Ezekiel 26:1-6
Key Verse: Ezekiel 26:3
therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the sea casting up its waves.
Devotion:
January is finally over – who else think January lasts far too long after all the goings on over Christmas and New Year? Today is the start of a new month and one of the references to the start of a new month is these verses from Ezekiel 26. Now there is some debate as to whether this references the correct month for us, but I’m going to take this one as happening during the 11th month of their calendar which is roughly January/February for us!
Tyre had declared the strongholds of Jerusalem as being broken down and they were free to walk into Jerusalem. But what they had not counted on is God’s promise to look after Jerusalem. Ezekiel received words from God to say Tyre was about to face all manner of problems because of them trying to fight Jerusalem – God’s city!
We have a promise God is going to watch over us and we need to be reminded by verses like these about how God continues to keep His promises even when we go astray or do things which do upset Him. God is faithful to keep those promises He has made to us and will make sure we are never taken from Him… but, as we see here, there may well be times when we face all manner of worldly things or people working against us – times when we are going to feel left out, run down, unprotected or beaten down. It is during those time we need to remember the promises of God and trust fully in them.
I know facing the end of January and beginning of a new month is nothing like having to face what the people in Jerusalem may have been facing, but it is not always about the things we see but those unseen problems we face. Our problems are not always on full view for everyone to see because we hide them and try to carry on regardless. We must understand God is with us in Christ and The Holy Spirit every day of our lives! We must understand He has promised to keep us and we need to depend fully on that promise! Don’t worry what is going to happen to those who work against us but focus on God instead.
Points to Ponder:
Have you been facing a rough month?
Will you stand up and remember the promises of God?