March 24: Psalms 69:16-18
Key Verse: Psalms 69:18
Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes.
Devotion:
What sort of things do you wait for before you call on God to save you? I know we all try to call on God all the time, but if truth be told we do stop asking when things are good and then suddenly fall on our knees when things are bad! How much worse could things get than a pandemic?
But it does not have to be a global crisis which has to happen in order for us to get God’s attention. We can call on His name at any time and in any state we are in. It is not our condition which will somehow enable Him to respond to us, it is His great mercy which allows Him to reach out to us! We don’t have to be in the correct state or position before we can call on God – His door is always open to anyone who is willing to call out to Him!
We don’t have to be poor and lonely, we don’t have to be at the end of our tether, we don’t have to be in a pit of despair… We can call out to God from the highest point in our lives, from the most joyous time we have and from the special places we get to go! But still, when we get into trouble, we call out to Him more earnestly and expect Him to answer us quicker than when we are in a good place!
You will be surprised just how close God is when you call out to Him too! Have you ever shouted out to your partner or friend thinking they are far away when they are actually sitting right next to or behind us? God is our silent partner, our forever friend, here with us during the rough and the smooth times. God is listening to us in our moments of joy and in our moments of grief. He is listening to us throughout everything – even when the rest of the world seem to be going mad!
Points to Ponder:
Do you call out to God often?
Will you make a point of calling out to Him and allowing Him to know how you feel?
March 23: Acts 3:17-23
Key Verse: Acts 3:18
But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer.
Devotion:
Even though we read of various places where God was very upset with the people of Israel and we read of the terrible things which happened to them – most of that is part of life, but God was always there and always listening! He knows many of the people acted out of ignorance, not knowing what they should be doing and not knowing the long-term effects of what they were doing then – but God was still there with them, listening and waiting!
God knew what had to be done in order to free these people, to free us, from the sin traps we were and still are caught up in. He knew He had to do something drastic which would even seem barbaric to some, but it was the only way people could be set free from their lives of sin!
We have now seen what God has done, what He has allowed His Son to go through on our behalf… so what are we doing about it? Are we going to continue to ignore the truth and the things God has done, or are we going to stop in our tracks and ask for forgiveness? That is all we need to do – we just have to take a moment out of our busy lives and ask God to forgive us for the lives we have been living and for the things we have done wrong against Him.
He has promised to forgive us. He has promised to accept us into Heaven – as long as we come to Him and ask for forgiveness. We have so much written down for us which makes it virtually impossible for us to ignore the truth and carry on in our old ways. We need to turn to God and allow Him to fulfil His promise to us; a promise which was made right at the beginning and one which has always stood no matter what mankind got up to. God wants to restore everything in its proper place and wants us to join Him in this restored place. Who will listen?
Points to Ponder:
Do you get too caught up in life to go to church?
God makes ways we can still enjoy church, even during times like this?
March 22: Luke 18:35-43
Key Verse: Luke 18:38
He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Devotion:
Each time I read this I am reminded of my dear friend who bought some lunch for a homeless man back in Ipswich. Jesus was a man, just like us, when He came to live amongst us, but He did not let that stop Him from being kind to others or from making sure each person got what they needed.
When they disciples were walking with Jesus, their reaction is probably like our reaction would be – they shouted down the beggar and wanted Jesus to be ‘raised above the beggars’ in social standing. We think so much more of ourselves than we realise and so much less of God than we need to. Jesus did not have this problem because He dedicated His life to serving God in every walk in life!
When the disciples tried to shut the beggar up, Jesus stopped and made a point of speaking to him and asking him what it was he wanted. I’m pretty sure Jesus already knew the answer would be for the man to receive his sight, but He stopped to allow the man to ask in person. How often do we walk quickly past someone because we think they are not worthy of our attention – how many times do we walk past on the other side of the street to avoid those in need.
When we moved to London it was with the vision of giving up our personal wants and desires and serving the local people on the estate we moved to. At first we could not find accommodation on the estate because it was ‘overbooked’ but we did not give up. After a year of waiting we managed to find a house on the estate where we set up a place we could invite people into. I still struggle with the way of life sometimes because it is so different from what I was used to. Sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zones and step into the place where God wants us to be!
Points to Ponder:
Do you always stick to your comfort zone?
Are you willing to step forward with God into the unknown?
March 21: Hebrews 5:7-10
Key Verse: Hebrews 5:8
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered
Devotion:
I can remember thinking how hard it was to be brought up by parents who seemed to be harder or harsher than my friends parents – but I learned this was only on the surface because I did not know what was actually happening behind the scenes at the time. We all tend to think we have a rough time because of the rules and regulations, but once we understand what they are for we should have no problem following them.
As we see the coronavirus unfolding around the world we see very different outcomes from each country as their lifestyles and governments unfold very different scenarios. If we were all the same we may well have done what was ordered by the governments, and they may have followed the governments of the originating site(s) of the virus. We may well be in a very different position to what we are in now – but that is something we shall never know because we are all very different.
Imagine what a task God has in hand as He tries to manage the different cultures and societies around the world – imagine how He feels when whole countries are prevented from coming to Him and asking for help? We can only imagine…
Jesus came to carry out the will of His Father. He knew what lay ahead and still continued to do what was required. He pleaded with God, because He was in human form and had all the wants and needs of a human being at the time. But, He remained true to His Father and obeyed Him all the time.
We need to have that same attitude toward God by casting all of our cares on Him, not just by saying so, but from our hearts. We need to mean what we say and do what we say we will do as well. Jesus said what was true and did what God wanted Him to do. God did not send Jesus to the cross, but told Him that is what was required. Jesus willingly took on that mantle so we would be set free – He was designated by God to be our High Priest!
Points to Ponder:
Do you complain about your life style?
Do you complain about your life choices?