February 21: Luke 1:46-55
Key Verse: Luke 1:53
He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
Devotion:
How would you describe the Lord when you are asked to describe your God? Mary chose several ways to describe God and her position with Him. She was now not under any illusion that God was not fully in control of what had happened and what was about to happen to her, and indeed Elizabeth. She had accepted fully the path God had laid down before her… so today I want to look at a few things we must remember about God as reminded her by Mary.
Christ is our Saviour and we need to let that sink deep into our minds and our spirits; nothing should make us doubt this or persuade us otherwise! This is true no matter what our position is in society, remembering we should be behaving like a servant to God alone. No matter how low or how high we think we are in our community, we are still God’s children because He has shown us this already! The more we remember this and act accordingly, the more we give Him all the glory He deserves.
God has shown us mighty and terrible things against all who dared to come up against Him or dared to come up against His children. God continues to love and protect all His children just as a shepherd cares for the sheep in their protection. He continues to protect the people who need it most and lift up the poorest who need Him most. He does not care for rules or politicians who do nothing for His children; they are nothing despite their belief they are invincible!
God has shown us throughout history how He cares for His children and we are called to be His children too. God’s promise to Abraham was upheld despite his and Sarah’s ages and despite the fact everyone though it not possible. We need to wait on God and allow Him to work according to His will and not our own will. God alone is God and His promises stand forever!
Points to Ponder:
Do you grow weary when things do not go your way?
Are you still willing to wait on God?
February 20: Psalms 34:7-11
Key Verse: Psalms 34:10
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Devotion:
One thing I loved about being brought up in Africa was the opportunities we had to be able to see nature in action on a scale available in only a few countries in the world. The lion is considered to be the king of the jungle (though lives in the bush and not the jungle) because of their position in the food chain. They are considered to be strong and able to take on any other animal to get food – but that is not always true.
Despite there being some animals they will shy away from, they are dependant on the animals they like to eat being available. If the country is in the grips of a drought, their preferred prey may not be available, so they go after something else. But if the drought is severe, they may not have anything they can eat available; they will grow weak and hungry because they have not got food…
For those lions which are kept in game parks or zoos, a ready supply of food is made available to ensure they can continue to thrive. They have a safe haven in which they are not just welcome, but where they do not have to stray from in order to find food enough to eat. Any good zoo or park will make sure the lions still have to work for their food and also have the right food available to them – lions do not choose to be vegetarians and require the right meat to grow strong and keep healthy.
We need the right food in order to keep healthy too; but I am not talking about our diets be they carnivorous, omnivorous, vegetarian or vegan… I am talking about the spiritual food we need in our lives to keep our souls healthy. If we are spoon fed things all our lives, we may well grow weak and lazy; we need to go hunting for our spiritual food so we can keep on form and be able to tell the difference between good input and unrighteous things. Seeking the Lord at all times will keep us in good spirits just as good exercise keeps us physically healthy.
Points to Ponder:
What things do you seek in your life?
Are you focusing on Godly things?
February 19: Isaiah 66:12-13
Key Verse: Isaiah 66:12
For this is what the Lord says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees.
Devotion:
One thing which is always impressed me, and sometimes made me a bit jealous, is how a mother can always seem to calm her children down no matter what is going on around them! When Isaiah got word from God He was going to look after Jerusalem just as a mother looks after her children, I’m sure he was more than willing to pass this gem on to the people.
As we see the flooding in England once again after some pretty horrific rain over the past few weeks, we begin to see the unstoppable power of a river which is bursting its banks. No matter how much we try to build man-made defences against such occasions, they don’t seem to measure up to the power of nature. This is how we should be looking at the power of God as well. Not because of the destructive power but because of the unstoppable power…
When we are flooded out of our house or community, we feel separated from the rest of the town or city, but close to the people also affected by the flood. The same can be said about our Christian communities – we feel separated from the rest of the town or cities we live in, but close to other Christians we know. So how do we reach out to those we feel separated from?
The clue is in these verses which show us the unstoppable power and overwhelming love of God. This is the example we must live by and hopefully try to replicate toward others around us. Don’t cut yourself off any further than the overwhelming flood has done so already – rater use the power of the flood to reach out to others and invite them in to stand by your side. This is the way Christ wants us to be...
Points to Ponder:
What do you do when things go wrong for you?
Are you ready to reach out and invite someone in despite your circumstance?
February 18: Luke 15:1-7
Key Verse: Luke 15:2
But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Devotion:
Jesus always had a way of using the current circumstance or conditions to His advantage in teaching the gospel. Here He was surrounded by all manner of people many of which were considered sinners or bad people by the Jews. This did not stop Jesus from giving them the gospel and encouraging them; something we often neglect because we consider some people as being not good enough or our enemies!
Jesus went on to tell them a few parables; the first of which was the Lost Sheep. He talked to them in a way they would be able to understand things – they knew the work of shepherds. If one of the sheep has gone for a wander, lost itself or got trapped in a ditch with no way out – the shepherd will notice one is missing and will go looking for it. We were born as part of the fold, belonging to Christ and being looked after by Him, our shepherd.
When we go off and get ourselves into trouble or get lost, God is going to come looking for us. He does not wait until we have to shout out for help and until the end of the day – He takes time out there and then to look for us in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in. It does not matter that we may have wandered off by ourselves, or that we have got ourselves into terrible trouble because of how we acted – He still comes to look for us.
Now, this is where we differ from the sheep. God will find us and will hold out His hand for us to grab hold of, but we are given a choice as to whether we grab that offered hand, or ignore it! And yes, many times we do ignore that offered hand and try to dig ourselves out of the mire. Sometimes we feel too embarrassed and hide a bit more (as if we could ever hide from God!) But if we admit to getting ourselves in our tight spot and accept the hand God is offering, we will be saved from our troubles and He will direct us back to the way we should be… if we listen!
Points to Ponder:
How often have you got yourself in a tight spot?
How often have you fully accepted God’s helping hand?