September 17: Romans 4:1-12

Key Verse: Romans 4:10
Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!

Devotion:
The Romans and the Greeks had to know the ins and outs of things before they followed or believed things; at least that is how we look at them nowadays and what it suggests through words like this. But if we look at all societies around the world we see these traits or similar traits because people like to find excuses not to do things!

The apostle tries to encourage the Romans by getting them to question the stories they have heard. If people simply follow the stories they have heard they tend to have a half-hearted belief in what they hear because they have no proof, only what others are telling them. But when they begin to question things they look for answers as well as looking for cracks in the stories.

Abraham is know as the Father of the Jews because God promised him he would be the father of a great nation. Abraham did not have many children but he is in the lineage of the nation. Abraham believed God before he took on this persona as the father of the nation; it was his belief in God which made this all possible, not the other way round.

All this talk about circumcision was raised to make the Romans ask questions about it and not just to get circumcised so they could be counted as ‘Christians!’ What makes us Christians – our belief in God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. What makes people do things like get baptised or circumcised – for them to show others how much they believe in God!

Points to Ponder:
How do people know you are a Christian?

Will you try to be more open so others will know?

September 16: Luke 6:46-49

Key Verse: Luke 6:46
Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I say?

Devotion:
How many people do you know of who go to church at the weekend and then behave like anybody else during the week, or even as soon as they step out the doors of the church? Unfortunately there will always be people who say they are Christians and even behave like Christians in front of others but who do not really believe in what Jesus has done for them; we have known this throughout history.

As Christians we should be listening to Christ and obeying what He asks of us. Whilst it is not always easy to hear what Christ wants from us because of the noise of the world around us, we should still try to do what the Bible teaches us. People all throughout the world are taught to do things for work purposes and are expected to continue doing those things in the right manner for work.

Why do we expect anything different from God. He has given us so much and continues to show us the many ways through which we can get to know Him, but unless we do those things we are nothing different from the rest of the world. Belief has to be shown in order for it to be believed itself.

When Jesus came to live amongst mankind He showed us through example how we should live and how we should always lift up the name of God. He depended on God and He listened to Him obeying whatever God asked of Him. This is how we should try to live because through a life led like that we can show others the true hope and strength we have in Christ!

Points to Ponder:
How often do you act like a Christians?

How often are you living as a true Christian?

September 15: Luke 6:39-42

Key Verse: Luke 6:40
The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.

Devotion:
One of the things I don’t like about our society is the way young people seem to have been brought up to expect certain things in life as if they are rights rather than things earned or learned. I’m not quite sure how this came about since my parents brought me up to learn and earn rewards in life. This also meant sharing the knowledge we have with others so they are not left behind or left alone.

On my YouTube channel there is a video I put together for the children's song “Is There a Plank in Your Eye” which regularly gets viewers from all over the world. A simple song about these verses which I put together for use during the children’s clubs I helped to run a while ago. An effective method of getting the idea across, but it does not do justice to these verses.

We need to remember we all depend on each others and we have a task to teach the next generation, not just about life, but about God and the way he wants us to live by. Making sure we always try to do righteous acts and not blame others for things we also do wrong.

The blame culture in the world is not helping Christians or any other people. If we, as Christians, continue to join in with the blame culture of this world we are not going to further God’s Word like He wants us to because others will not look to us for help because they feel injustice instead of mercy and justice like God wants us to teach.

Points to Ponder:
Are you quick to blame others?

Will you try helping someone instead of blaming them?