October 22: Matthew 22:15-22

Key Verse: Matthew 22:15
Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words.

Devotion:
If you think you are the only one who has to face people asking you awkward question to get you to say something wrong, think again. This has been a tactic used by people virtually since the beginning of humanity. Here the Pharisees were trying to get Jesus to say something wrong so they could discredit Him and continue ruling the people as they wanted to.

Jesus saw right through them and turned the tables on them very quickly. This is not always obvious to us when we are faced with others asking us difficult questions. We do not have the foresight to see when people mean what they ask or if they are just trying to get you to say something wrong.

Jesus always relied on the Holy Spirit to guide Him and to allow Him to see who meant what they said. We can do the same because we do have full access to the Holy Spirit – we just don’t tend to think of that when we get flustered. We give in to emptions and we blurt out words we don’t mean or which can be heard to go against what we mean.

We live in a world which is governed by people and rules set by people. Legally and socially we should follow the rules to live a life which should not upset others; but sometimes people have already made up their minds to work against the truth and then we definitely need guidance from the Holy Spirit to get us through those times.

Points to Ponder:
Do you go with the flow and follow people?

Will you try to listen to the Holy Spirit and follow God?

October 21: Luke 12:8-12

Key Verse: Luke 12:9
But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God.

Devotion:
God is very serious about the relationship He has with you; He does not take it lightly, and neither should we. His promise to us is He will acknowledge us before angels if we acknowledge Him before other people. But it goes further than that because He also promises to be our advocate and deliver us blameless before God if we trust Him.

When Jesus was telling the disciples they would have to face all manner of opposition just because they wanted to tell others about Him, He also reminded them they should trust in the Holy Spirit to guide them whenever they faced trials. The Holy Spirit will guide us forward into saying the right things and being able to tell of the truth. We don’t have to go to school to figure out what we have to say!

This does suppose you are willing to listen to the Holy Spirit for your guidance and not rely on what you have been taught to say by other people. If we only rely on what we learn through schools and universities, we will only go as far as the world will allow us to go through what we have learned. But if we are willing to be taught by higher powers, we will go further!

God wants us to continually rely on Him in every walk of life. This means our relationship with Him has to be ongoing and always at the front, not hidden behind the scenes. God wants us to be able to trust Him in any position we find ourselves in and not to only trust Him when we have exhausted our own ways!

Points to Ponder:
Do you try every which way to succeed before turning to God?

Will you turn to God before you try your own ways?

October 20: Romans 4:1-8

Key Verse: Romans 4:8
Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.

Devotion:
When you are in a salaried position, you are getting paid because your employer is obligated to pay you for the work you do. Depending on your position and how your salary is paid, you may have to work harder to earn more. But just because you have been working at your position for a long time, you are not guaranteed of being promoted…

Fortunately our relationship with God means we do not have to do all the right things at the right time to make sure we get to Heaven. God wants to know you love Him and you trust Him; this is the measure of your faith. And, like in a position of an employee, you will get rewarded even if you do the minimum! But this does not mean we have to work for our place in heaven!

Our place with God is only dependant on our belief in Him and our faith He will do what He has said He will do. Abraham did not have to father many children to make sure his prophecy came to pass. He simply had to trust God to make it come to pass.

David saw this truth and wanted others to know. We can see this throughout the bible and so we should be willing to tell others of this faith we have in Christ; the faith in trusting Him to forgive our sins no matter what they are, just because we believe He can and will do it.

Points to Ponder:
Are you trying to make things happen?

Will you trust God and allow them to happen?