September 8: Colossians 1:15-20

Key Verse: Colossians 1:17
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Devotion:
By reading through each of the letters the apostle wrote to the various churches we can find very different communities which needed different approaches to the same gospel. I would say from the words written to the church in Colossae, they were quite well versed in their philosophy and all things Phrygian. They seemed to take society strictly and the apostle had to reach them at their own level.

Each of our communities and the churches within them are different. We have quite different views on things and how they should be done in the village where I live. We can all agree on the fact Jesus Christ came in human form to offer salvation to everyone through shedding His blood on the cross. But, even in our church we have people who think differently to others.

I come from an engineering and scientific background so I try to make things well defined and work with the parameters offered. This does not always agree with others who would rather live life on the edge. But we are all under the same God and under the same offer of salvation from Christ!

Jesus was an is there from the beginning and will be, always. Our lives may come and go, governments and royalty change over time, but our God remains constant and always ready to listen and guide each one of us in our different ways we live. We don’t all have to be the same, just accept the one true God – simple!

Points to Ponder:
Who is your “boss”?

Do you always try to listen to God?

September 7: Luke 5:4-7

Key Verse: Luke 5:5
Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’

Devotion:
What would it take for you to decide a life with Christ is all you need? Simon and his crew had just come in from fishing unsuccessfully all night. I think it is bad enough when I can’t catch a fish with a rod, so being a commercial fisherman and not catching anything must have been a blow! After sitting and listening to Jesus teaching the crowd his outlook changed a bit.

When Jesus told them to go back out into deeper water and try again, their first thought must have been the time was not right because they always fished at a certain time. Now they are being told to go out and fish after they have failed already. But something convinced Simon and they went out again only to catch the largest haul of fish they could imagine!

God know the right time and place for everything in our lives and if we are willing to listen and obey we will see how good our lives can be. This is not to say Christ will give you all the riches you have ever dreamed of, but He will guide you towards a more fulfilling life if you are willing.

I am a computer geek and I constantly try new things with computers; indeed my house has many computers and electronics. But the things which please me the most are the things I can do for God. Listening to God and obeying makes my life much fuller than it can ever be with the latest and greatest computer components!

Points to Ponder:
Do you try to listen to God?

Will you simply try to obey?

September 6: Colossians 1:3-8

Key Verse: Colossians 1:4
because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people

Devotion:
How often do you try  to encourage people who already believe in God? We all have our good days and our bad days and during those bad days it is very good to hear from others and be encouraged by simply talking. Social media is used as a venting station for many people and can be quite depressing at times because of that. But without being able to vent some will not be able to survive the onslaught of emotions they are facing.

Our Lord has reminded us on many occasions to love our neighbours; this also means loving those who are reaching out through whatever means they can. A physical shout out for help is answered whenever anyone hears it, but a more silent scream for help through other means is not always answered. We can stand up and stretch out our arms to those who call for help – God will be able to guide you in what help is needed.

The point here is we have to be willing to answer God’s call for help for someone else; He puts these times in our lives when others need help and will put things out in other people’s lives when we need help. But unless we are willing to listen out for those silent calls for help, we will not get very far.

God wants us to have a willingness to stand up and say “do you need help?” Some will not ask but wait for someone to offer. Others will shout out at the least problem. Being willing to wait for any call and answer calls is what God would like us to do in our communities.

Points to Ponder:
How often do you help others?

How often do you silently call for help?