August 16: Deuteronomy 34:1-5
Key Verse: Deuteronomy 34:4
Then the Lord said to him, ‘This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, “I will give it to your descendants.” I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.’
Devotion:
How many times in your life have you done something, not for yourself but for others or for your family further down the generations? Too often we focus on the here and now and do not think about how what we do affects others around us or after us. The world is not in a good state at the moment because too many have driven for short term profit and have neglected the long term effects of what they do on the planet!
When God mad the promise to Abraham, it was a promise for generations to come, not for Abraham himself. This promise of giving the people a land which they can call home was to the people of Israel and not just to whomever was leading at the time. Moses was told in no uncertain terms here he would not be crossing into the lands, but the promise was being kept for his descendants, the descendants of Abraham, to possess the land as far as the eye could see!
So what is the lesson? It is not all about me or you. It is more about us, but further than that it is about the people who come after us. God has a long term view on everything and we need to understand that. We cannot keep looking at our own situations and forgetting about the long term effects of what we do. We need to think about how we affect the world around us, people, animals and ever living thing included!
God gave us dominion of the world in the very beginning; but that came with an instruction to treat the world properly as we should a very special gift being given to us. We need to be good stewards of everything around us and stop living life as if we are entitled to everything.
Points to Ponder:
What have you done today?
How much of that was for other people?
August 15: Isaiah 61:10-11
Key Verse: Isaiah 61:10
I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Devotion:
I wonder, when was the time you have felt most handsome or beautiful? Perhaps it was on your wedding day or a special anniversary… Maybe you did not feel it but everyone around you was telling you your were! There are times when we feel on top of the world and times when we don’t because of the weight of the world, our health or even finances constricting us. But, no matter how we feel physically or mentally, we can stand proud knowing that spiritually we are perceived as a delight to the Lord when we place our faith and trust in Him!
When we can say we delight in the Lord no matter what the world is throwing at us, we can know He looks upon us as a groom looking at his bride on the day of the wedding. Because Jesus has taken away all our sins and presents us as perfect before our Father in Heaven, we are that special bride!
God is the one who is looking out for us and He is the one who will make sure we do have what it takes to complete our journey with Him. The world may be giving us grief, but with our hearts firmly set on Christ, we are special and unique in God’s eyes – someone to be proud of; and He is!
We see all manner of things going wrong in the world around us because of the way people have treated the world. We see wars and infighting everywhere because of the way people do not love their neighbours. If we want to see the beautiful bride just as God see us, then we have to make a difference by obeying His command – by being good stewards of the world around us and loving our neighbours just as He asked us from the beginning. Then we will be at that wedding feast with all the beauty and pageant!
Points to Ponder:
How are you feeling right now?
Do you know how fondly God is looking at you?
August 14: Deuteronomy 10:12-13
Key Verse: Deuteronomy 10:12
And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
Devotion:
These words are often quoted from the New Testament when the apostles and Jesus quote them for our remembrance. It is not too often I hear too many teachers quoting things from the scriptures which have been here for many thousands of years rather than quoting the words of Jesus or the disciples. One thing we must never overlook or forget is the Word of God has been around for a very long time and does not change.
Our understanding and translations will change over time as we get to know more or scholars get to understand the ancient languages more. But then the more the scholars learn the more they recognise how things have not changed. Jesus would quote the scripture all the time when He was not talking in parables; He did this to emphasise the scriptures are the truth and always will be the truth!
God does not require many thing of us, but the root of all of it is the love we should have for Him. If we say we love Him and refuse to follow what He has given to us in the scriptures and in person many years ago, then we should question our love for Him! The life He has given each one of us is unique and for a certain cause. If we do follow Him and obey Him we have the best chance at allowing the right people to hear the gospel at the right time!
God simply says we should love Him with a fervour which makes us question ourselves when we do something wrong. We should love Him enough to obey Him at all times. We should make Him the centre of our lives.
Points to Ponder:
Do you fear not listening to God?
Will you keep Him deep in your soul?
August 13: Romans 10:5-11
Key Verse: Romans 10:11
As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.’
Devotion:
I find it very interesting to compare the letters which the apostles wrote to the various churches to see what emphasis was put on which ways of life. Here, for the Romans, the apostle knew they had a strict regard to the law because the emperor would make sure his army would knock out any dissident activities with force! The Romans also did not dare to bring down the name of Caesar or to lift themselves up to his level – instead there was a strict hierarchy which would be followed! If only the people would have the same regard for God as they did for Caesar!
But human society desires would play a very big part of the Roman society with people always striving to be better by citizens by proving themselves against each other! They would always measure themselves against one another! This is not what God was trying to get people to do – quite the opposite. Christ was teaching the disciples no matter what social standing they had, God would always look at them by what was in their hearts for God!
Christ reminded the disciples it was all about their belief in what God had done and what He was doing. This belief did not have to have foundations on any human measures or levels in society. The Romans were brought up in a racist manner (by comparison to our modern world racism standards) and they would have thought this God was a God for the Jews and not for them. The apostle had to convince them otherwise!
We are not limited in our relationship with Christ by our social standing, race or any other worldly measure – the only justification is through what we believe. God gives us all the chance to be in a relationship with Him through our belief – and that is it!
Points to Ponder:
Do you fall short of what you think a Christian should be?
Do you know your belief in Christ is enough?