July 31: Matthew 13:31-35
Key Verse: Matthew 13:34
Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.
Devotion:
Sometimes the best way to reach someone is to tell them a story which they can relate to identifying the content you wish them to hear. Jesus knew if He stood there and recounted the scriptures the people would soon stop listening because they had probably had that done to them over and over again. Instead He told them stories which would make them think about God’s Word in new ways.
I don’t know if you have ever been able to watch how bread is made in a factory or bakery; they do not work in terms of cups and teaspoons but in bucket loads and sacks of flour. But the principle remains the same, the yeast is activated in some manner and then has to be mixed all throughout the flour mixture in order for the dough to raise in a uniform manner.
We can think of God’s Word in this same manner. The flour is useless by itself because it will not rise and become a fluffy loaf of bread without the yeast and other ingredients. I have made the mistake of putting all the ingredients into the bread machine and forgetting the yeast… what comes out is more akin to a brick than a loaf of bread!
Jesus tries new ways of talking to people so they would listen and think about what was being said. If we want to reach other people with the Gospel then introducing them to it in new ways which will make them think about the words is always going to help!
Points to Ponder:
Do you get bored in church sometimes?
How would you make things more interesting for others?
July 30: 1 Kings 3:5-12
Key Verse: 1 Kings 3:9
Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?
Devotion:
This always seems to remind me of stories we hear as children about a genie being released from a bottle and giving the person 3 wishes; the number of different ways the people choose their wishes seems to be never ending! But this is no genie and this is no ordinary person! Solomon had grown to learn many things but in his humble way he recognises he is nothing in comparison to the great prophets who had come before him.
So his answer the God when God asks what he wants is enlightening for all of us, not whimsical as in the fairy stories we get to hear as children! Solomon simply wanted to be able to do more for the people in a way which would not just please God, but a way which would be honouring and praiseworthy for and to God. He wanted wisdom to be able to carry this all off!
If we look at our lives we could boast about our earthly wares and ways, or we could look at the world as a whole and recognise we are just one tiny part of what we call human existence! God alone knows all the details and we should always be looking for guidance from Him to cater for the things around us and especially the people around us.
There is no way we can know what is in people’s hearts and minds – but God can and does. We don’t know what makes people do what they do – but God can and does. We don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow and the next day – but God does. Our knowledge and wisdom is like a tiny mustard seed in comparison to God’s knowledge and wisdom. Choose to be more like Solomon and ask God for your daily guidance!
Points to Ponder:
Have you been successful in school?
Have you been successful in your relationship with God?
July 29: Exodus 24:3-8
Key Verse: Exodus 24:7
Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, ‘We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.’
Devotion:
When you look back at how much the people of Israel went through in the desert and how many of them never got to see the promised land, you may think God was cruel or you may feel sorry for them for everything they had to put up with. This section of passage is the time when Moses had been given all the rules the people would have to follow, had written them down and recounted them to the people. In other words they had heard the laws twice over and now they are making a blood covenant with God concerning them.
This was a promise to God, set in blood, that they would follow God’s rules and do everything God wanted them to do. This was the highest promise they could make at the time. Though nowadays we may look at it as being barbaric…
What I’m trying to show is the two sides of this relationship we have with God. On one side He has promised us things and those things will happen no matter what. On the other side we see man’s promises which last a while but many get broken because we grow weary or change our minds…
God would love us to be in a stable relationship with Him where we continue to make sure we keep Him and His ways in our lives and where He is able to talk back to us because we are willing to listen. We know we can talk to Him at any time through our prayers, but to know He is listening and will answer our prayers takes some commitment from us too.
Points to Ponder:
How is your relationship with God?
How many promises have you made to God?
July 28: James 1:2-8
Key Verse: James 1:6
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
Devotion:
One of the things I used to struggle with was having bad things happen to me and wondering whether God is looking after me or not – after all that is what the church leaders had told me… But as I continued to grow in my faith and study God’s Word, I grew to see bad things can happen to all people because it is more about circumstance and behaviour!
No, I am not blaming anyone for bad things happening to themselves otherwise we would all be in very deep water! Putting it simply, God cannot abide sin; how much worse can it get! But we also have a God who is full of compassion and willing to teach, love and forgive in so many cases. But the one thing He cannot forgive is unbelief. Does that mean we are all doomed? No! For when our unbelief turns to belief, no matter how small, He forgives and changes our lives!
When bad things happen we can surely say we are living in the same world as everyone else. This gives us the right to share our belief in God and to allow people to see there is hope and a great reward for anyone who is willing to believe. Our bible is full of stories of how the people of Israel would do strange things like make up their own gods only to see the error of their ways and turn back to our God. Then their lives changed!
God loves us – to matter what! God wants to share wisdom with us – even when we are too proud to accept wisdom! God gives generously to His children – even if we have everything we want. God wants us to have no doubt and will show us great things when we believe!
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel hard done by?
Will you allow your hope and faith to conquer that doubt?