May 27: John 21:20-23
Key Verse: John 21:22
Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.’
Devotion:
When Jesus started talking about someone betraying Him, the disciples were on edge; which one of their group would be the one! This was a moment when many of them could have doubted things and brought on confusion amongst them. Jesus tried to stem that by reminding them they had a personal relationship with Him and it was not up to them to judge each other – simply to love Him.
When anything untoward happens in our church we start to chatter about things and people and we often go too far and place blame where there should be none. But it is a fine line between ignoring things which are clearly wrong and allowing people to have their sins forgiven by Christ: a line which we should always be aware of and one we need to protect each other with too.
Any language has it’s complications where people can say one thing and mean another without realising it. I’m not talking about the spelling mistakes we all make or the auto-correction mistakes due to ‘intelligent’ devices we use, but the verbal mistakes we make. Saying something out of turn or agreeing with something you think you heard can be awkward when another person is involved.
Christ wants each of us to try and do our best for and with Him, this means we should be focusing on the things we do and the things we say. If we focus on the things others do and say we will get annoyed at times because each of us is different and we cannot see inside people’s minds or hearts like God can. There is nothing wrong with pointing things out to the person involved, but there is pointing it out to everyone else when you are not sure!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you talk about others?
How often do you admit yourself to Christ?
May 26: John 21:15-19
Key Verse: John 21:16
Again Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.’
Devotion:
What do these verses say to you? Do they talk about a disobedient Peter, or a warning to Peter or a prophecy about Peter? We cannot put these words into a single pigeon hole because they have so much meaning – just like the rest of the bible!
Often we restrict the meaning of words from our bibles to suit ourselves or set boundaries which we can follow instead of taking the words for what they mean. Each of us reading these verses will probably focus on a different things – that is the way God speaks to us through His Word. We are not all the same and so we will be guided differently by His Word.
The repetition of the instructions to Peter may well have pointed to what Peter would do when Jesus was taken away and these words are often used in the liturgy of services around the world. Jesus was giving instruction to Peter and wanted Peter to think about what was happening, what would happen and to reflect on this after things had happened.
We describe God’s Word as being the Living Word because it raises different feelings and thoughts in each of us as God speaks to each of us. If we do love God, then should we not be willing to read His Word, meditate on what it says to us and to obey the instructions we gain from it? But we need to go further as we grow in Christ. Listening to the Holy Spirit, meditating on what He says and obeying Him is an integral part of our lives!
Points to Ponder:
Do you love God?
Do you obey God?
May 25: Psalm 16:5-11
Key Verse: Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Devotion:
The more you get to know God the more you get to know just how much He does for you. The more you rely on God the more you get to see how much He does for you. The more accept Him in your life, the more you see how He can do so much more! We really do need to praise Him for everything He has done, does and has promised!
As we go through our lives we get to see how much the world can break things, how much hatred there is in the world, how much greed and pride people have and how much all of these things can and do affect us in our lives. The secret is to try and have someone by your side who will help you get through these rough times, help you combat the evil and help you avoid the things which bring you down. That is God!
The more things go wrong, the more we look for help and the more we are willing to accept help as well; or at least the more we should be willing to accept help! There are times when we are going to have feeling which prevent us from asking for help because of our pride. God does not want us to give in to the pride but to ask for and accept the help He offers. The more we get to ask for and accept the help He offers, the more we get to see how much more He is willing to do…
This is sounds too good to be true to the outsiders who do not believe; and it is that belief or lack of belief which will separate us from the help God offers. God wants: to keep you secure, give you an inheritance, counsel you, instruct you, keep watch over you and make sure you are safe from everything. Ask Him for that help and allow Him to help!
Points to Ponder:
Do you get caught up in shame and pride rather than ask for help?
How often do you really ask God for help?
May 24: Acts 20:28-38
Key Verse: Acts 20:35
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Devotion:
I wonder how many people you have helped in the past and wondered how they are doing without your help nowadays? Many people might shy away from helping others because they may think the person or people will abandon the help and go back to their old ways once they leave… but I put it to you “how are they going to know there is a different way of living unless you show them in the first place!”
It is not our job to make sure people all stay on the right track all of the time. We are sent as disciples to go and show people there is a new way of living despite what the world says about them. We are not here to be a mother hen who looks after ever person we meet – we cannot be with everyone all of the time. That is the domain of God!
We should not be put off by the evil ways of the world either. God is going to continually be with us in one way or another. How we survive in the world is going to be our testimony to others about our life with God. It is not all about our testimony as a human or a success story, but our relationship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If we cannot convince people there is a different choice in life, then they will never know!
God wants us to open people’s eyes to what He has done, what He is doing and what He can do. It is not our job to police them and make sure they always do it right; God has given us free choice and we need to extend that free choice to others. They do need to be told there is a choice and shown what choosing Christ will be like in their lives. God then does the looking after and continued teaching through us or others.
Points to Ponder:
How often do you say no because you can’t see a way forward?
Will you trust God to show you a way forward when there seems to be none?