June 25: Romans 6:1-11
Key Verse: Romans 6:4
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Devotion:
One of the things which surprised me when I became a Christian was how I changed; not so much in a physical way but my attitude to many things changed over night. I was in boarding school at the time, an all boys boarding school, so the less said about what goes on in a boys only environment the better. But my attitude toward everything changed and people began to recognise that and to respect me for the change!
This did not mean I was no longer exposed to the things boys get up to, and does not mean I did not still do some things wrong, but I would always be able to see the right way of doing things after they had gone wrong and that gave me encouragement to try and live a different life.
That all seemed to go to pot when I was introduced to a mixed system after moving to England during my final years of school. I did not have the small group of Christians I could turn to for advice and no longer had the prayer group who met behind the cricket pavilion to gain strength from.
But all through my varied life I continued to know I was different from the world because I was a Christian. This has played a very big part of my life in the last few decades as I have become more and more active in church and general Christian life. We do need to try and avoid the sin in our lives because it is those sins which take us away from God and lessen our resilience to the temptations which surround us. Grace gains strength when in a good place!
Points to Ponder:
Do you find it hard to live as a Christian?
How close are you to a church where you can mix with other Christians?
June 24: Isaiah 40:6-9
Key Verse: Isaiah 40:6
A voice says, ‘Cry out.’ And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’
Devotion:
Are you scared to share the gospel because you think you will have to stand up in front of lots of people and talk publicly about God? God has called each one of us to share the gospel, but He has not called us all to be preachers or evangelists! There are other people who may have a similar outlook to you – God created us all different and has given each of us unique skills to be able to reach unique people with the gospel!
This is not something new which Christ told the disciples about but something which has always been in God’s people. Here the prophet Isaiah asks the question “who do I need to go and talk to?” And God’s answer is to go to people… Each of us has our own limitations and all of us are tempted to do things contrary to God’s will from time to time. God’s instruction is simple; if you are able to help just one person who needs a little bit of help to get back on their feet, then you have done what God has asked you to do!
It does not matter if we ourselves have fallen down, tripped over, withdrawn to a quiet place or whatever, we can still reach out to another person who may be in the same place as us. No matter what state we are in, we are able to help someone else.
I don’t seem to be very good at keeping houseplants alive, so when someone tries to tell me how a plant can come back to life with some care, I’m a bit lost! This passage may ring a bell with you because you may be able to relate how plants can be saved. What I’m trying to say is we are all different and it takes different people to reach different people!
Points to Ponder:
Do you think you are too different to a preacher to talk about God?
Do you think you could reach a different person?
June 23: 2 Corinthians 11:18-30
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 11:30
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
Devotion:
How many times do you catch yourself boasting in some way or another. When we complain about things to each other we like to be able to complain about something more than the other. When we boast about doing something we like to boast about doing more than the other. We get caught up in boasting and try to out-boast our opponent!
What do you do about your relationship with Christ? Are you willing to boast about the things God does for you? Or do you get caught up in boasting about how much you do for God? I know I caught myself short of boasting about something when someone was telling me how much they have done for the church… Should I be proud of the earthly things I do for God or the spiritual things I do with God?
What mean more to you in a conversation with another? Is it the fact you can say how you have done more than the other person in earthly terms? When it comes to religion there are many who like to boast about their religion or their religious acts; unfortunately they do think this is lifting up their god because of how much they can do – is this not just lifting up oneself?
If we are not willing to boast about our weaknesses and our shortcomings, then we should not be so quick to boast about the things we think matter in conversation. God wants us to be honest and open with others so they can see this honest, two way relationship we have with Christ. Our weaknesses bring us closer to God because they show our dependence on Him in our daily lives!
Points to Ponder:
Do you boast a lot?
Will you boast about your weaknesses?
June 22: 2 Corinthians 11:1-9
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 11:3
But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the snake’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
Devotion:
Have you ever been persuaded to go off and do something which sounded like fun only to be faced with getting into trouble because it was not legal in the end? We all like to be able to do things which are different or exciting but they are not always the right thing to do but the thrill of being able to do them can convince us otherwise! The same can be said about our spiritual lives with Christ – it may seem like a good idea to go and do things which others are saying is ok when you know in your heart they are not right, but God does see everything we do!
Not all congregations who are rich in monetary terms are rich in spiritual terms, and visa versa! Our earthly richness does not have much to do with our spiritual richness because God is not looking for earthly treasures and does not ask us to seek earthly rewards. When Jesus sent out the disciples it was not by giving them a big bag of money to do what they could for others, but by taking nothing with them and depending on charity to get things done.
God would love to see us all working together and sharing what we have, but that is not always possible while living in this world where earthly laws get in the way of effectively sharing the gifts God gives us.
What God does want us to be aware of is the temptation the earthly treasures impose on us when it comes to living for Christ. It is easy to be swayed by people who are willing to throw money at things to make it look like the congregation is doing well; Christ wants you to throw spiritual riches around instead of earthly riches. These are the riches which will last in our Heavenly home!
Points to Ponder:
Do you wander what it would be like in a ‘rich church’?
How is the spiritual health of your church?