January 31: Proverbs 13:16-17
Key Verse: Proverbs 13:17
A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.
Devotion:
I have always been taught it is best to live with the truth all the time because when you try to deceive others, that deceit will be found out one way or another. The longer you try to hide the lies, the more stress you bring upon yourself and the more likely you are to slip up and let people know what you are hiding!
That being said, so many people do try to hide behind lies – far more people than you realise, including ourselves. We do like to expand on the truth and bend the truth, but this is only bringing deceit into our lives and there is no long-term solution for deceit! So much so, when we find someone who is always willing to tell the truth and share the truth, we find it a pleasure to be around them... unless we are trying to hide the truth in which case we get found out!
When we know this, we should be acting to expose the truth always and to be willing to share that truth with everyone around us. The more we see the positive side of the truth, the more we learn it is the best answer and we turn toward having the truth in our lives. The more we do that, the more others get to share the truth and the more they are willing to live in the light of the truth as well!
God wants us to continue sharing the light – His light, brought to us by Jesus Christ and continuing with the Holy Spirit every day. The more we share this light, the more others will see how pleasing it is to be in the light and they too will shy away from the darkness. It’s Sunday – share the truth with someone else today, be it your own life or the life of Christ, be willing to tell the truth!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you think you bend the truth?
Will you try to express truthful things today?
January 30: John 9:1-7
Key Verse: John 9:6
After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.
Devotion:
Why would Jesus put mud on the eyes of the blind man? I don’t know if you have ever god mud in your eyes – I have a long history of getting things in my eyes when I was small and still seem to get things in my eyes nowadays! It is not comfortable and certainly not something you would ever equate to getting better or healing!
As we go through the words Jesus spoke here we begin to realise it is the circumstance and the way forward which makes a big impact on what people remember. If Jesus had simply healed the man who was blind from birth, would it have got so much attention? Would people remember it? Jesus knew exactly what was needed for people to remember what was happening here!
The pool of Siloam was also remembered, and people cling to things and places where the extraordinary has happened – it gives us something to focus on and something tangible to believe with. Jesus knew it would be a much bigger impact if He stuck mud in this mans eyes so he would have to wash his eyes out properly. The act of doing something would make more people believe in what Christ could do!
Similarly, God may allow something into your life which you feel is unfair or even unjust, but the results and the outcome will be remembered much more due to the extent of what has happened. My faith has grown so much more since I was in hospital and brought back from near death a few times. Not something I would wish on anyone and not something I want to repeat – but I know how much God did for me and how much He comforted me during those times!
Points to Ponder:
What will it take for you to take notice?
Do you really want to go through bad times to see God’s grace?