June 9: 1 Peter 4:7-11
Key Verse: 1 Peter 4:10
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Devotion:
None of us know the appointed time when Christ will return to take us home. None of us know when a natural disaster will strike. We have a fantastic scientific community around the world who work hard to try and predict various natural disasters and many have come close to or actually succeed in warning people something is about to happen. Christians around the world have been trying to warn people Christ is going to return; and we admit we do not know the time, which may lessen the impact of what we warn people about.
If we could know the time then we could give people a definite warning of a date and time which would make a big difference to how people see us… So what are we supposed to do instead of giving the exact date and time of Christ’s return to warn people of the impending event?
Christ’s command is quite clear. We have to love one another. One of the best ways to show love to others is through doing things for them. God has created each of us different from others, so each of us may have skills others do not have. If we can use our skills to show people we care about them – that is fulfilling Christ’s wishes!
When we speak to others we should be speaking in ways which support God’s Word. We should not be speaking against God and not upholding things which work against God’s Word. We need to do whatever we can up promote the bible and its content because it is God’s Word which has the best chance of convincing others of Christ’s return!
Points to Ponder:
How do you like to persuade people you know what you are talking about?
Will you support God’s Word?
June 8: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 11:26
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Devotion:
I think we often forget about the timing and the immense roller-coaster of feelings Jesus would have been going through on the day He chose to share bread and wine with the disciples. Jesus was with the disciples but He also knew what was about to happen – from this moment on there was no turning back! He chose to share the last meal with the disciples knowing full well one of them would betray Him and He would no longer share a meal with them in this state.
Jesus chose to thank God for everything, including what was about to happen before He broke the bread. Then He broke the bread and offered it to each disciple telling them they should do this in the future to remember what was going to happen – His body would be broken for them as the perfect sacrifice.
Then He took the cup of wine and offered it to the disciples so they would remember how His blood would be shed for them. This must have been a confusing time for them because they did not fully understand what was happening and being told their master’s body would be broken and He would bleed for their sakes must have shaken them up a bit. But the focus here was to do these things to remember what Jesus was about to do.
When we share bread and wine in our churches, do you ever think about what Jesus must have gone through in His heart and mind as He chose to share the bread and wine with the disciples at this their last supper together. Do you realise the sacrifice Jesus has made for us in giving up His earthly life for our sakes – knowing we are sinners!
Points to Ponder:
When you offer to do something, do you offer whatever it takes?
Jesus did what was necessary for our salvation – because He loves us!
June 7: 1 Peter 1:18-25
Key Verse: 1 Peter 1:25
but the word of the Lord endures for ever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you.
Devotion:
When it comes down to sacrifices and the Old Testament there were different innocent animals which would be sacrificed for various things not withstanding how much you could afford as well. But the sacrifice which has paid for our sins once and for all is greater than any sacrifice ever made or what ever will be made. The Son of God sacrificed Himself, pure and innocent, living flesh, Holy and one of a kind never to be matched.
Everything which was sacrificed up to that point was perishable. Even the human body which was Christ Jesus was perishable, but His spirit and soul are eternal just as our spirit and souls are eternal. That is the love Jesus has for us, that He willingly laid down His body as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, now and forever.
No matter what wealth and titles we accumulate over the years as we live on earth, none of that is going to stay with us forever. Yes it will stay with us while we are alive and living on earth, but after that they remain as we move on. The things which stand out as being permanent like Jesus’ sacrifice are the Word of God and everything He stands for.
We can and will join Him in Heaven for eternity if we are willing to believe Jesus did this all for us and ask Him to take on the burden of our sin debt so we can be set free once and for all.
Points to Ponder:
Do you look at the bible as another book?
Or do you look at it as the Living Word of God?
June 6: Mark 12:13-17
Key Verse: Mark 12:17
Then Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.’ And they were amazed at him.
Devotion:
When a new Christian asks me about the laws of the world or when someone tries to object to the work I do, this story always comes to mind. Have you ever thought about how you would approach the subject when someone tries to make you choose between following the local law or following what they think God says? Note how I word the question: how they think God says!
After years of working in a company where the majority of people were not Christians and seeing the growing difference between their lifestyles and the life I was looking to live, I grew to depend more of Christ and what I believe He is asking of me rather then what the world or the people of the world ask of me. When I am asked about why I do things the way I do I like to try and open up about my life as a Christian and one of the biggest hurdles some have is how I want to support the church and other people all the time!
Just because I am a Christian who does things differently from the rest of the world does not mean that I can ignore the laws of the world; instead I strive to live within the law and to be a better example for others. This is what Jesus was saying here to the Pharisees and Herodians who were trying to see if Jesus would break the local laws. We do things differently because of what God has asked of us, but we still have to obey the local laws of the places we live.
There are few places in the world where local laws will demand you do not obey Christ’s teaching; when that happens you make the choice yourself as to what you are willing to do. God calls us to be disciples who are willing to go out and spread the gospel. If we can do that without upsetting the locals then we have an easier task to be able to tell them about the truth as we know it.
Points to Ponder:
Do you struggle with non-Christians?
Do they see you as a law-abiding person?