April 13: Acts 3:17-26
Key Verse: Acts 3:21
Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
Devotion:
How many times do you look back on the things you were told as a young child and see how they come true when you are an adult? Some of the things which used to confuse you as a child suddenly start to make sense… What you do with those things will start to define you from this moment onward. If you continue to reject them you will grow to not trust in much. If you accept them and live with them you will grow to accept the truth and hold on to it. Choices we make change our lives!
I would have loved to be a fly-on-the-wall during times like these where a disciple tears into the Jews for what has happened and tells them plainly of the truth they ignored. But Peter does not reject the Israelites because of what they have done; he reminds them of the truth of the scriptures which they have followed all their lives. That truth being they need to have faith in the scriptures, faith in God and now that Jesus has lived out the story of their Messiah, faith in Christ!
This is not the end of the story because this is just another step in the scriptures being fulfilled. Jesus was raised from the dead and He must return to Heaven, just as He said. That time of Jesus being in heaven is a time span through which we need to show faith. We do not know the time span, how long, how far, how good, how bad… but we do know Christ will return one day when at the time God has appointed!
We have had all the warning we are going to get. We have had the Messiah come and be with us. We have crucified the Messiah. God raised Him up from the dead. Now we wait. Now is the appointed time to wait, with faith...
Points to Ponder:
How do you define your faith?
Will you wait patiently for Christ to return?
April 12: Luke 24:28-32
Key Verse: Luke 24:31
Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him, and he disappeared from their sight.
Devotion:
Have you tried to meet up with an acquaintance after years of being separated and found you do not recognise them at all physically because you have both changed so much? It may only be after a while of being together when you start recognising the things they used to say and do which bring all the memories flooding back...
This story was only a short time after Jesus had been hung on the cross, had died and had disappeared, or at least that is what it may have looked like to them. They were certainly not expecting their Messiah to casually walk with them along the road to Emmaus! They simply did not look for Jesus and so their minds were closed off from seeing Him for who He was. But as soon as He broke bread in the same manner as He had done previously, their memories came flooding back!
There are going to be times in our lives when we are walking with God but do not recognise it because of all the distractions of the world and our own clouded minds and hearts. But as soon as He does something for us we recognise it was Him and are filled with joy.
The distractions of this world may not seem like anything now, or when you are being distracted by them, but the longer we endure the distractions, the more they detract us from our walk with God. He is still there. We are still with Him… but we seem a bit disconnected and don’t recognise all he is doing for us. We need to watch and pray always because it is during the quiet times God is doing the work and changing the world. We need to be awake and aware of Him as much as possible...
Points to Ponder:
What things distract you in life?
Will you try and listen out for what God is doing today?
April 11: Psalm 33:16-19
Key Verse: Psalm 33:17
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.
Devotion:
There are many things in life which we think are safe but turn out to have flaws which let us down. In the UK people regard their houses as being the safe haven away from the world, but so many places do get burgled because of a fault or destroyed because something was wrong. Whilst we may be able to rely on many things most of the time, there is only One who we can rely on all of the time!
Kings, rulers and leaders have all been brought to their knees because people came up against them – no matter how big the army is, if enough people take a stance, the leader will be brought down; all it takes is for the truth to come out and people will rather stand for the truth than continue to live a lie. So the only safe place is with the One who does not lie!
We have a lot of technical marvels in this world, from the biggest tunnel boring machines which cut through mountains to the tiniest instruments used in the most delicate surgery; but all of those instruments are only as good as the people wielding them or driving them. You get the picture? There is only One for which anything is possible!
For every person who is willing to say God is in charge of their lives and to trust Him with and for everything, the Lord will continue to be there and continue to love and support them through all things in life. Yes we will still have to face the thieves, murderers, tyrants, rotten leaders, mistakes of others; because we still live in this world in which they try to thrive. Ask God to be a bigger part in your life and give Him the control He needs to keep you safer and stronger!
Points to Ponder:
Do you really trust God?
Will you give Him more control?
April 10: Psalm 16:5-8
Key Verse: Psalm 16:2
I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.’
Devotion:
When was the last time you had one of those days where everything seemed to go well and you found yourself enjoying every moment of it? I hope it has not been a long time for you! As we move into the new Christian year, we put behind us all the thoughts about what Christ had to go through on the cross and we start to look for new life, maybe new beginnings and generally start to enjoy things like spring (at least in the Northern hemisphere we move into spring!)
For the eagle eyed of you, you will have noticed the key verse is not in the list of verses to read… The first few verses of this psalm remind us David always took refuge in God: in the bad times, the good times and everything in between. Yes he did go astray sometimes, but he always knew in his heart that God was there and looking after him. When things were rough, he knew he could count on God!
But what happens when everything goes according to plan? What happens when everything seems to fall into place? Do you still look to God? Or do you take a breather and rest in your comfort? The middle part of this Psalm talks about the security David found in God, not just when things were bad but when everything was good too. It is those times when everything is good when the evil one will try to trip us up because that is when we are actually most vulnerable.
When the world seem good to live in, we tend to gravitate towards the things of the world. We tend to live in the world instead of living in God’s arms as we do when it is not so good. Christ died for everyone, for the good times and the bad times, but we do need to know that and remember that!
Points to Ponder:
Do you live in the world?
Will you try stand a bit closer to God today?