June 5: Mark 12:1-12
Key Verse: Mark 12:7
But the tenants said to one another, “This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.”
Devotion:
This is one of those stories I find very disturbing in the bible; realising this is the way human society and some cultures have gone or are heading is not a comforting thought! This was written so many years ago as a parable and yet it continues to happen for real nowadays. The greed of mankind knows no bounds!
Although this was probably not meant to be a prophecy about our modern times, it is sad to see it so. There are, fortunately, still many cultures where people do look out for each other and do actively care for people. Thankfully I live in a village where some people do care for others even though there are a few who seem to go against everything Jesus stood for.
I’m not going to harp on about how Jesus will return in person and rid the world of these types of evil people; instead I am going to say we should be the ones trying to make a difference in our communities. Where we see injustice or uncaring we should be willing to step forward and find justice for those in need and care for the poor.
This is not a vigilante world, even though it may seem so at times, but a world where God made disciples who need to go out and make more disciples. That is the only way we will be able to change the views of the people to allow them to see there is hope even when there seems to be none. That hope is only through introducing Jesus Christ into the lives of others.
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel like you live in a place where people conspire against you?
Have you tried asking Christ the way forward to help others?
June 4: Matthew 28:16-20
Key Verse: Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
Devotion:
I love the way the gospel of Matthew is ended with this the Great Commission. This is given to all people who confess to be Christians but here accounted to the disciples as they were witness to Jesus resurrection and meeting Him at the appointed place. This was a public place and the disciples took on a role which meant they would have to be public about their profession to believe in Jesus as being their Messiah and the Son of God!
Our relationship with God should not be a private thing which we hide from the outside world; I know there are places in this world where people do have to hide their belief in Christ because of the threat of death for doing so – but even they can share their belief in ways. Jesus wants us to be proud of being Christians and proud of being called sons of God!
When we stand up in a public way to be called a disciple of Christ, we take on a responsibility to share the gospel with people and to make disciples who will in turn be able to do the same. We should not hide our baptism, our prayers, our meeting together, our teaching of the gospel but be bold and allow people to see we have a real relationship with Christ, one which they too can have if they take up the mantel.
We should be bold to follow what Christ has taught us through the disciples and through everything God has done for His people all around the world. We should be bold to share those truths to anyone who is willing to listen and embolden them to share what they learn in turn. This is all about sharing our hope in a world which has lost hope in so many things.
Points to Ponder:
Do you share your belief with others?
Will you allow others to see the real Christian inside you?
June 3: James 5:12-20
Key Verse: James 5:17
Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
Devotion:
Prayer is the most powerful thing we have against all woes and circumstance! How we listen after we pray will shape our relationship with God. It is no good asking for something if you are not going to wait for an answer to see how it will be answered! We have so many examples of prayer in our bibles you would think it would be on every person’s mind to pray first; sadly it is not so in our world.
Prayer comes in many forms and is not just the image some see of a person on their knees begging for mercy. Prayer is your way of talking to and listening to God – it’s definitely a two way protocol just as is any discussion or request in life. When you ask a friend for something you don’t walk away immediately and assume they are going to do whatever you asked of them; you will wait for some sort of response so you can know what they are going to do from your request!
The same goes for your prayers with God. It is no good shouting out a request and running off in the other direction. I would be offended if someone did that to me! Another thing we do in our lives is stand and wait until we think people are going to listen before we ask. God is always listening and will always take on board what you ask for. He will then answer your prayers in the way He knows is best for you – which may not be what you are expecting… Hence the need to wait for a response.
Does this mean God is going to talk back to me? Well, He may not talk to you verbally but He is trying to get through to you all the time. When we do not sit patiently and wait for an answer He will try to get through to us through other people who are listening or through things He can do with and around us.
Points to Ponder:
How do you ask God for things?
Are you prepared to accept what He answers?
June 2: James 5:9-12
Key Verse: James 5:11
As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
Devotion:
One of the things I could not get used to as an ‘new Christian’ back when I first got to know Christ was this thing of trusting in our unseen God. I had many people let me down in my school years and I had grown to not trust many people; so when they were telling me to trust in God I had reservations. Those reservation stuck with me for a long time and it was really only when I was living in the UK when I got to see how much I could fully trust in Christ.
When we think of trusting people we expect to see immediate results otherwise that trust grows weak, but the trust we should have in Christ should know no limits and not be bound by time in our sense. When I got to see first hand how much I could trust in God, the feeling of utter trust continued and still grows. I know this does disturb some because I have a trust which goes beyond normal human understanding. My family cannot grasp how I can have this trust in Christ and I cannot really explain it to them either. But I do.
We can look back at stories in our bibles to see how we can rely on God. One of the stories which resonates with me is the story of Job. He continued to have faith and trust God even when things were going wrong. He knew things would not get better over night but he continued to have that faith and trust in God. Eventually it paid off, but he had to endure a lot of pain and suffering before things came right.
God will do what He thinks is best for you – you may not see it in the beginning and you may have reservations, but keeping your faith and trust in God is important. It will show mighty dividends in the end even though you may not see it immediately and may face trials before hand.
Points to Ponder:
Who are the people you trust without question in your life?
Will you have that sort of faith in Christ?