June 1: James 5:1-6
Key Verse: James 5:6
You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
Devotion:
After reading the verses above you may think this is going to be another devotion talking about people lusting after money instead of God and that being a bad idea… But it’s not! I put off writing this schism for a while because I felt guilty about bashing rich people because I know quite a few good people who are rich and have worked hard to get that wealth… but they are different from other rich people!
I have been pleasantly surprised by hearing of the good and charitable things many rich people have done; to be able to give of your time or money so others can have a better life is something we should all aim for whether we are rich or poor! We can look at many people who say they do not believe in God but see a goodness within them which shows by the good things they do in communities and societies.
We are all in the same world and so in the same predicament when it comes to living and dying. Where we come from and how we get there is going to be very different for rich people as opposed to poor people; but we all face the same condemnation when it comes to the final judgment from Christ.
I am not one who fits into the world of separating rich and poor people just because of their wealth. I try hard to make sure all people are welcome to my home and into my life – and that gets me into trouble sometimes because there are many who live by some sort of class system in society. Jesus made sure all people from all walks in life were able to approach Him at any time – that is what we should aim for as well!
Points to Ponder:
Do you count yourself as rich or poor?
Will you set that aside and give help to someone today?
May 31: Romans 12:9-16
Key Verse: Romans 12:9
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Devotion:
If you are going to go round carrying a chip on your shoulder, life is going to seem harder than it should be especially when you get close to the reason for that chip being there in the first place. When Jesus told us to love our neighbours and to love our enemies it was not just to stop wars but to stop the root cause of things like wars. We seem to spend far too much time worrying over what other people say about us and what we think of other people!
God is the one who knows us from the inside out and there is no way we can really know others like He does – ever though we try to fool ourselves that we do! The more we dwell on those thoughts about what we think is going on in other people’s minds, the more distorted our world becomes and the more we are distracted from doing God’s will in our lives.
The apostle hints here about ways in which we can get round those types of thoughts we harbour about others. If we are willing to try and over-ride our thoughts with actions which agree with God’s will, then we will see just how beneficial it can be to act more like Jesus than our old wordly ways! The hope which it brings into our lives will soon change our ways of thinking of others and allow us to love our neighbours and our enemies.
We have to try and let go of the thoughts and actions we have and do which prevent us from following Jesus’ commands to love others. When we change our mindset to see the hope which can be found if we do follow His commands, our actions and thoughts will follow and living more in harmony will be the normal way of living!
Points to Ponder:
What chips do you have on your shoulder(s)?
Are you willing to try and search for the hope?
May 30: James 4:1-10
Key Verse: James 4:6
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.’
Devotion:
We do like to blame fights and quarrels on just about anything we can but truth be told it is because of our own wants and desires being in conflict with someone else's wants and desires – it really is as simple as that! How far we are willing to go will dictate how other people see us. How God sees it is entirely on the truth which is within your heart, that is the big difference between man and God!
Where we go to fulfil our wants and desires is what will either separate us from God or draw us closer to Him! God wants us to talk to Him and ask Him for things in our lives. How He answers and how we listen will show us whether we are willing to obey our God or to continue to work against Him and His will. Sometimes we ask one thing and expect another because of our wants and desires – we are looking for the earthly answers to our desires instead of looking to God for guidance in our lives.
If we are willing to humble ourselves before God and to listen to His advice, then we move closer to living the best life we can; God is the one who wants us to have the best life we can have and He will continue to try to guide us forward in that life. If we are too proud to admit He knows best, then the most we can expect in life is to have earthly rewards and not Heavenly rewards.
Which brings us back to the opening statement… If we do ignore God’s advice and listen to the world’s advice, we get to enjoy worldly rewards which often work against God’s ways – because people have their own wants and desires and will go in whatever direction they can to fulfil those wants and desires. This is why the apostle says we work against God if we do not do things His way.
Points to Ponder:
What are you desires in life?
Do these fall in line with God’s will?
May 29: Mark 10:17-27
Key Verse: Mark 10:21
Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’
Devotion:
No matter how good we think we are, we don’t get to Heaven unless we believe in Christ; not just that Jesus was real but He came to die for our sins, was buried and resurrected to defeat our debt we owe for the sins we have done. Sometimes, however, we hold on to the sins without realising just how much we hold on to them.
This rich man begged Jesus to tell him the way he could get to heaven and the response was not what the man was expecting. He obviously thought he was a good person but somehow he knew he would not make it to heaven especially after Jesus told him to sell everything and give to the poor.
Jesus does not just want us to be good people within ourselves and to our families, He wants us to be good to everyone. When we are too focused on the things of this world we do often forget the needy people who are quite close to us but whom we ignore because “they are not our problem!”
When Jesus said we need to love our neighbours as we love ourselves, it was not just to say we need to love those people who live next door! Jesus meant we need to love all of His people. We need to show compassion and mercy to the people who are being ignored by governments and leaders. We need to show love to the people others hate. It does not mean we allow them to get away with things just because they are important people in society!
Points to Ponder:
What gets your focus daily?
Are you willing to give Christ more focus?