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?
April 9: Matthew 28:1-7
Key Verse: Matthew 28:6
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
Devotion:
One of the biggest comforts I get from being a Christian is I do not have to face death in the same way as the rest of the world! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like the idea of having to die physically, but I know in my heart that is not the end of everything but the beginning of something very special.
Seeing the pain and anguish some people face when they know they are coming to the end of their physical life should be enough to put anyone off; and seeing the demeanour of someone who knows Christ is quite different when they face their physical death. Jesus had to face so much more than we could imagine for our deaths because He was taking on a lot more than just physical death.
But today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the reason why He was not fearful of the physical death which faced Him a short while before. Many people look for ways in which they can live a few more years or stay looking younger as they get older, but what they lose sight of is the reason for living! Jesus example to us should change everyone's minds, but sadly many people close their minds off from the hope we have through Jesus.
Jesus death and resurrection gives us the hope of eternal life after our physical death and gives us a comfort which goes far beyond the anguish we may have to face when we near our physical death. Each person who went to look for Jesus in the tomb was looking to physical evidence and a reason to mourn. What they found was evidence Jesus had come back to life and a reason to celebrate!
Points to Ponder:
Do you get caught up in the anguish of death?
Will you look forward to the joy of eternal life instead?
April 8: 1 Peter 4:1-6
Key Verse: 1 Peter 4:2
As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.
Devotion:
Jesus did not keep it a secret how we would have to face sufferings of various kinds just because we follow Him. The more we reflect Christ through our lives the more we will face opposition for simply doing what Christ asks of us. Nobody likes to be shown up for the things they do wrong, and living a Christ-like life will show up people around you just because people will see His ways through what you are doing.
People will try to tempt you into following earthly ways and will wonder why you do not join them in their wicked ways; the answer should be made clear to them so they understand why you choose to live the way you do. It is not your task to judge others or to shame them into doing or not doing something. It is your job to live more like Christ so others can see the difference and make decisions for themselves.
If we look into our lives we will see all sorts of things we have done wrong in our pasts and many of those things could well be worse than what others are doing – not because of the act itself but because of the intent behind the act. God wants us to continue to do what is right, but aiming to do what is righteous in all ways is a better aim in our lives.
Do not allow the world to convince you there is no sin when everyone else is doing it too – that just means everyone is sinning! Jesus gave His life for the things we have done wrong. If you have time today, spend a bit of time thinking of the times you chose to do wrong and what that did for Jesus. Spend a bit more time thinking of the things you do before you jump in and do it anyway!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you think before you act?
Will you spend a bit more time thinking?
April 7: John 18:15-18
Key Verse: John 18:17
‘You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?’ she asked Peter. He replied, ‘I am not.’
Devotion:
What do you do when people mock you about knowing Jesus? What do you do when people mock Jesus around you? We all like to think we would stand up for Jesus and not allow anything bad to be said about Him, but we may well fail in the same manner as Peter did here. The failure is not because we do not know Jesus or that we do not love Him, but because we fear for our own lives instead.
Jesus has taught us we are to deny ourselves and follow Him; but this is a very big ask of many people because they have so much to lose in the world. When a certain rich man asked Jesus how to be saved he was told he would have to sell everything first – this was the centre of this rich man's life! When we cling on to worldly things our bond with Jesus is not as strong as it could be and certainly not as strong as we think it is! The world and it’s temptations goes much deeper than all the bad things we can think of!
We are going to face many things in our lives which will tempt us away from Jesus just as Jesus Himself had to face temptation from the evil one! The temptations will sound much better than anything we have in our lives; that is what makes them temptations! Jesus knows we are going to face them and He tries to give us the strength to reject them – but it is our choice as to what we do in the end.
Peter chose the easy way out because he saw what was happening to Jesus. He did not want to get taken away by the Romans and probably could not see why this should happen to Jesus. He may have been thinking: how is Jesus not saving Himself? But Jesus made the choice to do this for us. He willingly gave His life for us.
Points to Ponder:
Who were Jesus disciples at this time?
Do you realise Jesus did this for you too?