July 24: Matthew 13:1-9

Key Verse: Matthew 13:9
Whoever has ears, let them hear.

Devotion:
Have you ever wondered why some things in life just seem difficult whilst others are so simple? Have you compared what it is like to build something when you have the instructions and when you don’t have the instructions? Life is a whole lot easier when we have instructions to follow and we actually follow the instructions. If we don’t follow them, life is difficult, but with those instructions, life becomes easier.

Jesus was trying to illustrate this to the people by telling them a parable of a farmer sowing seeds. When the seeds landed on the right soil with the right environment, the seeds would thrive and grow into healthy crops.

The Holy Spirit is sowing seeds in our lives all the time and our past lives dictate what sort of ‘soil’ we are and how receptive we are going to be to the seeds being sown. God does not discriminate about who gets the seeds because He would like the seeds to be sown everywhere. Just like the farmer would recognise where the seeds have the best chance at growing, God knows too.

If we start listening and obeying, we are going to become more receptive to those seeds and we will have a better chance at having them germinate in our lives. It has already started with God sowing the seeds, but we have to be receptive and start listening to what He is saying to us!

Points to Ponder:
Do you listen to God’s instructions?

Or are you distracted by the world around you?

July 22: Song of Songs 3:1-4

Key Verse: Song of Songs 3:1
All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him.

Devotion:
I love this section of passage as it talks about the perceived view of real love, not the basic intimacy we have for others or the carnal view we sometimes look at, but a love which goes much deeper and has meaning beyond normal feelings. Why would this maiden go out late at night to look for her loved one other than knowing this partner meant more to her than ‘being normal’

Whether this was a dream or what, I’m not going to speculate. What I do know is the real feeling you have when you know what love actually is. I have had relationships where I have been in love with the person and I have done things out of the ordinary to go out with said person(s) but each time I have found something lacking in the end.

I know my love for God goes beyond those feeling I have had for others in the past, but that is probably not the love this maiden is talking about. I believe this maiden is talking about the love one person has for another which goes beyond a casual relationship, or one which we think is real because we are choosing to look the other way over the shortcomings we know about.

God would prefer us to be with the one perfect person – but getting two people together at the right time and place is not always likely. We allow various feelings get in the way of what is real and what God wants. We get confused by physical feelings and desires. Sometimes we just have to put up with our shortcomings and get through life!

Points to Ponder:
Do you have the perfect partner?

Have you tried to give more than you take?

July 20: Micah 2:1-5

Key Verse: Micah 2:3
Therefore, the Lord says: “I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity.

Devotion:
One of the things which has always fascinated me about the stories from the bible is how people would continually ignore warnings! But when you are on the other side of the fence and you have multiple warnings about your life or your health, you may ignore them thinking it could never happen to you!

We live in a world where all manner of things go wrong because of what people do to each other.
Only recently we have had a global disruption to all manner of IT infrastructure because of the mistakes made by someone and the ignorance of others who refuse to accept responsibility. We have world leaders who refuse to accept what they are doing is wrong and so the rest of us suffer!

God does not turn a deaf ear or blind eye to these things and will give people warnings before catastrophe happens on way or another. More likely caused by people because they ignore the warnings!

Go loves us and will bend over backward for us… but if we continue to ignore Him we have no way of knowing where He wants us to be so we are not affected by the global disruptions and goings on! Listen and learn from God alone!

Points to Ponder:
Do you continue to ignore people?

Do you continue to ignore God too?