March 4: Matthew 5:43-48
Key Verse: Matthew 5:46
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
Devotion:
One of the hardest things Jesus asked of us is to love our enemies; we are brought up in societies which tend to love the people close to you but reject and even hate the people on the other side of the fence! We can’t blame society for this because we are the root of society – if we dare to change the way we think, then society will change, given time...
Jesus wants us to be the start of that change, here and now so our children and descendants will be the ones who don’t have to think about who to love and hate, but will love everyone – that should be our goal! If we are all acting like the children of God we are supposed to be, then we will get along like a big family which God wants us to be. Yes I know people in families argue and get upset, and that is a part of life because we all make mistakes from time to time and those mistakes are going to upset someone along the way.
But if we can take a step back from those mistakes and learn a new way forward as people who care for each other, then wars and enemies will become less important and we will be able to live a better life. No matter whether we are as good as gold or as evil as anything else, we all live in the same world and are affected by the same things; be it earthquakes, floods, rain or sunshine. God’s world does not choose who to affect!
When we can see we are all people in the same world and start caring for human life instead of treating it like some sort of commodity, then we will be able to do more in life. It does not take a Christian to make the difference, but, as Christians we should be the ones leading the change so we can encourage others to do the same!
Points to Ponder:
How much do you value human life?
Will you set aside your habits to make a habit of caring for people?
March 3: Psalm 130:7-8
Key Verse: Psalm 130:7
Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.
Devotion:
I still marvel at the words of the Old testament even after years of knowing what it all means. These words were written hundreds of years before Christ came to live amongst mankind. They warned the Israelites of the judgement of God. They warned them of the backsliding and all the things we see in our history books; and yet people still chose to ignore those warnings time and time again!
The people of Israel were told to put their faith and trust in their Messiah, and they taught each other of the coming of the Messiah… But when the Messiah knocked on their doors, they did not hear Him because they were too busy worrying about getting things right according to the law.
The words of the scriptures warned people to take heed of the scriptures and to put their faith and trust in this person who would come to be their Messiah. They knew they had to do this; but when the time came, it all seemed a bit too easy , so they tried to make it more complicated again!
Believing and trusting in God is very easy! It’s the giving up of the sinful ways, the temptations and they laws which make you look better than others which are the hardest things to give up. Why should we choose the easy path when there is always a more complicated path to choose! Jesus wants us to take the simple path which He opens up to us...
Points to Ponder:
How often do you try to make things more complicated because you think it will be better for you?
Will you simply trust?
March 2: Isaiah 55:6-9
Key Verse: Isaiah 55:6
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
Devotion:
If you were to lose something would you wait for another day before looking for it, or would you look for it as soon as possible in the hopes you may remember where it was? The things which we do misplace or lose are more likely to be found sooner rather than later. God starts off by being close to us and as we get further from the truth we get further from Him too until we do get lost because we can no longer see Him...
When I was in high school in Zimbabwe I grew close to God and knew He was close to me. When we left Zimbabwe to come to England, we left behind all manner of things and I left God behind too. Why? I have no idea and I certainly cannot figure that one out. But, after many years, someone knocked on my door and invited me to church once again – that was the first step in finding God once again. I didn’t have to look too hard because He was already waiting for me!
He must have been walking beside me all along as I wondered round in circles not knowing which way to go in life; all I needed was that simple invite to get to knowing Him once again. God has a habit of picking the right people at the right times to make the biggest impact on our lives until we notice He is standing right beside us all along!
We don’t have to figure out why or when, just knowing He is standing next to us at all times should be more than enough for us to figure the relationship out. He committed to a permanent relationship when He first met us and we need to realise that before we wander off into the woods where it will be harder for us to see Him because of all the trees!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you wait on God?
Do you know He is waiting on you?
March 1: Jonah 3:1-10
Key Verse: Jonah 3:5
The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
Devotion:
Whenever I read this story I think of a large modern city where you can catch buses and taxi cabs from one end to the other without too much bother; but back then it would have been a very different story, having to walk instead. Back in high school we used to stay in a boarding school in a city in Zimbabwe where walking into the city centre was normal for us and on weekends I would sometimes walk out to the suburbs where my grand parents lived so I could have a break.
The walk was only an hour or so, but once out of the school walls we would lose track of what was happening very quickly. We didn’t have mobile phones or the internet back then so it was quite easy to get out of touch very quickly. When we look at the words in this passage it seems like the city of Nineveh was quite different in that people got to hear about Jonah’s warnings from God very quickly! I think it must have been the fact they knew the city was in a bad state and knew they were doing wrong against God.
When we find out we have done something wrong we try to hide the fact and go on as if we have not done anything wrong; why should we call attention to ourselves! But the people of Nineveh took what Jonah was saying on board and they all wanted to change! The news spread very quickly and it was not long before the king found out what was happening and heard the news.
But, despite all they had done wrong, God was willing to forgive them and allow them to live despite having been under a could of death when Jonah highlighted what they were doing wrong. How quickly would you spread the news if you found out there was going to be a disaster coming to the city or town where you live? Would you wait until you were threatened with destruction, or would you try and say something before it was too late?
Points to Ponder:
How long do you plan on hiding the Gospel from your town?
Will you allow people to live under God?