Jun 10: Matthew 5:1-12

Key Verse: Matthew 5:12
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Devotion:
I do like being reminded about how God looks after us in the storms in our lives. I may not have been through many of the storms others have been through, but ever time I have had to face hardships, illness and death, I know God has been with me and has been holding my hand. The comfort this gives me goes beyond our normal understanding of friendship and love as humans!

Jesus came to live amongst mankind so He could show them a new love which would go beyond their dreams. Mankind has a short memory in comparison to the world God created and we tend to measure things up against each other all the time. God measures things up against the truth and against His love for us with His grace covering all our issues we go through in life.

When Jesus was telling the disciples these words which we now know as the Beatitudes, He was giving them and us a glimpse into the love of God. No matter what state we are in, how far we are from Him and how desperate our situations are in life, we should always know God is with us every step of the way. We may not see it at the time because we may be too focused on life and hardships, but He is there and with us, blessing us when we are willing to stop and listen...

Points to Ponder:
Are you too busy in life to stop and listen?

Will you spend a few minutes today just listening out for God?

Jun 9: 1 Samuel 8:4-9

Key Verse: 1 Samuel 8:7
And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.

Devotion:
I think this is one of the saddest portions of scripture we can read… the point where God tells the one who is listening to Him how the people are rejecting God… Often when we try to reach out to people about God we get rejected simply because people are too caught up in the world and what it has to offer to see their real needs in life. It is not that they are rejecting us, but that they are rejecting Christ as their King!

We can see how people get caught up in sports and go out of their way to reach a spots match just to see their team, but they will not go out of their way to find a church where they can meet with God. People all around the world get caught up in upholding their country, their leaders and their ways of life instead of upholding a decent way of living. Too few countries promote living together in peace and love!

Jesus tried hard to get people to see they were intentionally breaking down the right way of living by promoting their own self-imposed ways or promoting themselves instead of the love and grace of God. We see this all around us in our modern world too.

We should not take it personally in thinking people are rejecting us, but we should take it personally for Christ because they are rejecting Him. Some may say they are not, but they are choosing a way of life which excludes Christ as Lord and King of us all...

Points to Ponder:
Do you promote Christ as your leader?

How often do you promote sports or other leaders?

Jun 8: Mark 12:38-40

Key Verse: Mark 12:39
and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets.

Devotion:
One of the things I dislike about ‘church institutions’ is all of the red tape which is imposed on the people who want to meet with Christ. I know there has to be safeguards in place to ensure the power given and enjoyed by church leaders does not corrupt them or give them to doing bad things, but for those who want to promote Christ and share the gospel, there should be open forums by which they can do this…

You may say the public spaces are free forums where people can share the gospel, and they are, but are not our churches public places where we should be able to share the truth about Christ? Many churches impose very strict rules and regulation about who can share the gospel in their temples and places of worship which is not what I see when I read about the places where Jesus would meet to share about His Father!

There are countries where the only people allowed to preach are those who have been authorised by the country! To them I say, my authority comes from Christ and I share what I know from what has been shared with me during my life.

God wants us to be able to reach out to those who are in need to not only lessen their burdens but also to guide them in the truth Jesus shared with everyone He met. Jesus warn about those who pray on the needy to gain access to their inheritance or last worldly possession. Jesus does not want us to go after possession, but after souls instead.

Points to Ponder:
When you look for someone to join you at church, what do you look for?

Have you tried to look into people’s heart lately?