December 15: Matthew 17:22-23
Key Verse: Matthew 17:23
They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.’ And the disciples were filled with grief.
Devotion:
Has anyone ever told you they were going to die? What sticks in your mind is the fact they will die, not what they say before hand or afterward, just the fact they will die. When I read these words I could not but help think of the words spoken to me a while back when my Dad told us he had cancer and did not have long to live. Those words stuck with me. As it happened Dad did continue to live for a few years during which time we grew closer.
With that in my heart I think I begin to know what the disciples were going through when Jesus told them He was going to die. Nothing they could do would be able to stop that death. They could hope for more time and could pray for more time; but the Father had the time in mind and knew when this all had to happen in order for our sins to be covered by Jesus’ blood.
I’m sure the disciples were trying to come up with all manner of excuses so Jesus would not have to face death; they would have been distraught knowing their Saviour would die and I don’t think they thought too much about the words after that. Jesus tried to console them by reminding them He would be raised from the dead three days after His death. Those words were probably not realised until after it had all happened…
When we look back over the time Jesus was with the disciples, we can see what He was promising because we know the outcome. At the time I don’t think the disciples fully grasped those words saying He would be raised from the dead until after He was!
Points to Ponder:
What promises do you think of which God has given you?
Will you look back and realise the promises were true?
December 14: Isaiah 51:1-3
Key Verse: Isaiah 51:2
look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many.
Devotion:
How often do you doubt when someone tells you God can do anything. How often do you doubt when you see all the bad things surrounding you? How often do you doubt because there seems to be so much going wrong and nothing going right? It is very easy to be swayed by the world when there is so much going on in the world.
People follow people – that is the way we do things and have been doing things for a very long time. God knows this too and He has given us quite a few things which we can look back on to see nothing is impossible for Him! God made a promise to a single man, Abraham, saying he would be the father of a great nation. In our eyes we may think God is promising to allow Abraham to have many children – because that is about as far as we can see!
God made the promise knowing Sarah was barren at the time and knowing they would try something to make things happen quicker! God wants us to trust Him and to be patient while trusting Him. His timing knows no bounds and it certainly not timed with a stopwatch like we want it to be!
God has tried to impress His promises on us and not to have time limits for those promises to come true. God indeed blessed Abraham, but not with hundreds of children of his own, but through his family tree and Abraham grew to know this promise as he waited patiently (in the end!)
Points to Ponder:
Do you try to rush God’s decisions?
Will you try to have a bit more patience with God?
December 13: Matthew 21:28-32
Key Verse: Matthew 21:30
Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, “I will, sir,” but he did not go.
Devotion:
How often do you put things off? How often have you said you were going to do something for God and not got round to doing it? I don’t want you to drop everything and go off and do something without thinking about the consequences – but God does ask you to do things now and again. When He does ask, we should be willing to listen. We may start off by saying we are too busy or we don’t want to, but our answer should be “yes Lord!” in the end, just like the son who was asked to do something by his father.
Our Father in Heaven does not need to ask us to do anything because He is more than capable of doing everything, but He does stop and ask us from time to time. Why do you think He does that? God the Father knows our shortcomings and our faults, and yet He still stops to ask us to do things for Him from time to time. This is because He knows we are capable of doing what He ask and He wants us to be able to grow into better people.
If we start acting like the second son and say we will do things but never get round to doing them, are we any different to people who continue to tell lies? God would like us to be honest and say what is on our minds as well as to say “yes” when He asks something of us. If we think something is not right, then we need to stand up and say something. When we do not, we carry around that ill feeling inside of us; that feeling which will eat at our hearts just like a bit of yeast does in a bread mix.
When we stop to talk to God about the things which are on our minds, He will take time to stop and explain things to us so we can better understand what it is that is going to be best for us in our lives. No sin can ever take that away from us.
Points to Ponder:
Do you say yes and then think about whether to do things?
Or will you be honest and say what is on your heart before listening to what is on God’s heart?
December 12: Numbers 24:2-7
Key Verse: Numbers 24:6
‘Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters.
Devotion:
Balaam was a prophet who lived amongst the people of Israel when they were travelling through the desert. It must have been quite a sight to see all of the tents made up in a camp knowing all of the people were doing this because they wanted to please God. They did not have any direct way of knowing they were pleasing God other than what the prophets told them.
God wanted the people to know what they were doing was appreciated by God, so He spoke to them through Balaam at this time. The poetic way in which the display of obedience is described means God definitely was watching them and was pleased with the way things were going.
Sometimes we lose sight of what God says to us because we don’t listen to the people of God speaking to us; God uses people to speak to us because He knows we don’t all listen intently to the Spirit. He knows some will find it difficult to listen to the Spirit, so He talks to us through others…
I have learned to listen to people when they tell me they have a message from God for me. I have learned to stop and spend time waiting for God to speak. I have learned God will always speak to me when I ask Him something – it is not always the same way though. Sometimes it is through others, sometimes through what He does and sometimes even in dreams; we just have to stop and listen!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you stop to listen to friends?
How often do you stop to listen to God?