November 17: Isaiah 11:1-5
Key Verse: Isaiah 11:4
but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Devotion:
Many people do not look into the scriptures because they see a church where people don’t seem to be following the ideals they think people should follow; people have this idea church people will never do anything wrong and when they see someone do something wrong, they turn away thinking the whole church is like that! This is something we face as church people all around the world!
If we look back into the scriptures which were written many years ago we see stories which may shock us and stories we find distasteful because they differ so much from our modern lives. Well, if we lives during those times we may find they are just normal stories and nothing out of the ordinary. You see, even people inside church congregations get things wrong and mess up!
Even back during these times a promise was made that a Saviour would come to save us from all the things we do wrong. That Saviour was Jesus Christ, born to a virgin who's name was Mary. This man was actually the Son of God and He came to give us hope and eternal life. He did not come to judge us like a stern teacher or church leader. Instead He came to judge people through their hearts instead!
He lifts us the poor and needy, breaks down the proud and fickle, helps the helpless and warns the people who refuse to help those He asks to help… He is our judge, but He judges with a righteousness not found in ordinary humans, but one found in Him.
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel like your are too guilty to go to church?
Do you realise all the people in church are actually sinners?
November 16: Luke 19:11-28
Key Verse: Luke 19:14
‘But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, “We don’t want this man to be our king.”
Devotion:
This is one of those parables which Jesus told people, whether this was said twice in slightly different format or whether the disciples remember it differently, we can work out a lot from looking into it. So there was this important guy who was going away for something important and he gave charge of parts of his land or investments to three other people… That's about the gist of it!
In this account the people who were put in charge did not want this person to return with even more power; maybe they were secretly hoping he would never return! But he did! They did not know when he was going to return, just that they were told he would return. Sound familiar? It should do because Jesus has promised to return at a time unknown and he has left us, the people, in charge of things!
So what are we doing with the responsibility Jesus has given us. Have we buried the gospel and are hoping to bring it out just as He returns so we have something to show? Have we worked a bit and played a bit and generally done a half baked job? Or have we committed our ways to spreading the gospel through our actions and our words?
Jesus has given us charge of a very important task. The ball is in our court and He is watching to see what we are going to do with it. The time is now. The opportunities are endless. The chance is ours to take or to discard!
Points to Ponder:
Have you taken God at His word?
Or are you waiting for something to happen first?
November 15: Psalm 15:1-5
Key Verse: Psalm 15:2
The one whose way of life is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart;
Devotion:
This is one of those Psalms which makes us realise just how far short of the mark we all fall when it comes to being like Jesus. We can safely say Jesus is holy because He was able to continue doing the right thing at all times, keeping the Fathers word, making sure people heard the gospel and helping people no matter what their background!
Do we deserve to live in heaven with Him? No! But we are going to because He stepped in and took the punishment for all the little things we do wrong (and the big things!) Jesus knew we were going to fall short of the mark so stepped in to make sure we would pass! Maybe like letting someone else take your exam for you so your certificate gives a 100% mark! (But obviously not cheating like that!)
Think about each of the points raised here and think about how you approach them in your life. Do you pass with flying colours, or do you still have a bit of work to do. I know I have work to do on so many of these items. I try to keep these points, but I know I fall short when push comes to shove.
Some of the hardest points to keep are the ones where we have to be polite to people who are rude to us or be nice to people who mistreat us… It does not mean we have to be a push-over, but there is a difference between standing firm in what is right and doing something just to spite someone else. Jesus did not show spite, and nor should we...
Points to Ponder:
How tough do you find life?
Will you try to allow Jesus more room to teach you?
November 14: Luke 18:35-43
Key Verse: Luke 18:42
Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.’
Devotion:
How many times have you read passages in your bible where something has happened to a person because they have believed in God? I know it is a difficult thing to hear, especially when you have things going wrong in your life or when people have let you down – but God does look after us and does change the things around us to help and protect us!
I had a hard time believing God would do anything for me as a stroppy teenager, and I still have my doubts at times; but enough things have happened in my life to ensure I do trust and obey God. I have had things work themselves out as soon as I asked God for help. I have had things which took ‘forever’ to work out when I asked… But God always comes through and helps out when I ask.
That is the key thing here. We have to ask! This blind man who was sitting by the roadside outside of Jericho would not have known it was Jesus coming along. We can only assume there was a bit of a hustle and bustle happening which made him ask what was happening. When he heard it was Jesus, he had no delay in shouting out for help from Jesus! He was bold and he was a believer – he also had nothing to lose!
Jesus saw what was in his heart and immediately healed the man making sure he understood it was because of his faith and belief in God. If we are willing to have faith and believe in Jesus too, then He is willing to help us out; but we have to wait for His answer knowing He is going to answer!
Points to Ponder:
How patient are you with your prayers?
Do you give God time to answer?