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March 7: Isaiah 1:10-20
Key Verse: Isaiah 1:18
‘Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
Devotion:
I wonder if you have heard people talk about verses where God was not pleased to accept burnt offering any more. Or maybe you have heard the verses where God talks about looking after those who are less fortunate than you. Or where He says our sins can be washed away even if they are as red as scarlet… How many times have you been told these are all in the same place in your bible?
We often take verse out of context to support something we are saying or talking about. We often emphasise the verses to uphold out point we are trying to make. But God was saying all of these things to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah! The city that was levelled because they did not listen…
God gives us plenty of warning and He continue to make sure we hear the truth and have every opportunity to bring our sins before Him and ask for forgiveness. He promised the world would not end until the time is right and that time will only be when everyone has had the opportunity to hear the truth and to choose the path of truth or evil…
All people on earth are given the truth at some stage in their lives. God makes sure of that. He gives us the opportunity to walk away from evil and to choose to follow Him. He gives us plenty warning what could happen if we do not listen and if we ignore the warnings. We have no right to blame God for anything which does happen because we are the ones who walked away from Him to start with.
Points to Ponder:
Are you still walking away from God?
Will you choose the path He directs you toward?
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March 6: Luke 6:36-38
Key Verse: Luke 6:37
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Devotion:
One of the hardest things to do can be to forgive people for doing things wrong against you or to not judge other people when you think they are doing things the wrong way! It’s very easy to say we will not do this, but when we get caught up in the moment we often judge and blame without thinking. Jesus was very careful to not judge people without knowing what they were doing wrong. He had every right to judge people because He was without fault – but He chose not to to show us it can be done!
We should only have to look at the things we do and say to realise we do often get things wrong; why then do we jump at the chance to blame or judge others when we think they should not blame or judge us for the things we do wrong all the time!
I find the best thing to do is to wait before answering or saying anything. Every week I hear people judging and blaming others and gossiping… and that is in church! I know I am guilty of it when I speak out of anger or impatience, but when I spend time to think about the things I am about to say or do I tend to follow Christ’s example instead. I know in my head I am wanting to say things because that is what it was like growing up in a boarding school…
The more we try to make the changes, the more we are going to be the change! That means the change is going to start from what we do and say differently as an example to others. I have seen what God can do to peoples hearts and how He can change the way they live and talk – let us be the example that will make them think...
Points to Ponder:
Do you get angry or gossip quickly?
Will you try to take a few seconds to think first?
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March 5: John 3:5-8
Key Verse: John 3:8
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’
Devotion:
If there were three people standing next to each other and only one of them was a Christian, how could you tell the difference? If they are simply standing and not doing anything, then we may be hard-pressed to tell the difference, but when they start doing things and talking, we could probably start to make informed decisions based on how they were affecting the others or the people around them.
When the wind blows we do not see the wind blowing, but we do see the affects of that blowing wind: we see trees swaying, dirt flying and flags waving… We do not see the wind, we see the effects of the wind on everything around it. When Jesus was talking about being born again He was not talking about the physical aspect of it – I’m sure most of us would know we cannot get born a second time because we grow breathing and moving about…
Jesus was talking about the spiritual part of our lives, the part we don’t know we have until it is show to us. We cannot see this spiritual side of us, but, like the wind, we can see the affects it has on everything around us. Without the spirit how are we going to commune with God in Heaven because He does not have a human body in Heaven.
Jesus did not remain in spiritual form when He came to live amongst us – how would we have been able to see Him! He came in Human form to live amongst us so we could see the effects of His life on everyone around us. He came to demonstrate how we can do things in human form and what we can do to make sure we do join Him in Heaven in spiritual form after we leave our human bodies behind...
Points to Ponder:
Do you have any health issues?
Are you looking forward to having a perfect body in Heaven?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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February 28: Matthew 6:7-15
Key Verse: Matthew 6:15
But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Devotion:
One of the hardest things to do is to forgive someone when they have done something which has upset you; but that is what Jesus asks us to do for every things which has been done against you. If you find it hard to even think about forgiving someone, then start off by thinking about the things you have done wrong. How many of them have been done by error or without you thinking about it?
Jesus knows what we do get up to and He knows we will make mistakes and sometimes we get angry too and do things which are out of character. That is because we have been born into this world and have lived amongst people who do the same things! It is no use saying we do things because we are human – even humans have a choice to do good or bad!
Jesus went to the cross to pay for our sins. He knew we were and are going to sin. He has every right to be very upset by us. But He still went to the cross knowing this – because He loves us! When we do love someone it is easy to forgive them. When we grow to hate someone because of all the things they have done wrong, it seems very difficult to get out of that rut.
Jesus has set the mark. He stepped up and said He would forgive us no matter what we have done wrong. He gave His life so we could be blameless to God and join Him in Heaven. When we do things wrong against God, He sees what Jesus has done and leaves it up to Jesus to forgive us if we are willing to admit to our faults and ask Him to forgive us. If we don’t ask, we don’t get...
Points to Ponder:
Do you remember all the things you have done wrong?
Will you allow Jesus to present you blameless to God?
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February 27: Leviticus 19:9-10
Key Verse: Leviticus 19:9
When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.
Devotion:
When God laid down the rules about sacrificing, He was making sure there was equality for all – unlike many governments nowadays! The people were expected to follow Gods rules and hence ensure the community as a whole would survive and thrive. When He gave commands about sacrifices and reaping He made sure provision was put in place for people who could not afford to live because they had no money!
God still wants us to be fair and to uphold justice; and justice is not all about making sure the laws are followed to the exacting words or ideals of the person in charge. God put the laws in place so everyone would be able to survive, with the rich who had plentiful allowing the poor who had nothing to glean and gather that which was not profitable to gather.
Farmers will try to harvest as much as is practical whilst ensuring their machines and people are kept safe from dangers. If the edge of the field has become to wet and muddy, driving a machine through that part would cause damage to the machine and to the field. By leaving these parts of the field untouched by the harvesting, they are preventing accidental damage and expense but also giving the poor and needy a place where they can manually gather the meagre amounts they may need to survive.
What God may prefer is for us to be able to gather the harvest and share it with the people in need, not just banking everything and making as much money as possible! God was saying these things because He would ensure they had enough to gather and harvest the first time round and also that enough was left for the people in need. But each person had to do their thing!
Points to Ponder:
Do you expect God to supply everything?
Will you work with God instead?
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February 26: Matthew 4:1-11
Key Verse: Matthew 4:11
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Devotion:
When was the last time you gave up on something because it got a bit too hard to carry on? If we are honest we can all admit to giving up before we should, and then carrying on with something else far longer than we should do! Our judgment on things of this world is not always as good as it should be because we are swayed by earthly things as well as emotions and peer pressure!
Jesus probably knew He was going to have to face the evil one at some stage in His human existence, and after fasting for 40 days He was probably at His weakest point of all. I find it hard to fast for a single day, never mind multiple days! But Jesus had put His mind to it and knew God was going to look out for Him – not to see if God would look after Him!
The evil one approached Jesus and tried to get Him to tempt God or to perform a miracle for Himself so He could eat. Jesus was not going to give in to the temptations which the devil would throw at Him! Just when you think things are at their worst, the evil one may well approach you in some manner and try to dig a little more out of you; not because he wants to see you suffer, because he wants to see if he can tempt God into doing things!
Jesus did not call out to God during this visit and certainly was not going to give in to the temptations or peer pressure being exerted on Him by the devil! Instead Jesus stuck up for God by upholding the scriptures and reminding the evil one of the truth. When the devil could stand it no more he demanded Jesus should worship him instead! Seeing right through that Jesus reminded him of the commandments to serve God alone, the very one he had broken to be cast out of heaven!
Points to Ponder:
Do you give in too easily?
Will you trust God a bit more like Jesus did?