December 25: Isaiah 9:2-7
Key Verse: Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Devotion:
Hind-sight is always the best sight to have… but what about the people who lived during the times of the Old Testament, couldn’t they see their Messiah was going to come, be born to a virgin and be the Saviour of the world? It’s easy to look back and see the truth but when you are living during the times you get side-tracked by so many things in life!
This happens in all walks in life and we can rabbit on about how they should have known, but if we accept the truth and realise we are in the same boat now, we could move forward instead of being left behind!
My prayers and thoughts go out to all those people who are living in troubled areas or troubled times because they are the ones who will not be able to see the joy of Christmas because of all the things in their lives which are bashing at the door! We were in the same boat a couple of years back when my Dad passed away before Christmas – the only thing which kept us going was God’s Word and His great love for us. No matter what happened we could always see what God was doing in our lives…
I pray all are able to see God’s great love and rich blessings, especially during rough times. I pray God will continue to open people’s hearts to those who are in need or just need a shoulder to cry on. God is always with us and it is surprising how much we can gain from trusting Him during rough times.
Points to Ponder:
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, prince of peace...
I pray you do see God’s love and have a love-filled Christmas x
December 24: Acts 13:16-26
Key Verse: Acts 13:26
Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.
Devotion:
When was the last time you sat down and looked back over the things which have happened in your life? Have you tried to go back further through time to look at your ancestors and others? It may amaze you to see how much God has done in this world which ultimately affects your life.
Paul stood up and motioned to the people around him so they would stop and listen intently. He wanted to make sure they all heard what he was going to say and thought about it. There is nothing worse than trying to tell a story when nobody is paying attention!
God has been on the brunt of this sort of thing for many years, and yet He continues to bring forward His Word hoping we will take the time to stop and listen. He wants us to take account of what has happened in our lives and in the lives of the people who have come before us so we realise just how much He is doing to get our attention!
How about reading a bit of the Old Testament and looking back to see how many times God tried to get the attention of the people. He did this so that we will all listen, not just the people at the time. The stories we have in our Bibles list all God has done and are there to encourage us to trust in Him and believe what He is saying!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like history?
Do you realise you are a part of history?
December 23: 2 John 1:4-6
Key Verse: 2 John 1:6
And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
Devotion:
Do you believe in God? Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you believe in the Holy Spirit? A lot of people will answer yes to all of these questions, but still go about a life which many will question as being Christian! When Jesus invited those men to be disciples, it was not just to learn the scriptures and to do everything He asked of them… He wanted them to make disciples too...
As I was growing up and growing in the Lord I learned many things as I studied the Bible covering all aspects – or at least I thought it was all aspects. The more you get to believe in Christ, the more questions you ask yourself and the more you seek out the answers. This is the essence of believing in Christ. He does not want you to blindly do everything He commands without thinking of the ramifications and consequences of all we say and do.
Part of your life with Christ should be to love one another. This is not limited to people you know who also go to church or who also believe in Christ. Jesus wants you to step forward and to reach out to more people, not just to be a bible basher and tell them all about Christ but to love and nurture them and bring them closer to loving and trusting Christ the way you do.
The more you get to love Christ the more you want to love the people around you and the more you want to share Him with everyone. This is what being a Christian is all about – not just obeying rules and regulations...
Points to Ponder:
How do you act in front of other people?
Do you reach out to them with an open heart?
December 22: 1 Samuel 1:24-28
Key Verse: 1 Samuel 1:28
So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he shall be given over to the Lord.’ And he worshipped the Lord there.
Devotion:
There are some places in the bible which many of us struggle with; this is probably one of them too! Elkanah had two wives, one called Penennah and the other called Hannah. Peninnah had children from the marriage, but Hannah did not. She was distraught and one day prayed to God in earnest asking for a son; in return she was willing to give him to the Lord...
I can tell you from experience it is a terrible thing to be faced with the possibility of having to give up on a child! Both of my children were in critical care in hospital when they were very young – somehow you can face that and accept whatever the outcome. But later I was faced with having them taken away from me during my divorce – that I could not accept!
And yet, Hannah was willing to give her child back to God if she was able to have one after she prayed such words. Eli, the priest, assumed she was drunk because she was praying so earnestly it showed outwardly. When he found out she was praying with such emotion he blessed her and I’m sure asked God to fulfil her prayers after that!
When the time came and the boy was weaned, Hannah took him to the temple and literally gave him into God’s care to the priest, the same one who had assumed she was drunk! That must have been one of the hardest things to do!
The moral of this story – be very careful what you pray for because you should live up to any promises you make through prayer!
Points to Ponder:
Have you ever prayer with such passion?
Did you live up to your prayers like God has done for you?