October 17: Ephesians 2:1-10
Key Verse: Ephesians 2:3
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
Devotion:
Many people are put off of religion when they see a statement like this which calls us sinners and makes us feel bad. But this is the end result of reading the Word of God. The scriptures were given to us so we may know what we are doing wrong. Again, many people thinks it stops there because they are ‘bad people’ but what Christ has done for us has set us free from the blame and the punishment we deserve from our sins.
If we try to live our lives without God, we begin to see the things in life which look good because they make some others happy. If we continue to watch those people we will see that happiness does not last too long because they begin to see the error of their ways and sink into a pit of despair.
God saw we were not able to get out of this rut by ourselves and so allowed Jesus to come down to earth and pay for the sins we have done with His own life. Because Jesus had done nothing wrong and was blameless, He was offered up as a perfect sacrifice for our wrongdoings. Just as God had demanded sacrifices without blemish, Jesus stepped forward as the sacrifice without a blemish once and for all!
It is not anything we are able to do which will make us ‘not guilty’ for our sins. It is what Jesus did for us in our stead. It is because of the grace of our Lord we are able to stand up and say we are not guilty!
Points to Ponder:
How many laws have you broken in the bible?
Jesus made it so you are not guilty for every single one of them!
October 16: Luke 18:1-8
Key Verse: Luke 18:7
And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
Devotion:
Can you remember how you used to ask for things when you were younger? I have been told on many occasions how I would bother my parents time and time again when I wanted something – repeatedly asking until I either got into trouble or got what I was asking for!
Jesus tells us here how we should be willing to continue asking for things – not in an unjust or greedy way, but in a righteous manner. This widow made a point of continuing to beg for justice from the judge. Time and time again she would come back and make a point of asking for justice to the point where the judge thought she would become angry in the end and may even threaten him – so he gave in to the widow.
Now God has told us we should be able to ask anything of Him and Jesus reminded us when He was amongst us on earth. This promise to answer us and to give justice continues to stand for us. This is a promise from God. He wants us to be willing to continually ask for justice in our lives. When we give up asking, are we giving up on His promise to answer us with justice?
Trust God is going to answer your calls for justice & continue asking for it through the power of Jesus’ name. This is what Jesus told us and continues to remind us through His Word and through the Holy Spirit. If we are willing to do this, He is more willing to give us justice than this judge was for the widow. Ask and you shall receive.
Points to Ponder:
How often do you ask for things through prayer?
Will you trust He will answer and keep on asking?
October 15: Luke 12:8-12
Key Verse: Luke 8:12
for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.’
Devotion:
One of the big worries I had when I was in high school and in university was standing up in front of loads of people and having to talk about something; something we had to do both in high school and in university! This is also something a lot of Christians worry about – how do I tell other people about God...
Jesus started out by reminding us of our need to acknowledge Him in front of others. This does not necessarily mean standing up in front of a full church building and talking about God; it can mean simply going to church. By going to church you are acknowledging you believe in God. Others will see you go to church and will know you have some sort of belief or relationship with God. By letting them know you have a relationship and not just going to church gives them a more positive understanding.
If you are going to sneak out and go to church without telling your friends because you don’t want to get laughed at or mocked, then you are actively denying God in your life. Not a choice you would probably make knowing what you are actually doing! God wants us to share the truth with others so they can have something to look forward to.
Then Jesus reminds us He has left the Holy Spirit with us so we will not be left to fend for ourselves when someone asks us about God. I learned this whilst going to Christians camps as a leader – trusting the Holy Spirit to give you the right things to say always worked for me. If I got into a tight corner and didn’t know what to say, I would say so and take the young people to see a more senior leader who may have the answers or would at least point me in the right direction so I would trust the Holy Spirit again to find out the truth!
Points to Ponder:
Who do you turn to for knowledge or courage?
Will you stop and listen out for the Holy Spirit next time?
October 14: Luke 12:1-7
Key Verse: Luke 12:4
‘I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.
Devotion:
How many times have you heard someone say something which should sound profound but you end up being confused by what they say? I’m sure the people around Jesus had many times like this, not because Jesus wanted to confuse anyone but simply because they could not relate to what He was saying!
Jesus took this opportunity to say these things when the disciples were being surrounded by a pressing crowd who were beginning to trample on each other just so they could get close to Him. Jesus wanted to be able to allow people to understand what He was saying, but He also knew there were people in the crowd who had no intention of finding out the truth.
Jesus was warning the disciples of the devil who would do anything he could to get the people to turn against God in any way he could. The crowd of people pushing to get close to Jesus could well crush others and even the disciples, but that is all they could do! The devil and his minions can go a lot further and persuade us to walk away from Jesus and give up our lives for greed and other strange reasons.
God thinks a whole lot more of us than He does of the things in nature we see Him looking after all the time. We are more important to Him than the nature around us! He know every detail about each one of us because of His deep interest in us. He warns us that what we say in private may well get out into the public and ruin us if we are not careful – we see this happening far too much in the political world at the moment because people have become lax in the way they care for others as well as themselves.
Points to Ponder:
How much do you care about Christ?
Are you willing to be careful so others can find the truth?