September 19: John 14:1-9
Key Verse: John 14:2
My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?
Devotion:
As the United Kingdom comes together for the funeral of our late Queen Elizabeth II, our hearts are mourning the loss of our Queen but our spirits should be celebrating the fact Her Majesty is now with our Lord Jesus Christ. These words recorded by John remind us God has had a plan all along to ensure we will be taken care of. Jesus told the disciples they would have places which are already being prepared for them, just as you and I will have too.
The faith of our late Queen stood out as a beacon to us all to remember Jesus Christ is watching over each one of us. Over the last few days we have remembered God has a special place in His heart for the poor and lonely, not because they are more special than the rich and famous, but because they have led lives which are so far removed from the lives of the rich and famous and will be rejoicing in a new life alongside the rich and famous who have trusted in Christ as we have.
When our time comes to be called home by Christ, we will all join one another in a place which Christ has prepared for us. We will no longer be constrained by the limitations of our physical and socio-economical world we live in, but will all be children of God together.
We cannot hope to comprehend the life which awaits us because it will be so very different from the physical lives we currently live. Christ has prepared a place where we will no longer have to fear anything, where we will no longer have to conform to the greed and pride of others in this world. This is the special place we call Heaven, a place where those who have gone before us are already enjoying!
Points to Ponder:
Do you fear what lies ahead after death?
Will you trust Christ to prepare a special place for you too?
September 18: Amos 8:4-7
Key Verse: Amos 8:4
Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land,
Devotion:
When the people of Israel lost their way or went after other things instead of God, God sent prophets to come and give dire warnings to the people to give them every chance at turning away from their evil ways and to turn back to God… It didn’t always work at first because the people had become proud in many ways, proud of their own ideas and proud of the way they did things – mostly when they found they could make money or gain riches by doing things other than what God had asked for!
We still do things like that nowadays – we seek after riches and ways in which we can gain riches instead of following God’s righteous ways and living with Christ in our lives. We still get caught up in our pride and greed and we still (mankind as a whole) run after riches instead of following God’s ways.
Amos was given this stern message to remind the people God does not miss anything and remembers everything we do! There is no sin which He does not see and none He will forget on their own. It is only when we turn back to Him and ask Christ to forgive our sins that we can safely have them removed from our record – in which case God will not hold on to them!
God wants us to see what we gain in our lives and to help those around us who are in need, especially when they need something we are gaining. If we can help others and we withhold that help, then we are working against God because these are Gods people! God looks out for the poor and needy – if we reject them, we are working against God!
Points to Ponder:
What riches do you have in your life?
Can you bless others with those riches?
September 17: Luke 8:4-15
Key Verse: Luke 8:15
But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
Devotion:
I don’t know how many times I have heard the parable of the sower, but it was not until I understood a bit more about our spiritual lives did I begin to understand what it was all about. In the beginning I understood the part where the word of God is given to all, but not everyone would believe or understand it. It was the spiritual aspect I was missing out on!
I don’t think enough emphasis is placed on understanding our spiritual lives and so many miss out on what it is all about. When people gain understanding of the bible and how we must spread the gospel, they understand enough to make a choice to believe the words or now, but the deep and personal connection we can get through The Spirit is not understood by all.
When we do physical things to gain an understanding of the bible, we gain physical understanding; it is not until we open ourselves up to a spiritual connection with God that we will gain a spiritual understanding about our lives with God. With that spiritual understanding comes a whole new life with God, the real peace and joy comes through this spiritual connection with Him.
Yes it can sound daunting, opening our most inner beings to a connection with God! We all like our physical protection from houses and other people. But opening ourselves up to something which cannot be bound by anything physical it a whole new area in our lives we may struggle to contend with. With this spiritual connection comes a whole new life with Christ!
Points to Ponder:
How willing are you to open up totally in a new relationship?
Are you willing to open up fully with your relationship with Christ?
September 16: Luke 8:1-3
Key Verse: Luke 8:3
Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
Devotion:
How often do you think of just the twelve disciples following Jesus around when you look back at what Jesus did on earth? Have you ever thought about the logistics of the whole thing about Jesus being here? Nowadays we would probably look for Bed & Breakfast if we were staying away from home, or hire an Air BnB place to stay for a while, and that is after we have hired a car to drive there and back or wherever we are going!
Back then it would be a very different lifestyle. They would have had to walk everywhere and they would have had to go round asking for places to stay because there was no Internet through which you could look and book ahead of time. No phones to call a friend. Then there was the issue of what to eat and how to prepare the food… no takeaways and no services where you can phone up and order any food you like! There would not have been electricity or gas to cook on – you’d have to go around and collect wood to burn in a fire to cook on!
Now, the disciples where a mixture of fishermen, a doctor, a tax collector to name a few – none of them were innkeepers, cooks or in the catering trade! I don’t think they would know how to do much other than light a fire and cook a fish on it!
But it wasn’t just the disciples. There were several women who had joined them on the journey. Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna are named here. They each had their own lives to lead and their own tasks they would normally be doing; but each one had made a choice to change their lifestyle and support Jesus and the disciples in their own way – and out of their own pockets too! They chose to worship Christ in their own ways!
Points to Ponder:
How do you worship Christ?
Have you ever thought about worshipping Him with your skills?