September 15: Luke 7:36-50
Key Verse: Luke 7:38
As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
Devotion:
Can you picture this event happening… the Pharisee was a man who had studied the scriptures and thought he knew it all until he met Jesus and saw there was so much more than just the knowledge. He had avoided mixing with sinners and had probably shunned them many a time before. He knew the local people and he knew of this woman’s past and what other people thought of her.
Everything in him was probably wanting to put this woman out of the house and yet Jesus was allowing her to not just come close to Him but to wash His feet with her tears and her hair. She then proceeded to pour the perfume on His newly washed feet. This sort of thing was not normal for ordinary people!
When the Pharisee questioned Jesus’ judgement, Jesus told him a story about two people who were in debt to a money-lender; when they were forgiven their debt, it is supposed the person with the bigger debt would be more thankful. What this was intended to do was to show this woman was giving Jesus everything she had just to be close to Him.
Jesus then turned to the woman and said “your sins are forgiven!” Not only was this unheard of because nobody had the authority to forgive sins at that time, but He also said her faith had saved her and allowed her to go in peace. Jesus had the power to forgive all sins and what He did for us demonstrated clearly we have the ability to have our sins forgiven simply by looking to Him and believing!
Points to Ponder:
How much are you willing to give to be close to Jesus?
Nothing we have is enough to have our sins forgiven except our belief in Christ!
September 14: John 3:13-17
Key Verse: John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Devotion:
I have watched a few of the news channels reporting on the number of people who have lined streets to catch a glimpse of the late Queen Elizabeth II as they drove past. Just about every road the hearse drove down, people were patiently waiting, bowing humbly as it went by. When it came to driving down the streets of London, people stopped their cars and got out – this is on dual carriage ways where there is no stopping allowed; because there was no room for them to park up and make it back to the road in time.
Back in the days of Moses, a statue of a snake was made and the people were told to simply look up at the snake in order to be healed. They had to do a few things: be somewhere where they would be able to see the snake, stop what they were doing and wait for the snake to pass by, and finally to look up at the snake. With that they would be healed and life could go on.
This is what was going to happen to Jesus, He was going to be placed on a cross for everyone to see. The people would have to make a choice to go and see Him, or to at least believe that what He was doing was going to make all the difference. That belief was the important part, the part which would save their lives.
Jesus did not come to condemn us but to give us a way through which we can be saved from our sin debt. He gives us the choice to believe Him and trust Him, or just continue on in our lives and see what happens. We know the right thing to do is to believe in Christ – we have to make that active choice in our lives.
Points to Ponder:
Do you wish to live an eternal life with God?
Will you trust in what Jesus has done for you already?
September 13: Luke 7:11-17
Key Verse: Luke 7:13
When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’
Devotion:
Wherever Jesus went, a large crowd of people was sure to follow, some to worship Him, some to monitor Him, some to see what miracle He would do next, and many other reasons… What the apostle writes about here could be looked as as being just another miracle, but when we look at the events and what is written, we see the real reason behind Jesus’ actions.
A widow had just lost her only son and the funeral cortège was on its way out of the town going to the place appointed for the young man to be buried. Jesus could sense the loss this woman was going through and even the crowd of people who were following the bier which was being used to carry the body. He had great compassion for this woman because He knew it was her only son and knew what she was going through.
Rather than simply comforting her and assuring her the young man would be with God, He went a step further and stopped the people carrying the body. He spoke plainly to the young man and told him to “get up!” With those words, the young man sat up with his life having been fully restored as all around him could plainly see when he sat up and started talking again!
No matter how small and insignificant we think we are, no matter how much we think we do not deserve God’s love and support, Christ shows us there is no end to God’s love and no end to His mercy. With this in mind, never give up hope when the world around you is saying give up. Trust in Christ and allow Him to do what He wills in your life!
Points to Ponder:
Do you hamper God’s will by listening too much to the world around you?
Will you allow Christ to work in your life?
September 12: Psalm 40:7-11
Key Verse: Psalm 40:8
I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.
Devotion:
If God called out audibly for helpers to go and spread the gospel, what would your reaction be? Would you step forward and say “Here I am” as the psalmist writes here? Would your reaction be because it was an audible voice from God and other people heard it too? You see what I am getting at here… sometimes we do things because we want to show others we are doing something, but when nobody else knows about the request, we often stay quiet and do nothing just because it is easier to do that!
God is always asking people to be brave and step forward to do His will. He is not going to shout about it because that would attract people who may not be pure in heart; i.e. they may just be doing it to impress others! We all know God is calling because we have His written word telling us this all the time – what we do with that silent call defines our hearts toward God!
The psalmist knew he was stepping forward because of his love for God. Here he reminds God (who doesn’t actually need reminding, but it’s good to tell God what is on your heart) about how he has been telling others about God in the great assembly. The psalmist is not trying to convince himself, but it telling it how it is. His heart is open and honest.
This is what God looks for in each of us, a humble heart which is willing to listen, and an honest heart which is willing to say here I am and step forward to be there when is counts! God doesn’t want people who say yes and then go back to their old ways; God wants people who will say yes and step forward time and time again to do His will in their lives!
Points to Ponder:
Have you ever said “Here I am, send me” to God?
Are you ready to try and make that commitment?