September 10: Luke 6:43-45

Key Verse: Luke 6:44
Each tree is recognised by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn-bushes, or grapes from briers.

Devotion:
The first years of my life, up until late high school years, was spent in Zimbabwe where we were blessed with many different fruits being able to grow abundantly. During my primary school days we had a variety of fruits and vegetables which flourished in our garden; each fruit tree or vegetable was know by what they looked like and by the fruit and vegetables they produced. We did have one odd fruit tree which grew a fruit which looked like a lime, tasted between a lime and a lemon, but was the size of a large coconut! But it was still unique and many got to know of this tree and would ask for spare fruits it gave – I loved to make a special lemonade from it!

If a tree, bush or plant was not taken care of, not watered at the right time, or left to fend for itself, it would often not produce a good harvest and we would have to wait for the next year remembering to take better care of it for a better harvest!

Just like these plants, each of us is unique and also needs care and attention to grow into the best plant and produce the best harvest. If we are left to our own devices we often seek the path of least resistance and get mixed up in things we should not be doing! We do need care and attention to make sure we become the best version of ourselves.

What better caretaker than the King of Kings, Jesus Christ, who is willing and able to make the best of us if we are willing to listen and obey Him. When we do listen and obey, people will see us for the best version we can be; they will see us in a new light which is not shining because we did things for ourselves, but because we listened to Christ and reflected a bit of Him through our lives!

Points to Ponder:
Do you try to be the best version of yourself?

Will you listen to Christ and be a reflection of what He wants for you?

September 9: Luke 6:39-41

Key Verse: Luke 6:41
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

Devotion:
As our country mourns the loss of our Queen, we reflect on a life, not of a untouchable monarch, but of a monarch who gave herself selflessly as a servant to her country and empire. It is not until you genuinely look into her life that you see just how reachable she wanted to be. During her last decade of service we saw more and more of her life with God. She certainly was not blind in her faith but deeply committed to living as a Christian and serving those she promised to serve all her life. We need to take a page out of her book and live our lives faithfully for God so others can be encouraged to seek Him too.

Our Queen was a very learned individual, not just in ways of the Royal Family, but in a very personal and caring way with all she met and learned about. Her life was spent learning about others so she could be the leader she promised to be, a head of state she had committed to be and a Christian above all. Her command of the English language and the knowledge and compassion she learned along the way allowed her to be approachable in most people’s eyes – something which may have been lacking in the history of Royal Families of the past.

Our Queen did not look for the speck of sawdust in other’s eyes but rather tried to help us see we are all vulnerable and all need Christ in our lives to live life to the full.

In the words of The Archbishop of Canterbury “As we grieve together, we know that, in losing our beloved Queen, we have lost the person whose steadfast loyalty, service and humility has helped us make sense of who we are through decades of extraordinary change in our world, nation and society.”

Points to Ponder:
May Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II rest in peace and rise in glory.

September 8: Luke 6:32-36

Key Verse: Luke 6:33
And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.

Devotion:
One of the hardest lessons I learned out on the mission field was to show love to others even though they may being hostile to you. There is no way others are going to trust you if you do one thing and say another thing – so starting by showing love and support to others before you expect anything back has got to be the first step!

Jesus did not wait for mankind to be nice to Him before He came to give His life. He came to give His life for us knowing we are doing things wrong and knowing we did not show Him the correct love and respect. Through that action by Jesus we know He loves us and we know He does not expect anything before showing that love.

This is the example we need to follow – we need to show love, compassion and respect to others so they know we are being genuine with what we say because we follow that us with actions and not just words. Jesus wants us to go out to be disciples – this means going out into the sinful world and showing people there is love and hope through Christ and His actions.

If you are able to show love to you enemies they may think differently of you because of your actions. How far do we go? How can we love our enemies? We need to do what Jesus did and show them respect and support even though they are labelled as our enemies...

Points to Ponder:
How do you treat others?

Will you try to love everyone instead of choosing who to love?