June 6: 1 Kings 17:1-6
Key Verse: 1 Kings 17:6
The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
Devotion:
This is another of the amazing stories I love in the bible where Elijah tells Ahab there is going to be no more rain or dew until Elijah says so! Can you imagine what went through Ahab’s mind – he probably laughed it off in the beginning as a useless threat, but when there was indeed no more rain, he would have sought Elijah’s head! God had forewarned Elijah and sent him to hide far away from everyone east of Jordan where God would send ravens to bring food for Elijah.
God sent him to camp near a ravine where a brook would supply him with water; a ravine where nobody normally would visit and hence nobody would know to bring him food. So Elijah was going to be 100% dependant on God for his food. Yes he would have lasted a while with no food, but this was going to be for a longer term than normal. God had to hide Elijah there until Ahab realised there was not going to be any rain to feed the crops and supply their water.
The first lesson we should take away from this is how we should rely on God for everything in our lives. If He is asking you to go somewhere or to do something for Him, then we should be willing to listen and obey no matter how hard we think it may be. Just maybe He is lining up the ravens to take care you you – obviously it may not be ravens per say, but He is going to ensure you can do what He asks!
This also brings up another valuable lesson though, and that is to take what support He gives you with open arms. The first time I heard this story I was a bit taken back by Elijah eating anything ravens brought him. I have seen what crows and ravens do to road-kill and that is what went through my mind! But this was the difference between life and death for Elijah – and what God supplies is good enough for everyone!
Points to Ponder:
Do you shy away from God’s requests because you find them difficult?
Will you trust God to make it possible?
June 5: Acts 2:5-13
Key Verse: Acts 2:13
Some, however, made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine.’
Devotion:
How many times have people made fun of you because you are doing something for God? It seems like the more I do for God the more I meet people who want to make fun of me or the work just because they don’t have a clue what’s going on! This is one of mankind's defence mechanisms… to make light of something when we don’t understand it so we will not look like we don’t understand!
Jesus probably met many people who tried to make fun of Him and the work He was doing; but He also met a whole lot of people who were important in society who were out to kill Him! Jerusalem was a place where many people met up; this happens in most big cities, people from all walks in life and different countries meet up or mix together. If a street performer is singing in one language, people who understand that language often gather round to hear what’s going on.
The same was happening here, people could hear their own language being spoken and they gathered round to find out more… The big difference here is that each person heard the disciples speaking in their own languages instead of the language of the disciple. There must have been people who could speak multiple languages there to hear what was going on.
This is not normal for humans! This is normal for God because nothing is impossible with God. If we listen to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to guide us, we will be able to do many things we thought not possible to start with. I used to think I was pretty terrible at talking to teenagers because I struggled with bringing up my own – but when God asked me to teach the teens, I was and am able to reach them with God’s Word!
Points to Ponder:
Are you put off by what other people say about you?
Will you trust God and listen to what the Holy Spirit wants from you?
June 4: John 21:20-23
Key Verse: John 21:23
Because of this, the rumour spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?’
Devotion:
Have you ever got the wrong side of a story? Have you ever misunderstood what someone is trying to say to you? I’m sure we all have got things wrong at some stage or another – the disciples were no different as we can see here. They were pre-occupied with finding the identity of the disciple who would betray Jesus and were almost at the point of blaming each other.
Jesus’ answer to this was to tell them it was of no concern to them whom the guilty party was. If the true identity of Judas had got out before this, he may have ended up being mugged or entrapped before he could accomplish what was prophesied in the scriptures. Jesus wanted to make sure God’s word continued to be accurate all the way to the end – no matter what would happen! The disciples started thinking Jesus’ words would mean the guilty one would live forever; not what Jesus said at all.
We need to be careful about listening to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If we go off on a tangent and do something He is not asking us to do, we are fulfilling our own desires and not God’s wishes. We need to stop and listen carefully. Then we need to take what we think we heard and compare it with what else we have in our bibles to see if it is in line with God’s wishes. If the disciples had stopped to think they would have realised God would not want anyone to live forever knowing they have gone against God!
If you think God is trying to get your attention or He is trying to get you to do something different, compare what you are hearing or thinking against what we know to be the truth from our Bibles. If the two do not match up or at least line up, then it is unlikely God is calling us to do that!
Points to Ponder:
Do you stop and listen when someone talks to you?
Do you stop and listen to God?
June 3: Acts 25:13-21
Key Verse: Acts 25:21
But when Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.’
Devotion:
When you are asked to do something, how do you go about starting? Do you try to find the easiest way forward, or the hardest way forward so you will not have to end up doing it? Do you maybe try to find someone else to do the work for you? When we get asked to do things in our everyday lives, we often find ways we can change the way we do the work to either make it easier or to get someone else to do the work for us… It seems to be in our nature to do these things!
Paul was caught in between a rock and a hard place (and English saying) meaning if he chose one way he would have to face the Pharisees and Sadducees again, or he would have to face the Roman law which was know to be quite harsh at times. Paul appealed to Festus to see if he could get his case heard by Caesar! Talk about aiming high!
We may think this was a bit much, but when God asks you to do something, you should be willing to go all the way to try and achieve the goal set before you. This may take you way out of your comfort zone – we do like to stick to what we know and to what we think we can achieve… Let us not forget God knows us better than we do. He knows what we are capable of because He is not blinkered by our fears and worries…
Festus was the man in charge; and yet he chose to bring this before King Agrippa because he was not confident he would do the right thing. This is quite normal for us human beings! We do doubt ourselves and we do like to consult others if we think we are not up to the task… we should be consulting God and listening to the Holy Spirit at times like this!
Points to Ponder:
Who do you go to for advice?
Will you ask and listen to the Holy Spirit for some advice today?