June 19: Luke 8:27-33
Key Verse: Luke 8:33
When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
Devotion:
This is one of those strange stories which makes me stop and think a lot. Each time I try to write about it, I stop and allow myself to hear from the Holy Spirit because of the uncertainty in the way things happened… The demons possessing the man begged Jesus to allow them to enter into the pigs instead of being simply cast out. This is when people start asking questions like “why did Jesus allow that rather than just getting rid of the demons?”
Well, let’s take a look at the character of demons… Are they trustworthy? Are they honest? What would you have done? Jesus showed His compassionate side by allowing them to go into the pigs rather than being cast away; but then the pigs rush off into the lake and drown! I like to think Jesus knew they were going to try and make a run for it and purposely pointed the pigs in the direction of the lake first. The banks were too steep and once they started running, there was only one way it would end!
This should give us a pointer to never trust demons. To never believe what they say and to avoid them at all costs. Allow the professionals to deal with them… and I don’t mean people who make a living out of saying they cast out demons, I’m talking about people who call out to Christ to do the exercising. Christ has the power to do this and He is the one who is looking out for us. If we are willing to believe and trust in Him, then He will be faithful and deliver us from the evil (just as we prayer in The Lord’s Prayer)
Points to Ponder:
Do you trust Christ enough to keep you safe?
Will you place a bit more trust in what He can do for you?
June 18: 2 Chronicles 24:17-19
Key Verse: 2 Chronicles 24:19
Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.
Devotion:
We often think we are safe in our houses or in our countries because we live in a peaceful part of the world; but that is only what is on the surface. If we did deep into our own countries and communities we will see all manner of corruption and greed which leads to many having to go without the things we take for granted. One of those things many Christian take for granted is that God is always going to look after us!
We only have to look back into our history to see how God was tested to the limit by many people over time. Some of those people had to face the consequences of their inaction or of their bad behaviour, whilst others ended up paying for what their parents had done wrong.
After the death of Jehoiada, Joash became the new king. He did not follow what God had continued to ask the people of Judah to do. They rebelled against all of God’s rules and covenants. Instead they started worshipping Asherah poles and idols – not quite sure what made them do that, but it was probably one person who started talking about what could be better if they did something else instead.
The Lord sent prophets to try and bring the people back to worshipping Him but the people continued to ignore them and rebel against God. They made the choice to go against God… We have a choice to make in our own lives, we could just go ahead and ignore all the people who give us advice, or we could choose one person to listen to and follow whatever they say… the wise choice would be to follow the right person who is telling us things which agree with everything God has taught us in the past!
Points to Ponder:
Who do you take advice from?
Does that advice agree with what is in the bible?
June 17: Matthew 6:19-23
Key Verse: Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Devotion:
How come there are rich Christians and poor Christians? Shouldn’t we all be the same so nobody will get treater better than the rest of us? No matter where you look in life, you will always see people who are better off than others and people who are worse off than others; that is how we behave as human beings, never mind Christians.
We can look through the bible and see how some Christians were kings, some were poor and many others were in between those extremes – that is part of life! But what should tell us apart from any other human is how we look at what we have and what we do with what we have. God wants us to do our best to make use of what we have and to treat those around us with respect and dignity.
Some of the richest people in the world are also some of the most generous people in the world; it may not always work like that because there are also many who are truly greedy with their wealth and will not share anything with anyone… what do they have? They have wealth which they cannot use with the very people around them because their greed sets them apart from the rest of us. But those who choose to share what they have or to look after others who do not have enough have a lot more – they have the friendships and partnerships around them with people who are thankful!
God would like us to not just share what we have but to use what we have to help others; and if making more money with the money we have is what is going to help more people, then that is what we should be doing. Wealth can be measured by many things, not just money but love and friendship too!
Points to Ponder:
What do you do with the money you earn?
What will you do to show people God is generous with you?
June 16: John 6:51-58
Key Verse: John 6:52
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’
Devotion:
I have heard many arguments about this subject and I’m pretty sure I will hear many more: what did Jesus mean about His blood and body? We can argue about exactly what Jesus meant but we will never know the exact definition until we see Him face to face – then we can ask Him!
But, despite never knowing, Jesus wants us to have faith to believe what He was telling the people at this time. Each person’s definition may differ but we should all be able to agree on the fact Jesus gave His body and blood for our sakes; if we take that literally or metaphorically or whatever is going to be our choice. Jesus wants us to try to understand what He was saying. To do this we need one of two things: either we should have Jesus in person to explain exactly what He meant, or we should have the one He left behind for us to explain what we need to know!
If we are not going to partake in this feast, we fall short of the mark. But the feast is not physical because that would be gross – Jesus was in Human form! The feast can be the fact Jesus gave it all for you, or us believing what He did was for us, or us celebrating the fact Jesus did this all… etc. But the central point should be we have faith to believe it was all for us!
The Israelites had to have faith to not try and hide away yesterday’s manna but to use it all and wait for God to supply a new batch in the morning. Just like that we need to have faith to trust God is going to supply us with our daily needs no matter what – even if we do not have enough faith to totally trust, we will still see the amazing miracle of His love as needs are fulfilled!
Points to Ponder:
How much of your doubt is because of physical issues?
How much faith are you willing to have that nothing is impossible for God?