March 26: Hosea 6:1-3
Key Verse: Hosea 6:1
Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.
Devotion:
How many times have you commented on how God has done something to you or has allowed something to happen to you – you know, like blaming God for something bad in your life! Whilst I cannot remember doing so outwardly for as long as I can remember, I do know I have thought such thoughts inwardly!
These are the words of Hosea the prophet who was sent to try and talk some sense into the people of Israel, or Ephraim & Judah as they were known to some. The words are saved here for us to show how the people had lost their faith and trust in God and were blaming God for what was happening in their lives – something which is all to easy when we are in troubled times!
But just how much of it is down to whom? When we take a step back and get things into context, we will see so much proof and witness to the fact God does not let anyone down and remains the one constant in our lives. So why do bad things happen? Take a look around you and tell me what you see? Do you see a bunch of people working to make your life better, or do you see a bunch of people trying to make their own lives better and not always thinking about others?
We are constantly competing in this world and, sadly, many people don’t think of others but focus on themselves. When they do that, someone has to lose out. If we continue to try and follow what God has encouraged us to do, we will be obeying His will in our lives but could well be going against what some people want. They then turn against us, maybe without realising it, and we get into trouble; not because of God, but in spite of Him.
Points to Ponder:
Do you blame God when things go bad?
Do you realise where the bad things come from?
March 25: Hebrews 10:4-10
Key Verse: Hebrews 10:9
Then he said, ‘Here I am, I have come to do your will.’ He sets aside the first to establish the second.
Devotion:
I think this is one of the more poignant places in the bible which talks about the end of animal sacrifices in the face of Jesus sacrificing His own life for us. When the people of Israel were taken out of Egypt to follow God’s direction, they had many laws and rules put in place to guide them and to focus their hearts and minds. Is it right God should have set such hard laws, laws which could not possibly be met by mankind?
I put it to you we would never have been convinced if our ancestors would have had an easy life after being in captivity for such a long time. I put it to you God knew what we needed to refocus our minds and hearts. I certainly was not alive in the days when the people of Israel faced such hardships in the desert, so I cannot hope to understand their plight. But what I do understand is having strict rules to follow…
In boarding school we were always told how harsh our lives were by our peers who were not boarding; they could not understand how we put up with the rules and regulations we lived within. What I have learned from those days is that we were much more disciplined and could achieve more without having to be told what to do all the time.
God opened the gates by allowing Jesus to come and lay His life down for us. I fear many people have taken this too lightly and do not have a proper grasp on the seriousness of what Jesus went through. I cannot compare my boarding school life to what Jesus faced, but I can understand the difference between living a life within very strict rules to living a life of freedom and plenty.
Points to Ponder:
Do you have a blessed life?
Will you give some proper thought to what Jesus went through?
March 24: Jeremiah 7:21-26
Key Verse: Jeremiah 7:23
but I gave them this command: obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.
Devotion:
God spoke very specific words to Jeremiah so he would tell the people the truth about what they were are were not doing in their lives. The people were still in disarray after they left Egypt and their rulers; even though Moses had given them so much direction and confirmation about how God loved them, they still chose to not believe and to not obey. Why? Because they were not facing so much hardship in their lives!
When we face hardships it makes us think about what we are doing and what is happening around us. We tend to see a whole lot clearer; but there are also times when we get lost in our thoughts, in our sorrow and in the feeling we carry around because of this. Jeremiah had the task of opening up the hearts and minds of the people by telling them what God was trying to get through to them.
How frustrating it must be for God when He faces a people who will not listen and will not obey. A people who don’t trust what God is telling them, a people who question everything because they cannot get their hearts and minds around what is happening! God does not necessarily want us to understand everything, but He does want us to listen to Him and obey Him!
God has this plan for each of us and unless we are willing to go along with the plan, we will be fighting against what it is He has planned for us. Sound so simple doesn’t it – but for us it is hard to let go of the worldly things which surround us and to place our full hope and trust in God! This is the task Jeremiah had in front of him – to try and persuade the people what they had been doing wrong and to turn away from their own imaginings and trust God.
Points to Ponder:
How often do you ignore good advice?
Will you try to listen carefully to God’s advice?
March 23: Matthew 5:17-19
Key Verse: Matthew 5:19
Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practises and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Devotion:
How do you feel about the Old and New Testaments? Do you regard them as opposites, different eras, ancient and new, the old laws and the new laws… Jesus reminds us here He did not come to replace the law, redo the laws, change the laws or anything else as drastic as that! He came to fulfil the scriptures. God gave the scriptures to the prophets and kings during those years so they would pass on those laws to each generation.
Jesus came to finish the scriptures – to make them come to life! He did not come to upturn the laws or to show them to be too old or ancient. He came to show us they are real and they need to be remembered and continue to be passed down from generation to generation. Even though we live in a modern world nowadays, does not mean any of the scriptures have run their course or have come to the end of their life!
Jesus came to show He was the fulfilment of the scriptures. He came to bring them to life by showing people He lived by them and He upheld them. He continues here in these verses to remind us we need to carry on upholding the scriptures. They don’t tell us of an age which should be forgotten, but an age where mankind tried his best to fulfil them, only to find out we can not do that by ourselves. We do need Jesus as the fulfilment of the laws so we can move forward instead of being caught up in laws we cannot hope to keep!
We are sinners and we need someone or something to be the sacrifice for our sins. God started telling us He did not want to continue having to accept innocent animals as the sacrifice because Jesus would be the perfect and permanent sacrifice for all of us. This is why we need to continue on and tell people about this good news. We need to try our best to keep and commandments and not just to try and remember them! This is what God wants!
Points to Ponder:
Do you break the rules now and again?
Do you accept Christ as the sacrifice for your sins?