May 18: Acts 15:1-6
Key Verse: Acts 15:5
Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.’
Devotion:
I wonder, have you ever been in a religious organisation which said you have had to do something physical in order to be saved or forgiven? Maybe you have been told you had to go to a priest and ask to be forgiven? Maybe you have been told you had to be baptised before you could get to heaven. Maybe you have been told you had to change your life before God would forgive you...
If any of the above have ever been told to you, then I would question the motives of the people telling you these things. God does not require any physical thing or event in order for you to be forgiven. I am not talking about you physically asking Christ to forgive you, but rather any third party having to be involved in order for it to be valid. Jesus did not require this; His requirement for us is to believe in what He has done for us – as long as we mean it in our hearts, God will hear us and forgive us.
The Pharisees had a whole string of laws which had to be followed in order for men to be forgiven. This was set down by God to show mankind we would never be able to keep to those laws, we would break one or some of them at some stage. Christ came to set us free from the physical laws; although He would rather we do keep His commandments, we all fall short of the mark.
When the Pharisees came to the apostles and laid down the requirement the Gentiles would have to be circumcised just as the Jews were, they went away to think about it. They did not flatly reject the idea and did what they could to break down the rift which was being built up here. God does not want us to rebel against everything but to listen and discuss things; opening up God’s Word and allowing people to make the choice as to what they want to do is what Jesus was promoting. Jesus did not promote breaking the laws – He kept them!
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel like you are not worthy because you have done something wrong?
Will you simply ask Christ to forgive you in your heart?
May 17: John 14:27-31
Key Verse: John 14:28
‘You heard me say, “I am going away and I am coming back to you.” If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
Devotion:
Jesus did not explain every step of what was about to happen to the disciples, He simply told them He was going back to Heaven but would return… They had to have faith their Christ would come back to them, and that faith was going to be tested to the ultimate over the next while!
How many times have you said goodbye to a friend or family when they go off to either live somewhere else, or go on a long break? If it was family and they were moving around the world, you may well be upset you will not see them for a while, but you still believe you will see them at some stage again. I have seen my brother go to live and work in various parts of the world, but each time I still knew I was going to see them again – even if it took several years!
Jesus wanted the disciples, and us, to have faith in His return, and after that, to have faith in Him being there for us no matter what – even if He is in Heaven and we are on earth. We still have Him watching over us and being with us in Spirit instead of in body. The Holy Spirit is always with us and always guides us the best way forward. If we listen and obey, we head toward the best solution… if we don’t listen and try to fix things ourselves, we tend to mess us more often than not!
Jesus started these words out with some direct encouragement – to not be afraid or troubled, because He was telling the truth and He knew this is what Father God wanted. When we stick to God’s ways, we will see why He wants us to do what He is asking… we may get worried as we don’t understand, but He has told us it will be OK and wants us to trust and believe. Don’t get trapped by worldly limits and science because God is not bound by either of those!
Points to Ponder:
Do you know Christ will return?
Are you listening to the Holy Spirit?
May 16: Acts 14:5-7
Key Verse: Acts 14:5
There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to ill-treat them and stone them.
Devotion:
One thing Jesus warned the disciples about was the way they would be treated badly just because they were trying to spread the gospel; the same continues to be true all over the world for Christians and many other religions too. When a religion looks like it is gaining popularity and may start causing instability in the local governing powers, people start to object because they are taught to do so.
It is not normally the case people will object because it is the true way they feel, rather it is the way they have been conditioned to believe by the local powers that be. This could be the local government, or it could be another religion… People always want to be on the winning side and having to face someone who may overthrow the winning side can be dis-concerting for some; especially governing people.
In this case the Jews and the Gentiles were working together because it looked like the disciples were gaining too much ground too quickly. The corrupt leaders from both Jewish people and the Gentiles were supporting each other so they could stay in power and the disciples would not gain support – because any support the disciples gained would shine a light on the corruption within the leaders…
It is OK to withdraw or retreat when we are in danger. We do not have to continue facing danger when we could be loving and supporting another community in the name of Christ… as long as we are not running away for the wrong reasons. The disciples knew they could reach many more people with the truth by side-stepping the current situation!
Points to Ponder:
Do you fear what others will say about you being a Christian?
Do you not know Christ said you will face objections just because you believe in Him?
May 15: John 13:31-35
Key Verse: John 13:34
A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
Devotion:
When we start getting too comfortable in our lives as Christians, we may not forget about the commandments God has given us, but we may well start to ignore this commandment Jesus gave us. Jesus was speaking to everyone who was around the table, all of the disciples; I sometimes wonder whether He was trying to get them to remember this more because of what was about to happen...
Jesus follows on these verses by telling Peter he would deny Jesus three times before the morning was broken. But He had also just told them there was one who was about to betray Him. But these words between these two acts must always be remembered by us all. Jesus was telling them to love one another no matter what was about to happen!
We do get upset with people when we think they have done something wrong against us and we may well shun them or even try to get even with them. This is the type of act Jesus is warning us about because, if Jesus had got upset with Peter for denying Him three times, imagine what could have happened to Peter. Instead, Peter continues to be loved and, as prophesied by Jesus, was going to be remembered for many good things instead of the denials.
Jesus showed Judas great love and did not stop him from betraying Him to the Roman soldiers. His love continued even though He knew for a fact Judas was guilty! No matter how far we go in our lives, Christ is always willing to forgive us and to invite us to be with Him in Heaven… no matter what!
Points to Ponder:
How easily do you get upset with others?
Will you try to continue to treat all people equally?