April 4: John 11:38-44
Key Verse: John 11:40
Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’
Devotion:
Can you imagine what was going through the people’s minds when Jesus told them to remove the stone which was laid across the tomb entrance? For them to act like they did, they must have known the smell of rotting flesh – something which does not leave you; much worse still when it is human flesh!
But it’s not about the morbid side of things I want us to think about now; the faith and belief in Christ is what I want us to remember. Before this moment, people were believing Jesus could heal them and do other miracles, but to bring a body back from the early stage of decomposition was something else – something they could not get their heads around.
When we see an obstacle in front of us which we can’t get our heads round, all belief crumbles and we start looking back to the physical word and science in general. What Jesus wanted everyone to see was the real power of God – power which could do the impossible, power which could go against what they though was scientifically impossible.
It does take a big step of faith on our behalf to believe in something like this. It takes a lot of faith because it is something we have never seen before. Jesus knew the limits of the hearts and minds of the people around Him, so He wanted them to see what true faith and belief could do. His faith in God the Father was absolute and He wants our faith to start to aim at heights like that too!
Points to Ponder:
What are the limits of your faith?
Are you willing to take an extra step of faith today?
April 3: Isaiah 43:16-21
Key Verse: Isaiah 43:18
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
Devotion:
Here is one of those things which is said, you know it is true, but you have difficulty doing what it says! When we started up our youth ministry, we chose this section of passage because of the hope it gives us that we have something new to look forward to. It may not seem like it when you are in the think of trouble, but we can always look forward to something new. At the very least it is the new beginning we are going to receive in Heaven; but more often it is something just round the corner...
I have always had difficulty letting go of things in the past because, more often than not, I put everything into the present and hope for the future. Yes, very optimistic some will say, but after seeing how God answers prayers over and over again, I know I have always got something to look forward to – be it tomorrow or a decade from now!
When we are in troubled times, all we see is the trouble which surrounds us – like being at sea in a storm. All we can see is the next wave coming to crash into the boat. But when the waters are calm, we can see for miles in all directions! Our lives are going to be like this, sometimes it will be clear sailing and we will see everything in a beautiful light. Sometimes it will be as if we are in the middle of a storm and we see wave after wave and nothing more.
But, every storm will pass and once again the sea will be calm. It is during the calm times we need to continue focusing on God so we can steer towards the land in the distance. He wants to show us which direction to turn to, but we have to be willing to stop and listen. God is Good!
Points to Ponder:
Do you focus on the stormy season?
Will you look forward to the spring and summer instead?
April 2: John 7:45-52
Key Verse: John 7:48
Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?
Devotion:
Just because someone does not do what you want and the way you want it done, doesn't make them wrong! All of us like to be in control of our own destiny, so we like to think we are in control of the things happening around us; which often means we want everything to go exactly as we want. When things don’t go according to our plan, we think of them as being wrong!
We don’t have to look very far to see this happening all around us nowadays. We can read about this in our bibles as people set about fighting each other just because they believed differently from each other. We can ready all throughout history how this has shaped and destroyed nations! We can watch it unfolding on our doorsteps in Europe today!
Jesus knew people would fight each other. He knew religious factions would fight each other. He knew the Pharisees would cause a lot of bother just because they wanted the people to follow the laws as described by them – how else would they stay in power and in control? This is the thing; when people sense power or control over others, they start overstepping the mark until they are no longer fully in control because the greed has taken over instead.
God wants us to hear the truth and to uphold the truth. He wants us to set aside the personal feelings and desires we have and try to ensure the truth is told first and foremost. When Nicodemus dared to support Jesus, the rest of the Pharisees shouted him down and supposed he was colluding with Jesus just because he said one thing in support of Him!
Points to Ponder:
Do you uphold you own words, or support God’s words?
Will you set aside your desires and pick up the mantle to follow Christ?
April 1: John 7:25-31
Key Verse: John 7:27
But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.
Devotion:
How many times have you been sure you knew the truth about something, only to find out a short while later what you knew was not quite right? The more we think we are sure the more we overlook the clues and the more we get entangled in the untruth! Jesus could see how confused the people were because they had become sure they would not know the Messiah – what they did not understand was they would not know where He really came from...
The people had got to know who Mary was and who Jesus was. He was the carpenters son, a human boy born to a mother outside of wedlock… or at least that is what they saw and focused on, leaving the truth out of the equation all together. They did not know the true Father of Jesus because they saw Joseph as the man.
Jesus started to allow people to see the truth; firstly by telling them here He was the Son of God in a round about way. If He had come out with the words, everyone would have tried to punish Him because it would have been seen as blasphemous! Jesus knew the time was not yet right for Him to open the people’s eyes to the absolute truth, so He slipped away while they were in disarray over the statement.
But the people who were willing to listen to the truth and accept it for what it was, saw something very special – they saw the man who was the Messiah, the Saviour who had come to save them once and for all. The people who believed in Jesus because to realise the extent of the miracles He was doing and the truth He was allowing them to hear.
Points to Ponder:
Do you get too tied up in life to stop and see the truth?
Will you take a moment to reflect of what Jesus is doing in your life?