February 2: Psalm 32:1-5
Key Verse: Psalm 32:5
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Devotion:
If there is one thing which stands out for you in the Old Testament, what would it be? When I first started reading through the Old Testament, the thing which struck me the most was the amount of things which went wrong, the amount of fighting, wars and horrible things happening to people. But as I continued to study the bible, I learned of the reasons for what happened. I don’t pretend to understand it all, but a lot of it had to do with the attitude of the people!
When man first rebelled against God, there had to be put in place limits which would prevent man from going as far as the evil one. If we had continued on in the same way, we would have given ourselves to the devil just to try and stop things happening; it’s our weakness as humans.
But, now, the thing which stands out to me the most is the amount of times God was willing to forgive people and bring them back to Him. I am amazed by the mercy and faithfulness of God; not just saying He would forgive, but forgiving time and time again! Whilst there were consequences for man to live with, God was always willing to forgive. If there were no consequences, might we have continued to sin without measure?
God wants us to walk with Him in our lives, which means trying to avoid sin and trying to follow His instructions. We will fail time and time again, but God will forgive time and time again too. We just have to look back at the consequences for our actions and allow them to persuade us from doing that sin again!
Points to Ponder:
Have you admitted your sins to God?
Will you try to live with His instructions?
February 1: Psalm 86:1-4
Key Verse: Psalm 86:1
Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
Devotion:
When we read through the New Testament stories about how Jesus reached out and healed or helped people, it was normally the poor and needy people who got help! Jesus wanted us to know how valued every single person is, especially those who are poor and needy. It is not the healthy and fit people who need to seek out the assistance from doctors, but the sick and unwell people who need doctors.
David had a good understanding of what God wanted him to do (even though he failed at times) and he tried hard to live up to those things because of his love for God. He learned at an early age how much God answers prayers and how we can depend on Him at time when we need help most of all.
David’s request here is to ask God for assistance in keeping his life on track; these words being penned when king David was not in a good state. Each time he asks God for protection, strength and even wisdom, God answers him and allows David’s faith to continue growing every day.
God wants us to be happy and full of Joy. He wants us to be health and wise. He wants us to lack for nothing… but we really do need to ask for His help and not just assume He will do everything for us! When we start taking God for granted, we see our answered prayers taking longer, our health and wealth going downhill… God wants us to be constantly aware of how much we need Him and how much He cares for us.
Points to Ponder:
How often do you call out to God?
Will you start calling out to Him before you are in dire need?
January 31: Psalm 3:1-8
Key Verse: Psalm 3:6
I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.
Devotion:
The more we face things in life we don’t like, the more we wonder whether God is looking out for us. The more things go wrong, the more we blame others, including God, for the things which are going wrong. Sometimes we just have to stop and accept we live in a world in which things go wrong and people react in ways we don’t expect or like…
If we were all depending on God and listening to God, the world would be a very different place. We would not have to fight. We would not have to face illness. We would be able to love each other like we are supposed to. But we don’t all depend on God and we don’t all listen to Him, never mind obey Him! God knows this and this is why He allowed Jesus to come and be the Saviour, the one who takes on the sin of all the world!
I would not wish illness of any kind on anyone, not even my enemies. I truly cannot understand how people can create poisons or go about designing things which destroy life… but for every person who creates something to save a life, there will probably be someone who is disillusioned and wants to create something to take a life. God knows this of us and has tried to steer us away from harming one another for a very long time!
Yet we do still do things which harm others. Maybe we are trying to save our own life and don’t think of the consequences on other people’s lives. Maybe we are selfish and do anything just to stay safe. God does not work this way and He did not design us to be this way. This is what sin does in our lives and how it destroys us from the inside out. We need something on the inside to clean us and keep us on track!
Points to Ponder:
Do you truly care about others?
Will you allow God to guide you toward a more loving life with others?
January 30: Luke 2:25-35
Key Verse: Luke 2:26
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
Devotion:
We don’t know how long Simeon had been waiting to see Jesus, but we are told the Holy Spirit told him he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Once he came into contact with Jesus, he knew this was what he had been waiting for for so long. What I find amazing is how long Anna had been worshipping faithfully in the temple night and day, and she came up to them at the moment Simeon came into contact with Jesus. That is the most amazing answer to prayer I can think of!
God uses every opportunity to bless the good and faithful people who continue to praise and worship Him. It may not seem like it when we worship and don’t seem to have our prayers answered immediately, but if we are willing to continue on without setting limits to what we do for God, He is not going to set limits on what He is willing to do for us!
Jesus had to be born fully human in every way so He could become the ultimate sacrifice for us all. If He continued to be God it would have been seen as some sort of wizardry that He would die so He could rise up again – but because He was fully human, we see it for what it was, a true miracle of God!
All the right people had lived in all the right places at the right time so Mary and Joseph would be together at the right time for Mary to become pregnant and to have a baby boy who could only have been created by God. This is our Messiah who came to set us free from the sin debt we owe, and this is how He was presented at the temple just as any first-born human male at the time appointed by God for all to see.
Points to Ponder:
Are you impatient with your prayers?
Will you give God the time to do what He knows is best?