December 25: Titus 2:11-14
Key Verse: Titus 2:11
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
Devotion:
In the Old Testament we hear of the many ways in which God tried to teach people about salvation, to teach people about righteousness and to ask for forgiveness when it is due. We also hear of the many ways which sacrifices were to be made in order to appease God’s anger for the things mankind was doing wrong. Yet we also see how mankind continued to do the wrong thing and continued to get deeper into trouble no matter what!
God came up with a plan – that plan included allowing His Son to come to our Salvation by living with us and a sinless manner and then taking on the sin debt we owe by giving His own life on the cross instead of ours! In order for this to happen, a baby had to be born in a manner not seen before and one which would stand out in every way.
Jesus Christ came to be born of a virgin, without sin, so He could embark on a journey which would end in Him bringing salvation within the grasp of ever person on earth, not just those alive then but for every person in the past, present and future. All we would have to do is to believe this is what God has done for us and accept Him into our lives. He would offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice in the end so we would not have to!
With this Christ came to be part of us and encourage us to be eager to do all that is good, lifting Him up in praise and worship because He is the Son of God.
I would like to wish each one of you a very Happy, Joyful and blessed Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ; remembering all He has done for us and the peace He brings for us.
Points to Ponder:
Do you realise Christ did this for you?
Will you thank Him personally today?
December 24: 2 Samuel 7:8-16
Key Verse: 2 Samuel 7:14
I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands.
Devotion:
King David was taken out of the fields to become king; from being a shepherd to being king over all Israel! Up until this point the spirit of God dwelt in the tabernacle, a huge tent. David was now wanting to build a proper house or palace for God, something befitting the King of Kings rather than a tent.
God’s reply through Nathan the prophet may have been a bit of a surprise for many. God did not want a huge palace built for Him. He did not want to be in the biggest castle, palace, mansion or anything else; He wanted to live close to the people where He could protect them most and guide them openly.
God wanted the people of Israel to get their own home first. He wanted Israel to know how special they were to Him. Already God was being the caretaker, the servant, the Shepherd and leader of all who were willing to listen and obey. God wanted David to know He was not just going to look after him, but over all his descendants and his people.
But the warning was also there. Too many times they had turned their backs on God because they wanted something physical to look at. Too many time they had turned away from God’s ways and lived out their own desires instead. The warning was stark. God would come down on them heavily if they walked their own path again. Even though God may allow punishment through other men, He would never stop loving David and his descendants. This house would stand forever!
Points to Ponder:
Do you blame things on God?
Do you know how much God loves you?
December 23: Psalm 25:6-7
Key Verse: Psalm 25:7
Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good.
Devotion:
What are the things you ask from God? Do you ask for riches, blessings and various other physical conditions, or are you asking God to take it easy on you? If we are all honest, we do tend to ask for the physical things more than we should; we also tend to forget about admitting to our shortcomings while asking God to forgive us!
Here the Psalmist reminds us we have to admit our sins to God, but we can also depend on Him for the forgiveness and trust His mercy will outshine the issues we have had in our pasts. Never forget the debt Christ paid for us all and always remember it is more than enough to cover anything and everything we have done in our pasts.
We sometimes wonder whether God is going to forgive us because we have been caught up in many things in our past; this is why the Psalmist asks God to not dwell on the things we have done in our youth. These are typically the times when we have done things wrong because we have been tempted and carried away by peer pressure. God is not going to hold any of that against you if you are willing to ask Him to forgive you.
God would love to put it all behind us – so bring on the prayers and trust God is going to forget about the things we have done wrong in the past. We should not be asking this because we think we have done enough righteous things, but because we know Christ’s love for us goes way beyond any faults we may have!
Points to Ponder:
Do you carry your sins with you?
Will you try to set them aside knowing Christ totally forgives?
December 22: Matthew 19:16-22
Key Verse: Matthew 19:21
Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’
Devotion:
Some people take these verses and twist them to make others believe rich people will not be able to enter into heaven. This is not what Jesus was getting at here. This was the answer Jesus gave for a particular man who came to get an answer from Him. This man may have been wealthy by some people’s measure and yet may have been ‘normal’ according to others people’s wealth – we shall not know unless we are able to question him ourselves.
This man was looking for a way to get into heaven and he came to ask Jesus directly for the answer. Jesus knew him and answered him according to how well he was known by Jesus. First, Jesus took some of the commandments and recounted them to the man. These are the ones which this man had been able to keep. Jesus wanted to show him how well he knew him.
Next, the man asked for a deeper answer because he knew he had kept these already listed. What came next was not what the man expected. Jesus told the man to sell up everything and give it all to the poor. Why did this upset the man so much? Because the man held high regard for wealth. He had worked hard for what he had and did not want to give that up. This was the only thing holding him back from getting to heaven!
If we ask God what we should be doing, we had better be ready for an answer which may cause us to have a bit of a crisis with how we live. Jesus wants us to have God as number one in our lives. This means leaving everything else behind and keeping God as number one. Yes, it is difficult to do; but when Jesus gave the commandment to love the Lord our God with all out heart and soul, He was referring to everything in our lives.
Points to Ponder:
What do you think is the most important thing in your life?
Are you willing to make that second to God?