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January 17: Mark 2:18-22
Key Verse: Mark 2:19
Jesus answered, ‘How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them.
Devotion:
Do you feel guilty when another Christian does something extraordinary when you have just done what was expected? Maybe a friend went out of their way to feed a homeless person whilst you simply tosses a coin into their pot. Maybe your friends in church have organised a prayer session and you had to duck out because you had work to do...
There are going to be times in your life when you do feel like you have not done enough because others around you have done more; but God is calling each one of us to do our own things. If He wanted everyone to do the same thing, it would not be extraordinary any more – everyone would be doing it. We may have been created in His image, but each of us is a very special person with our own abilities and our own calling; we may find similar people in our lives, but still we are different.
There are going to be people who call out the rules in church and try to make sure we all follow them without question – saying God has directed us to do so. But there may well be times when God is calling you to do something different than following the rules; but be sure it is God calling you and what He is calling you to do concurs with His Word and His ways.
When God was calling Samuel, Samuel thought it was Eli calling because there were no other people with them. It was only when Eli told Samuel to answer to God he realised who was actually calling Him. We may not hear Gods calling at first because we are too distracted by the world or we cannot think outside the worldly ways. God calls us far a beyond what the world can do. Listen carefully.
Points to Ponder:
Do you think others hear God all the time?
Have you stopped to wait for God to call?
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January 16: 1 Corinthians 12:1-6
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 12:4
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.
Devotion:
How many times have you been persuaded to do something which, when you look back on it, was a terrible idea! The more modern technology comes into our lives, the more we seem to give in to scams and to things which we find out, afterward, are just plain wrong! We somehow think, because it is technology, we should believe it and take it for granted it is correct. As a programmer, I can tell you the opposite!
When a programmer makes a stupid mistake in their code, it can be catastrophic for the system; all it takes is for a bad bit of code to completely ruin what seemed like a good idea at the time! When something goes wrong in the code, it can take a very long time to find the fault, but when it is found, you cannot un-see the fault because it now looks obviously wrong! The same goes for our spiritual lives – the more we get involved with something which is wrong, the more it goes wrong and the worse the situation becomes! It is only when you find out what has gone wrong you realise it was not right to start with… but it can take a fair while to spot where you go wrong.
This is why God has given us the bible – so we have a reference point we can compare things to so we can find out what is wrong. If we did not have this reference, we would continue to go down the wrong path and continue to mess up our lives and the lives of the people around us!
God has given each of us some spiritual gifts; whether it is to spot where things go wrong, to help others find their way, to comfort people in troubled times; whatever they are, God has given them to us. We need to compare the gift we think we have with what God describes for us in the bible. If it goes against the bible, it is likely not given to us from God! It may be very difficult to spot right from wrong because the bible does not explicitly describe each personal gift God gives us...
Points to Ponder:
Do you long to have your spiritual gifts on show?
Why not spend time with God asking Him for advice instead of making a big fuss?
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January 15: Mark 2:13-17
Key Verse: Mark 2:15
While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.
Devotion:
If you are like me and are always tempted to go against the rules and what other people think, then you will love this bit of text from the bible. Jesus saw a large crowd of people were following Him, but did not think twice about asking Levi, a tax collector, to follow Him and learn what God wanted him to hear!
It was little wonder when they went to Levi’s house, a whole bunch of tax collectors and sinner gathered. Levi was both tax collector and sinner and mixed with those types of people – so they came round to see what was going on! When the teachers of the law saw what was happening, they were horrified Jesus was mixing with the “wrong crowd!” But Jesus was doing exactly what God was asking Him to do – to give the sinners the same chance at coming to Him as any other person!
Jesus’ response was to remind them it was these very people who most needed to hear about God and most needed to repent and ask for forgiveness. I say that with tongue in cheek because we all are in the same boat. The wages of sin is death, no matter how big or little we think the sin is. So we all need Christ as much as each other!
You could look at this in two ways. You could say it would be easier for someone who only knows sin to be convicted of the wrong doing and accept Christ than for someone who follows all the rules but does not quite accept Christ as Lord. Or you could look at it in the opposite way as sinners being further from God, hence harder to reconcile. Stop judging!
Points to Ponder:
How much of a sinner do you think you are?
How much do you admit God knows of you?
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January 14: Mark 2:1-12
Key Verse: Mark 2:9
Which is easier: to say to this paralysed man, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up, take your mat and walk”?
Devotion:
Wherever Jesus went, He caused quite a stir! It was not that He was looking for trouble or caused trouble deliberately, but He did step on the toes of the people who thought they should be in charge of things. When people get a sense of power they tend to try and hold onto it no matter what! This greed is not something we are born with but something we learn from the world around us!
The teachers of the law who were gathered here where Jesus was were not here to get healed or to be blessed, they were ere to try and discredit Jesus in some way so they could keep on ‘being in charge!’ They wanted to keep what power and control they had because they enjoyed it. It gave them a sense of belonging and a sense of power which was enticing to them.
When we are confronted by something which sows doubt in our life, we try to avoid it or even prove it wrong so we can be right. If we have built up our life on things which are doubtful in any way, we should expect to be proven wrong at some time; but we don’t, we cling to what we have and try to cast everything else into doubt so we can continue in our world.
Even when faced with a miracle which happened right in front of them, the teachers of the law wanted to keep the ‘law’ they had built up because they were in control of it. They did not want to accept the truth even when they were shown it. We need to make sure we are always open to the truth – not just any gossip but the truth as it is backed up by the bible and the Holy Spirit.
Points to Ponder:
Do you have control of something in your life?
Are you willing to give control to God?
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January 13: 1 Samuel 4:1-11
Key Verse: 1 Samuel 4:10
So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.
Devotion:
As we ready through the Old Testament, we find so many references to the Ark of the Covenant and how it protected Israel and allowed them to win so many battles. We may even begin to think there was some extraordinary power which the Ark had – but it was not the Ark, but who was with the Ark. God!
When the prophets gave the words of the Lord to Israel, they had a choice to listen and obey, or to go their own way. When they went their own way, they would often fail. But when they listened to God’s instructions and obeyed, God would deliver them and allow them to succeed. This was one of those times which we don’t get a clear explanation. Eli was getting old and Samuel was now beginning to take on the role of the prophet who should bring the word of God to Israel.
Was it because Israel went up against the Philistines without the Ark to start with? Was it because the Philistines dug their heels in and fought like they had never fought before? We don’t get a clear explanation – and life is sometimes like that. Sometimes there does not seem to be a good reason for failure, but things fail. Sometimes we are so sure of ourselves and yet we still fail…
It is God alone who has ultimate control over things and He who will deliver us if He knows it is best. Sometimes we come up against unreasonable odds and we face the consequences of those odds. Sometimes we are affected by the same things as anyone else and have to face what we call unreasonable times. If we open our eyes, we will see the people around us facing the same odds and consequences. This, unfortunately, is life!
Points to Ponder:
Who do you blame when things go wrong?
Are you willing to listen to God even if it is going to be tough going?
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January 12: Mark 1:29-31
Key Verse: Mark 1:31
So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
Devotion:
This is one of those passages in the bible which non-believers like to pick on pointing out they think we are all slaves to God. I have had people close to me tell me they believe we are using religion as a crutch; something I shrug off and try to show why I believe in Christ, which does not always work. So, I would like to try and show you another side to this story which shows love instead of desperation.
Simon and Andrew’s mother was sick in bed having a fever which was enough to keep her from anything she would normally want to do. As a parent I can say I have a compulsion to help my children because of the love which has grown between us. I go out of my way to help and support them when I can. I’m pretty sure Simon and Andrew’s mother would love to do something to not just support her children, but to show her love for any guest of theirs.
When Jesus went in to her, He held her hand and helped her to get up. If she had wanted to continue to be in bed, I’m sure she would have chosen to stay there. She chose to get up and do what she liked doing – loving and caring for her children and their guest! She had to take the first step of getting up when Jesus helped her. Jesus was showing He was willing, she was showing she was willing!
So if someone tells you you are using religion as a crutch, respond to them by telling them you are not religious. Then tell them you choose to believe in Jesus Christ, not because He is controlling you, but because you want to share the love He first showed you with anyone around you, including them. If they don’t agree, you have at least sown a seed in their hearts which Christ can cultivate when the time is right!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like helping others?
Will you help them by sharing Christ’s love?
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January 11: Mark 1:21-28
Key Verse: Mark 1:27
The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, ‘What is this? A new teaching – and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.’
Devotion:
When Jesus started to teach others on this Sabbath, people were amazed at how much He knew, but also how He spoke with uttermost authority. What made it sound like He was speaking with authority? When we go to school and learn from our teachers, they need to speak with authority for you to believe them and trust in them. Teachers have spent a long time learning and now they are sharing what they have learned with others… but still there can be doubt sometimes.
When there is doubt in a teachers voice, we hear it and we find it hard to come to terms with what they are saying. This is not just something we learn from hearing lots of teachers, but something God has made us with from the beginning. When we hear the truth spoken with authority, we believe it and we know it is true.
Jesus knew exactly what was meant by the scriptures because He got it straight from God the Father. He listened obediently to His Father and spoke what He knew to be the truth. This is why the people around Him knew it was the truth – not because they had heard it all before, but because this man spoke in such a way they were convinced by the words.
If we put our faith and trust in Christ, He will allow us to speak to others with authority. I was never good at getting up and speaking to others in class or in University. It was something I had to get used to – even then I had doubts and those doubts could be heard by others when I spoke. When I accepted Christ as my Saviour and teacher, I began to understand things from the scripture in ways I had never known before. This gives me the authority to tell others what I hear through the Bible.
Points to Ponder:
When do you learn from the scriptures?
Do you obey God and allow Him to teach you thoroughly?
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January 10: Psalm 116:12-14
Key Verse: Psalm 116:14
I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.
Devotion:
Time after time people in the Old Testament would look back and recognise what the Lord had done for them; often-times not recognising it at the time. The same can be said about our modern lives – we look back after surviving something or getting through harsh times and we recognise what the Lord has done for us. We don’t see it at the time because we are so disturbed or disrupted by the hard times instead.
What does God want us to do – just to believe Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins by giving His life as a proper and sufficient sacrifice for all of our sins. He wants us to listen to what He has to say to us and to obey His instructions. We find it hard at the time because we are surrounded by the world and the temptations of it. But, when we look back and recognise what God has done, we should be praising Him for what He has done and turning to obey His instructions for us.
It is little wonder God has always given us a list of instructions, rules or the like – because we do find it hard to hear Him when we are surrounded by the world. But when we have the list of rules, we have something to look at during those times, something to guide us and to steer us away from evil.
When we give in to the world, we are turning away from God’s instructions. When we are listening to or thinking about God’s instructions, the worldly things will start to fade and dwindle. Out focus must be on God and on what he does for us all. Our will must be to follow Christ’s instructions and to try to do His will in our lives at all times. When we came to God and asked Him into our lives, we also promised to turn away from our sins. This we must do!
Points to Ponder:
Do you live the same as before you were a Christian?
How can people tell you are a Christian unless you obey God!
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January 9: Luke 3:15-22
Key Verse: Luke 3:16
John answered them all, ‘I baptise you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Devotion:
I don’t know about you, but I do get excited when I hear someone preaching who knows their stuff and almost knows what you need to hear from God. John must have been good at recounting the scriptures and explaining them too – something I like doing is trying to make the scriptures available to everyone by talking in plain English and not as if I have been to a university learning how to confuse people!
I know there are some great church leaders out there who have made it their life to study the scriptures, but when they come to tell others about what they have learned, it comes out like a lawyer recounting past cases. Jesus talked to the people using parables – some people could understand things easily, whilst others were confused. But He was trying to get people to think about what they heard.
John was very effective at teaching others and this is seen because some people were beginning to think he was the Messiah. His first reaction to this was to say their Messiah would come later commanding the scriptures better than him and baptising with the Holy Spirit and fire instead of water. As mentioned previously, our baptism is a reminder or reflection of our faith in Christ and of our new birth in Him as a Christian.
Jesus was obedient to this baptism as well. He came along to visit John and to be baptised by John; marking the beginning of His real ministry. Beforehand He would have shared the Word with others and talked about it, but we have no record of Him openly preaching to everyone. Jesus wanted to show us His faith was in God His Father and He was going to obey God in everything He did and said.
Points to Ponder:
How do you show others you are a Christian?
If you are baptised, what did your baptism mean to you?
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January 8: John 3:22-30
Key Verse: John 3:26
They came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan – the one you testified about – look, he is baptising, and everyone is going to him.’
Devotion:
How many churches have you been to where all the people in the congregation say they will never go to another church because their priest/pastor/leader is better than any other? How many churches have you been to where people complain about what is going on and yet they still go there all the time? We never seem to be pleased with what we get and we always want better!
John had learned from the beginning he was a messenger who was sent to teach, preach, baptise and continue spreading the word for as long as people would listen. He knew the Messiah was coming and he knew he had a lot of work to do before Jesus was recognised for whom He was.
John would never compete with Jesus because he knew Jesus was the Messiah everyone had been waiting for. He knew Jesus was Lord. He had no issue with stepping back and allowing Jesus to take the glory and even the disciples who followed him to learn. John also knew there was no way he could ever compete with his Lord.
We need to recognise Jesus Christ is the reason why we are here and we need Him as our Saviour above anything and everything in our lives. I don’t know if you have ever had the privilege of being able to teach others the gospel story; when things go well, people thank you and ask you when you will be back again! I can see how easy it would be for anyone to get a bit big headed about their position and take some of that glory for themselves. John turned down the glory and refocused it on Christ because He knew Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Points to Ponder:
Do you know a good preacher you have always wanted to hear?
How often do you stop and listen out for Jesus?