October 1: Luke 10:13-17
Key Verse: Luke 10:17
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’
Devotion:
When Jesus sent out those other disciples to go and teach the gospel, they came back to Him with great news about how many people were believing the truth – even demons were submitting to the truth! So what is the truth? This truth they were talking about was how Jesus had come to be our Saviour and He is the Son of God.
We all have a choice we can make, to believe this truth or to reject it. If we act like we don't care and say we haven't made up our minds, we have already chosen not to believe it. What happens if Christ returns before we make up our minds?
When Jesus sent out these seventy two people, it was not a test to see who would believe and who would not, but another chance for the people who had already chosen to wait and see, or to wait for more proof! Or worse still, had chosen not to believe God would allow His Son to come to earth like He had promised! These people wanted to believe in earthly things instead of what God can do.
Jesus' response to this was to warn others of the pending doom of these people. Jesus has given us free choice – but if we actively put off that choice, we are choosing to not believe for the moment! The warning was dire and once we should not ignore for our own sakes... time to step forward and tell others about this truth to give them another chance to make the right choice before it is too late.
Points to Ponder:
Do you like giving people another chance?
How many times will you give people the chance to know Christ?
September 30: John 1:47-51
Key Verse: John 1:48
‘How do you know me?’ Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig-tree before Philip called you.’
Devotion:
One of the biggest revelations I had when I became a Christian was how Jesus knew me before I knew Him. I thought of this first as a teacher would know of me before I got to go to the class for the first time, but it's not like that. When we say Jesus knows us before we know Him, it is more than Him simply knowing our names and knowing we are going to accept or reject Him at some stage... it is a very personal link between Him and you.
The more we hang out with someone, the more we get to know them. The more we get to know them the more we understand how they live and the closer we can become to them. It takes us time to get to know others because we cannot get a brain dump of all the information but have to discern things over time. Christ knows us from the inside out in the beginning!
When Nathanael was approaching Christ he was introduced to the others as a man who was not deceitful in any ways. Nathanael was a bit surprised by this statement and challenged Jesus asking how He knew him. The answer not only surprised him but also gave Nathanael confidence he was talking with the Son of God – someone who knew him intimately!
Don't try to hide things from God. Be honest and open with Christ because He is honest and open with you. Accept what He has for you in your life and do your best to do His will – because He already knows what is best for you!
Points to Ponder:
Do you know Jesus well?
How many things do you hold back from Jesus?
September 29: Psalms 103:19-22
Key Verse: Psalms 103:20
Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
Devotion:
One of the things we learn from the scriptures is how many beings there are who already worship God with everything they are; and I'm not talking about people but the angels and heavenly hosts who have more power than we know. They choose to follow God and to obey Him. They still have the choice, but they have chosen to worship God because they can and they know it is best for them!
We have nothing compared to them and yet we think we can choose to ignore God and to do things by ourselves instead. Why? Because we don't have the knowledge or wisdom to understand just who God is – so we go with what we know and all we know is what we see and hear here on earth!
Let us put aside our earthly ways and set up a new life following God in heavenly ways, with faith. When we submit to Him our earthly ways and allow Him to guide us with His heavenly ways, we will begin to see just how much God does for us and how much He cares for us.
So what is God asking us to do? Is He asking us to be His slaves and do everything even if it is hurting us? No! He is asking us to trust Him with everything we have – to lay it all on the table and allow Him to guide us forward. He does want what is best for us, but, because He gives us free will to choose our ways, He does not control us like slaves...
Points to Ponder:
Are you willing to trust God?
Will you trust Him with more today?
September 28: Hosea 11:1-4
Key Verse: Hosea 11:2
But the more they were called, the more they went away from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.
Devotion:
When you don't feel like praying or you don't feel like going to church... do you feel guilty after you have missed out? There are many things we tend to put off just because we are feeling lazy or we just don't feel like doing them – this does not make us bad people! If we look back on the history of the people of Israel, they turned their backs on God on so many occasions, yet God still continued to call them His chosen people!
Yes, we may well upset others and God when we turn our backs on Him, but He continues to look inside our hearts and not on the actions we take just because we are feeling down or whatever! God knows we are going to have times when we do feel down and we don't do the things we said we would do. He accepts this because we are like any other human being and we get things wrong!
God continues to search our hearts and continues to reach out to us knowing what is on our hearts. He will not turn His back on us just because we have a bad day or a bad week! God will send us a reminder, be it through another person or even personally. What we do with those reminders will define us in His eyes – because that is what is in our hearts.
I know I do feel guilty when I miss out on something or when I don't do something I said I would. But when God reminds me I have missed something, I make an effort to change that and to try better next time. This does not mean I get it right every time after that – I still get things wrong. And I know God still loves me and still reaches out to me day after day!
Points to Ponder:
Do you forget things often?
Will you accept what is on your heart and try fulfil God's wishes?