September 15: John 12:30-36
Key Verse: John 12:32
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
Devotion:
If you are worried about how you explain Christ to others, think about how Jesus had to explain Himself to the people! Jesus knew what was going to happen, but did not want to totally discourage people by saying He was going to die outright, after all the scriptures talk about a Messiah who is going to come and be with the people of Israel forever...
The easiest way I find of talking about Jesus is to remind people He became a real human being in order to accomplish what had to be done. If He remained as God, He would not have been able to die. But, by lowering His status temporarily to human form, He was able to lay down His life so the scriptures could be fulfilled!
Thus, by physically laying down His life, He was able to be raise up Physically to show us He has authority over death so we do not have to worry about physical death. He also showed the physical death did not take away what "He is" because that lived on in His soul or spirit; so coming back to life He had total recall of everything which had happened beforehand.
So when you have to try and explain things again – think of yourself in parts just like God – after all, He made us in His image. We have a physical body which will die in the end, but we also have a soul and a spirit through which we continue to live on even after physical death. The most joyous thing is God will raise our physical bodies in the end just we Jesus was raised up. We don't have to understand the minutia of everything, just believe in what Christ has already achieved by example.
Points to Ponder:
Do you get worried what will happen?
Take comfort in how Jesus lived, dies and was raised up again!
September 14: Galatians 6:12-16
Key Verse: Galatians 6:13
Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh.
Devotion:
Do you struggle with people who try to convert you from doing things your way to doing things their way? Many people have this idea about churches because there are churches who try to make you change your way to fit into their way – just so they can boast about how they converted you!
This is not what Christ asks of you and not what He has taught us either. Christ wants us to be open and honest about what He has done for us in our lives so we can be a witness to the way Christ has changed us. He continues to give each one of us a free choice as to what we do – there are commandments and there are laws written down in our bibles... but we have the choice as to whether we apply them in our lives or not. We do not have the right to apply them in other people's lives!
Try telling people how Christ has changed your life and allow them to see you are a better person because of what Christ encouraged you to do. Remind them it is your life and you chose it. God may have created us and He may have given us the bible to allow us to see how we should be living our lives – but it is our choice!
Whether we actually break the laws or not is not going to include us or exclude us from a life with Christ. He asks us to change our lives so we are a positive witness or example of how Christians should live; He asks us this so we are an example for others to make their own minds up with. If we break all the rules, they will see us as just another earthly person and not as a child of God trying to live for Him!
Points to Ponder:
What example are you to others?
Will you try to be a positive role model for others?
September 13: Psalm 19:7-9
Key Verse: Psalm 19:7
The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
Devotion:
How do you look at God's Word? Do you see it as the law you need to follow, or the statutes laid down for you to follow, or the stories of the Lord, or His commandments? Or maybe you have a special reverence for all God has said and done and see them as all the righteousness we need in our lives? Whatever or however you see the word as, we must know it as very special in our hearts.
If you are feeling a bit down and in need of some refreshing news – then read or listen to God's good news! If you need to know something you can rely on like the truth, then you do need to know more about God and His promises – through His word. The more we get to read about what He has done, is doing and continues to do, the more we get to know the joy we gain from Him.
If we can recognise the gravity of God's word, we can know these are commandments He has given us, not a a tick list of things we can pick and choose from to live our lives, but a list of the rules which will allow us to get the most out of our lives. The more we learn about what God wants us to live like, the closer we become to Him as we begin to live with Him in our lives.
This can all be summed up in saying we have the fear of the Lord... which is not a trembling fear we get from something too strong we cannot get round it, but an uttermost respect for something which is so special we should never ignore it. This is an enduring fear which we take with us to help us remember the respect we must have for God at all times... because He is righteous!
Points to Ponder:
How do you look at God's Word?
Will you take time to think about what God's Word means to you?
September 12: Joshua 4:19-24
Key Verse: Joshua 4:21
He said to the Israelites, ‘In the future when your descendants ask their parents, “What do these stones mean?”
Devotion:
When you have something different, or live differently to others, people will ask you why or how... This is the way we are as humans, we are inquisitive, and we like to know why, where, how and even who! I like wearing my Christian T-shirts because it gets people to ask why or to comment on them – that gives me a chance to share a bit about who I am and why I do it!
After the Israelites had crossed over the Jordan and things were getting back to normal (as normal as they could be,) Joshua got the twelve stones the twelve tribes had picked up from the riverbed and he set them up as a monument for everyone to see. Why a monument? Is this not making an idol? No, it's not making an idol, it is setting up a reminder for the people and future generations to ask why, who, when and other interesting questions – it gives us the chance to tell people about God and what He can do and has done!
If you, like me, sometimes find it hard to start conversations, then maybe you need something which can be a conversation starter – something which will get people to as the interesting questions so you can give them the amazing answers we know about God!
Someone is bound to cross the line and call you names or mock you for doing things to remember Christ – but if there is just one person who will get to hear about the gospel because of what we have done, then that is a good thing!
Points to Ponder:
Do you act like a normal person does?
Will you do something different to get people to ask why?