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?
September 27: James 5:1-6
Key Verse: James 5:1
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you.
Devotion:
How often have you wanted to win the lottery or win a cash prize, thinking it would make your life so much easier... Well, it may well make your life easier in the shorter term, but what else would it do to your life?
When we are surrounded by temptation, we usually give in to it at some stage. If we are surrounded by the money from a big win, we will probably give in to the things which money can buy and get so side-tracked from our normal lives with God, we leave Him behind. We don't want to and we know we shouldn't, but we do because it can be done and we convince ourselves we can go back to God tomorrow instead!
That is what the people were doing in this time of the disciples. The rich and powerful were ruling over the poor, not because they were better than them, but because they could with the money doing the talking instead of God's love! The temptation of riches and earthly comforts which money can buy are too great for us to ignore! Have you ever wondered why God does not answer your prayers when you ask Him for money!
We also tend to shy away from hard work if there is an easier way out – not something Christ has taught us, but the greed of the world has taught us! There are so many things which get corrupted by money, we are probably better off without it most of the time. It is not the money which is evil, but the love we gain for it which corrupts us from the inside! God does not want us to be corrupted by this love for money because He knows it will take us away from Him!
Points to Ponder:
How much money would you like in the bank?
What would you really do if you had more money?
September 26: James 5:13-16
Key Verse: James 5:15
And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
Devotion:
How often do you pray? I'm not talking about saying your prayers just before you go to be or when you wake up, but praying when there is a special need. The disciples had learned from Jesus they should pray at all times, especially when there was a need for someone or even themselves. God has said He is going to continue to look out for us, but we should not take Him for granted!
If we just accept God is going to look out for us and go about life expecting Him to do everything, our faith will grow weak and or faith will fade. We do need reminders in our lives so we can remember the important things. As I was talking to a friend yesterday, I was talking about how things did not go my way in 2019 and by the end of our talk he was convinced God had a reason for it all – was it because I had become too used to accepting God was always there?
God wants us to remember Him in prayer. If we are in trouble, we should be calling out to Him for help. If we have reason to be happy, we should be singing out in praise! In other words, no matter what is happening in our lives, we need to remember how much God is doing and acknowledge Him in everything.
The more we acknowledge God, the more we will begin to recognise how much He does for us and how much more we should be praying! We should also not be hiding our lives from everyone else, but sharing our faith and lives with others so they can be encouraged by what God does, be it for them or for us. Let us all sing praises to God and cry out for help, louder and always!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you pray?
Do you cover everything in prayers?
September 25: Luke 10:1-7
Key Verse: Luke 10:7
Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
Devotion:
Sometimes we only think of the twelve disciples when we think of the people Jesus sent to go and spread the gospel, but here we are reminded of the many others he sent to prepare the way. He sent them out in pairs so they would be able to support each other knowing two witnesses are better than one.
But He also gave them specific instructions about how they should go out. They were not to get dressed up in the smartest suits and go to teach people, but to simply take what they had and go forward. This meant no big suitcase of clothes or food or anything, just what they were carrying. They were instructed not to stop along the way and get side-tracked by talking to people, but to aim for their destination!
They were also not taking bags of money but would have to rely on the people around them giving them food and supplies as they needed them – not to build up wealth by earthy means, but to build up spiritual wealth and share it! They were also told they would have to work hard and put up with a lot of opposition!
God sends all of us out to spread the gospel in whatever way we can – not to build up all the technical wizardry and plan everything to the last cent, but to go and depend on others to help you! God wants us to focus on the gospel and not on worldly possessions so others will not get distracted by what we do, but also see the word for what it is. The gospel truth.
Points to Ponder:
Do you try too hard when talking to others about Christ?
Will you try to keep it simple and allow God to convict people instead?