September 20: Mark 9:33-37
Key Verse: Mark 9:34
But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
Devotion:
How many times have you stretched the truth so you can be 'better' than everyone else? I can remember doing this on multiple occasions when I was young, and then thinking I would grow out of it as I got older... but the temptation is always there to stretch the truth so we can seem better than we are!
When the disciples did not want to admit what they were arguing about, it was because of this situation – they were trying to prove they were better than others. Instead of pulling them up about it and telling them off, Jesus simply told them what they should have been doing. Another trait we should learn and follow Jesus with!
We don't have to tell people off all the time so they can 'learn the right way,' we should be showing them the right way and allowing them to make the choice. Jesus wanted the disciples to learn from example and not from being constantly told off for doing things wrong. We have enough people in our lives who tell us what not to do, but not enough people who are willing to show us the right ways of doing things to encourage us in the right path.
Jesus wants us to not build ourselves up to show others they are not as good as us, but to lower ourselves to a position where we can lift others up and show them how good they could be if they chose to be! This is what Christ does to and for us all the time!
Points to Ponder:
Do you tell people off all the time?
Will you try to build someone up today instead?
September 19: James 3:13-18
Key Verse: James 3:15
Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
Devotion:
Why would the writer describe ambition as demonic? That's what many people will take away from verses like this, but it is far from the truth. Let us take this in context of what Jesus had taught the disciples about how they should behave; about the most important rules to follow...
Jesus said the most important thing is to love God with your whole being, and then to love your neighbour as yourself... which pre-supposes you have learned to love yourself because you have found the love of Christ... What is ambition? To better yourself beyond what you think is going to happen! Or something like that!
If we have genuinely learned to love God, the loving ourselves becomes second nature and then following Jesus' command to love other the same way follows... But these verses are not talking about acts like that, they are considering people lifting themselves above and before the others around them – which does not fall in line with loving others as you love yourself. To follow Christ's commands mean we need to have a great love for God, for ourselves and for the people around us – which mean we should be treating those around us like we want to be treated.
Earthly envy or ambition is loving ourselves above all else, above God and above the people around us – this is not real love and is called earthly wisdom or love here. When we focus internally instead of externally, we lose focus on God's love and build up false pictures of our own love which turn out to be envy, greed and pride... Allow God's love to spread through your life so you can share it with the people around you!
Points to Ponder:
How far does your love for yourself go?
Will you share more of God's love with others today?
September 18: Isaiah 43:8
Key Verse: Isaiah 43:8
Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf.
Devotion:
No matter what we have done wrong, no matter how much we have got things wrong, God always wants us to come back to Him and to admit our sins. It is the world and the things around us which trap us and stop us from seeing the truth. If we were all able to shut out the noise of the world, we would be able to hear the sound of God calling us!
The first thing I noticed after I moved back to a village in the countryside after living in London for a few years was the quiet and dark nights! I could hear the animals in the forest. I could hear the bats flying round at night. I could hear things instead of them being drowned out by the continual rumble of traffic noise from the highway I lived a few yards from!
God wants us to be able to hear Him and to know we are loved in so many ways by Him. If someone did not first tell us of this great news, we may well have continued to listen to the traffic and think that was normal! If someone did not tell us of the light of Christ, we may well have continued to be blinded by the hustle and bustle of the city!
Yes, we all need to stop focusing on the world and spend a bit more time seeking God; but we also need to tell others about Him so they will know they have to seek Him out too. If we don't mention God in our lives, people will not know He exists because of the deafening and blinding ways of the world...
Points to Ponder:
Do you focus on the city lights and ways?
Will you try to share Christ's light with someone today?
September 17: Psalm 14:1-3
Key Verse: Psalm 14:3
All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Devotion:
You may be forgiven for not liking what you read in these verses, after all it sounds very much like the scriptures are against us... When God gave the commandments to Moses to give to the people, it was not Him setting up a trap through which He could reject everyone because none of us can keep all the laws... the commandments were given to us to show us we have no hope without God. King David must have gone through this in his heart quite a few times because he knew he had done many things wrong – but he also knew in his heart God was willing to forgive if we come to Him with humble hearts.
No matter how much we think we have done everything right, there has always been times in our lives where we have thought the wrong thing or said the wrong thing in the heat of the moment. God wanted us to know He sees and hears everything and so nothing will escape His judgement.
But He also wanted us to know there was going to be an ultimate sacrifice which would cover all of our wrong-doings, no matter how bad they were. When Jesus came to live amongst us, He made sure people understood this and He also made sure they understood we have a choice to make. If we choose to go against God, then we are actively choosing to say Jesus was not good enough to cover our sins...
I am thankful Jesus came to live amongst us in human form so He could take on the sins of the whole world being our perfect sacrifice – once and for all. I know I have done things wrong in my life, but I also know Jesus is willing to forgive me because He promised me He would when I come to Him and ask for forgiveness!
Points to Ponder:
Do you still feel guilty?
Have you asked Jesus to forgive you?