June 29: Mark 5:35-43
Key Verse: Mark 5:39
He went in and said to them, ‘Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.’
Devotion:
Have you ever been in a situation where you were totally distraught but there was someone there who was able to comfort you with some simple words? I know I can look back on my life and see how many times friends and family have been there for me and I really do appreciate and love them for that. I try to be there for others wherever I can.
If we were to ask the people looking after the girl, they would say she had died and that was the end of it. If you were to ask the father, Jairus, I think he would be confused and would not want to accept the fact his daughter had died. So when Jesus came in, His words were aimed at consoling and comforting Jairus and the people around them. They probably did not believe it when He said she was just asleep – after all they would have probably started the funeral rights...
But Jesus knew what Jairus felt in his heart. He knew what had to be done to answer Jairus’ call for help and to build up his faith in God. Jesus knew it was possible to raise this child up no matter what had happened to her. To be able to raise the child up He got everyone except the parents and a couple of disciples to get out so He could be close to God and show Jairus and his wife just what God thought of them!
When we are serious with God, we need to be able to show Him by dispersing all the distractions of the world so we can be alone with God. We need to have faith God is able to do anything. We need to be fully dependant on Him when we feel the world has done nothing!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you spend time with God?
Will you put aside the distractions of the world to spend a little more time with Him?
June 28: Mark 5:25-31
Key Verse: Mark 5:31
‘You see the people crowding against you,’ his disciples answered, ‘and yet you can ask, “Who touched me?”’
Devotion:
In the gospel reading at church yesterday we heard about Jesus being begged by Jairus to come and heal his daughter who was very ill. Jairus was one of the synagogues leaders. Did this stop Jesus from going to help him? Not at all. Jesus wanted to show people He thought of everyone, from the poorest to the richest, from the most insignificant to the most well-known – Jesus did not choose people according to their positions in society or even in the church.
But in amongst this time when He was being called to go and help Jairus, a woman who had an issue with constantly bleeding for twelve years takes centre stage for a few seconds! She was a complete unknown other than being known by some as the woman with the issue... She was able to move around the crowd without causing mayhem like someone with leprosy would – instead she slowly made her way close enough so she could reach out and touch the tip of Jesus clothes!
It was her firm belief which gave her the strength to make it through the crowd and touch the gown. Ordinarily nobody would have noticed her, seen her reaching out to touch Jesus or even bothered she was not well – they were all too busy trying to either defend Jesus against the push of the crowd, or crowd in so they could see Jesus! But as soon as she touched His clothes, she knew she had and Jesus knew it too!
It was her belief which caused Jesus to notice. Jesus was looking into the hearts of the people around Him all the time and feeling what people felt; I’m sure His heart was going out to many people in that crowd – but His focus was on this single woman for a few seconds. He called her out and she had the courage to say “here I am!”
Points to Ponder:
Do you have enough faith to call out to Jesus?
Will you answer Him if He asks for you?
June 27: Psalm 30:8-10
Key Verse: Psalm 30:9
What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
Devotion:
Have you ever wondered why God made us; I mean, not just because He loves us, but why did He create us the way we are? We could come up with things like, He was lonely, or He wanted company, but we don’t really know enough about God to make assumptions like that. But, after people God to know Jesus personally, they wrote about things and through those words we have a better understanding of God through His Son Jesus.
When we read back over what God has done and the timing of various things, we can come to the conclusion He made the world so we would have a place to live – His creating us being the initial point and not just the creating of everything first!
As God got to know man, He was coming and spending time with man. Yes, He did enjoy the company, enjoy what he had done etc etc. Isn’t that the point of making something in the first place – so we can enjoy it. I have on many occasions wondered what I would create if I were to try to make a robot of some kind – how much artificial intelligence would I give it?
God wants us to continue communing (or meeting) with Him. He wants us to spend time with Him. If we did not, would the dirt around us praise God? I fear not, because we are the ones who have been created in His image, not dirt! God wants us to be open and enjoy our spending time with Him and not to hide it in a cellar or behind a bush!
Points to Ponder:
How much time do you spend speaking with God?
Will you spend a little more time today with God?
June 26: Isaiah 40:1-5
Key Verse: Isaiah 40:4
Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
Devotion:
I love the way God spoke to Isaiah so he would be able to encourage the people of Israel. They had been through so much, from being in captivity in Egypt, to searching through the desert, having a great place to live and then losing it all again. Some may well have thought God was not with them because of what they had been through – but they had turned away from God and done their own thing even after being warned by God!
After all this had happened, and they had more taken away from them that they could understand, God had promised to bring them back together and never to leave them. Throughout their troubles, God was close by and waiting for them to repent of their ways to come back to Him. His promises were to do so, and He was going to keep to those promises.
We can now look back over time and see how this promise came true through Jesus coming to live amongst them and to make a way where they would never have to seek sacrifices to cover their sins again. John came just before Jesus to make that way in the wilderness for people to look toward Christ and to find out what He was going to do for us all.
Jesus wanted to level the playing field so the rich would no longer be kept on platforms just because they had money, and the poor would be able to achieve things even though they are poor. Christ continues to make sure we still remember this and practice this when we can!
Points to Ponder:
Do you ever try to level the playing field?
Will you help someone today who is less fortunate than you?