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June 18: Psalm 92:4-7
Key Verse: Psalm 92:7
that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed for ever.
Devotion:
Whenever something good happens to or for us, we rejoice and even want to tell others about our good fortune. But when bad things happen, most of us will hide the bad news deep inside ourselves instead of sharing it with others. God wants us to be glad for all He does for us and to entrust more to Him so we can receive more from Him. It sounds counter-intuitive because we often find putting trust in other people often leads to trouble instead of joy!
But then we have to remember we are not going to put our trust in human beings, but in God Himself. It is the failing of mankind which lead to so much strife in our lives and not any failing of God. We cannot express all God is able to do and we certainly do not understand just how much He can do; in fact, we are like the senseless people described in this passage – we don’t know what God is capable of...
When we get down because of the success of evil or when bad seems to win over good – we are not seeing the bigger picture. We limit ourselves to what we can see and feel instead of opening our minds to what God can do. God will always look at the bigger picture and will work things according to our needs – which may well be out of our site to start with.
God does not simply allow evil to continue thriving. He continues to support and uphold righteousness. Evil and the people who support it are not being looked over – God knows who they are and what they have done and they will be judged according to their works when the time comes. As for me, I praise God for all He does in my life and look forward to seeing what else He can and will do!
Points to Ponder:
Do you give God room to work in your life?
Will you support Him in what he does?
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June 17: Ezekiel 17:22-24
Key Verse: Ezekiel 17:24
All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. ‘“I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.”’
Devotion:
Too many times we try to limit God through what we can see and do or how we see the world. Too many times we put limits on things because we cannot see a way forward and we expect nothing to happen... But God is not limited by our imagination and certainly not by our rules or regulations!
When God was speaking through Ezekiel, it was to show the world there was no limit to what He could do and no physical definition of what could be done; so He described it in ways which don’t seem to make sense for us, until we have seen what God can do in our lives! God can take the smallest of sparks (or in this case the smallest of buds) and from a roaring fire which can consume everything from it. But God is not here to destroy everything but to build it up and support us.
Hence, He describes it as being a small bud from which a huge tree can grow – but not to be limited to nature or natural ways, God can take the biggest trees and lay waste to them or take the smallest shoots and grow giants from them. God is not limited to doing stuff where we define it can be done because He will get things done where they are needed and not where mankind thinks it is possible!
Where we see a tree dying because it has lost its leaves, God sees the potential for a big green and healthy tree. Where we see death and destruction, God sees the beginning of life and growth. Don’t be disheartened because you cannot see a way forward – trust in God and allow Him to make a way forward to show everyone just what He can do!
Points to Ponder:
Do you limit God’s work?
Do you know He will get it done with or without you!
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June 16: Psalm 34:8-14
Key Verse: Psalm 34:11
Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Devotion:
How do you go about telling people about God? Do you try to sit them down and teach them from the bible? Do you remember what it was like when teachers tried to teach you about a subject you had no interest in?
When we first try to teach others about God, we are very likely going to come against people who have no real interest in God – because if they did they would be Christians! When we hear the good news about God, we want to grab it with both hands and keep it close – but before we got to hear the gospel, we probably did not want to hear any of this good news because it would mean we would have to change the way we were living!
We cannot convince people by telling them all the awful things they have done. We cannot hope to convince people by telling them how good God is... but if we spend the time showing people what it is like to be a Christian and to have Christ in our lives – then they have something to look forward to! That is why it is called the good news! If we cannot show people how good it is to live with Christ – they are not likely to want to come and taste our lifestyle!
This does mean changing the way we live – turning our backs on evil and the bad things in life. If we can show others we have a wonderful life with Christ, then they may be willing to give up some of the horrible things they are involved in and change their ways too. It takes time and it take patience – but we need to do this all with Christ by our sides...
Points to Ponder:
How do you talk to others about God?
Have you tried showing others God in your life?
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June 15: Psalm 34:1-3
Key Verse: Psalm 34:3
Glorify the Lord with me: let us exalt his name together.
Devotion:
I am always amused at the story of David when he pretended to be insane before Abimelek – who drove David away and hence spared his life! When God asks you to do something are you prepared to do what He asks?
I can remember the first time I went to help with the youth work at Faith Baptist Church and was promptly asked if I would think about taking it over because the current person in charge would be leaving soon! I was petrified I would not fit in or I would not know what to do – but after praying about it and accepting the task I have never looked back with youth work!
God has a way of asking you to do things outside of your comfort zone – not because He wants you to do something you will not be able to do, but because He really does know how good you will be for the position He is looking at! Trust God in everything and obey Him!
As a result of David escaping from the hands of Abimelek, he had no issues about trusting God with everything and making sure he listened in future. He knew he had done things wrong in the past and knew he had no real right to ask for forgiveness – other than God promising He will forgive people when they ask! David knew he must continue to praise God and lift Him above all else so people would see how important having God in your life is! Let us lift up God’s name and allow people to experience the joy and freedom we enjoy!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like having God in your life?
When was the last time you told others how good God is?
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June 14: Mark 4:26-34
Key Verse: Mark 4:32
Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.
Devotion:
I think most of us have heard the parable of the mustard seed, but often overlook the simplicity of what is happening. We sow seeds, throwing them or planting them into the ground. We don’t have to set up a special container so the seeds will germinate. We don’t have to keep the temperature just right for the seeds to do something... We just bury them in the soil and apply a bit of water!
God is the one who makes sure the seed will do what it is designed to do. He will make sure it dies as a seed but germinates into a plant. Some of the seeds we plant are large and we may even use them as food without thinking about their true task as designed by God!
The seeds are food for birds as well! They don’t have to go to the shop to buy the seeds; rather God provides them with the seeds as they need them – though some may question that because they think they are keeping the birds alive in their gardens! We just short-cut the food chain and allow the birds to get the food quicker than they would in nature.
We know how long it takes for the seeds to germinate, grow and how long we have to wait before we can harvest the fruit from those seeds. God designed it this way, yet we don’t always think of it! We have learned to make the most of the seeds and the earth around us so we can get the most fruit from the seeds. We pride ourselves in knowing this simple design God gave us!
Jesus spoke in parables to try and reach into people’s hearts and minds. We must stop and think more about what God has given us and praise Him for the amazing design of everything.
Points to Ponder:
How often do you stop and think about what God has given you?
Will you try to praise Him today for some of the simpler things in life?
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June 13: Psalm 20:1-5
Key Verse: Psalm 20:4
May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
Devotion:
When was the last time you prayed for someone else? I know we all get a bit carried away with prayers for ourselves, especially when we are feeling down or have problems in our lives, but when did you pray for someone else? I belong to a prayer group on a messenger app where we get regular issues arising and prayer requests are asked for... So this is a two way thing...
We need to be earnest and regular with our prayers for other people, always asking God to lift up those around us, heal the sick, give comfort to those mourning and to be there for those we cannot reach. David was not one to shy away from praying for others – and I wonder what he asked for in his personal prayers with God – what we see are the very public prayers which were written down because they were important and needed to be shared...
Then there is the other side of the coin... If you need support, don’t just lift up your prayers to God, but invite other people to pray with you. You will find there are a lot of people who are willing to stop what they are doing and lift up prayers on your behalf – but only if they know prayers are needed! Don’t forget how easy it is to leave someone off your prayers when things are not looking too good on your side of the fence!
God wants us to work together in praying and sharing the gospel. The more we get together and share things, the stronger our bond become and the more fervent our prayers are. God loves to listen to our prayers, especially for each other, because that shows how important we are to each other and how we are including God in our lives!
Points to Ponder:
When did you last pray for your neighbour?
Will you get together with someone today and pray?
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June 12: Psalm 112:1-5
Key Verse: Psalm 112:5
Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.
Devotion:
Sometimes it is just good to know someone has got your back, there is someone looking over you and helping out whenever they can. Sometimes those people are your friends and sometimes they are strangers... but, always, God is there in times when we feel least believed or supported!
I love reading through the Psalms and being reminded just How much God loves us and how much He cares for us. Many of the psalms were penned by David and his love for God shines through in all those he wrote. When he felt down and dejected, he wrote things down and almost always ended up praying to God to help him get back on track!
How many times do we turn back to God after going off and doing something on our own? Many of those times we would have ended up in a mess or we gave up because things just got out of hand. Every time, when we turned back to God, He was waiting with open arms and welcomed us back into His protection. He continues to guide us and try to keep us on track – but we mess up and fall into things we have no right to do... but God still waits for us and welcomes us back!
When we stick close to God and depend on Him for more in our lives, we seem to get things right and end up having a much more blessed life. This is no coincidence! God will help us and He will reward us when we do things His way. If we stick to His rules and do things as best we can because those are the rules, we may well feel like He is not with us; because we are doing things for the wrong reasons. When we do things His way because of the love and respect we have for Him, He returns the love and respect more than we give Him!
Points to Ponder:
How are you treating God?
Will you try to love and respect God more today?
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June 11: Isaiah 42:5-12
Key Verse: Isaiah 42:6
I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,
Devotion:
This chapter in Isaiah and the following one mean so much to me because of the work I have done in the past which has largely been done because of the wording in these two chapters – so here we go with a snippet from this chapter.
When God spoke to Isaiah, it was always with great intention and He depended on Isaiah taking those words and giving them to the people. How much the people listened is debatable! The fact these words have been scribed and continue to mean so much to people even now, thousands of years after they were given to man means they were very important to God and it took a prophet like Isaiah to make sure they would remain in peoples hearts and minds over time.
God calls us into righteousness – just as He called Isaiah to make sure these words were remembered and told to the people, He calls us to take these words and spread them amongst all people. Not just the Jews but to all people who are willing to listen to God’s instructions. God created us and continues to support us in so many ways – it is right for us to continue to support Him by spreading His words.
This was the promise God made to all people; something we often forget as we focus on the Jews and not the rest of the world. It was meant to be an inspiration to all mankind; meant to open the eyes and hearts of all people and to allow the broken, poor and segregated to be a part of our lives. Gone are the days when He would focus only on His chosen race, here we focus on God getting His word to all mankind!
Points to Ponder:
Do you often feel left out of society?
If society walks away from God, who will you follow – them or God?
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June 10: Psalm 55:16-23
Key Verse: Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.
Devotion:
We all face horrible things in our lives, whether it is health related, personal reasons, socio-political circumstances or whatever – bad things happen! We are not alone. Bad things tend to happen to us all, especially in times when we face natural disasters. But, no matter how mad things get, the Lord is going to be with you ever step of the way!
One thing I learned whilst in hospital clinging on to life, was the comfort God can give you in your worst times! I know a lot of people around me went through horrible times as the doctors told them I may not make it through the night – but God was giving me a comfort in those times which I can clearly remember now and tell people about now I am well and able to do it!
When we spend time lifting up our prayers to God, He spends time sitting with us, listening and answering those prayers. He needs us to listen to any and all instructions He is giving us – which means we have to spend time listening and waiting on Him. If we shout out our prayers and then run off before He can answer or explain things to us, we miss out! When I was in hospital, I had more than enough time to sit and wait on Him, listening to what He was telling me through the people around me.
When Jesus told us to cast our burdens on Him, it was not a new thing! God has been trying to tell us to do this for many years through His word and through examples in our history. It’s time to stop, look and listen to what God is trying to tell us in our lives!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you worry about circumstances in your life?
How often do you lift up those circumstances and wait on God?
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June 9: Mark 4:1-9
Key Verse: Mark 4:9
Then Jesus said, ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’
Devotion:
Have you ever doubted whether you could tell people about Jesus, or how you would get muddled up when you tried, or how you would get asked a question you couldn’t answer... These are the doubts the evil one is putting in your head! He does not want you to go round telling people the truth about Christ otherwise they will know he has already lost the battle!
We are like the farmer in this parable, sowing seeds - I.e. talking about Christ. When the farmer sows the seeds, he does not spend hours trying to ensure ever seeds gets placed in the correct position so it has the very best chance of germinating – he throws them all over the place and depends on God to get the seeds to germinate correctly. This is how we need to tell people about God. We need to tell anyone who is willing to listen and allow God to get those words to germinate in their hearts.
This does mean we are going to talk to more people than those who will accept Christ into their lives; we are going to spread our seeds all over the place and not try to place the words exactly where they should be heard and in the perfect order in the most eloquent sentences! We talk what we know and we talk from our hearts; we talk to everyone and allow others to overhear what we say – because we don’t know who will be the ones who listen and take those words into their hearts!
I know I have tried to do things right and fallen flat on my face in the past. But when I have opened up the floor and allowed God to not just guide me, but to talk to others as I spout words I think make sense... It is God who will allow the right people to make sense out of the ramblings which come out of my mouth!
Points to Ponder:
Are you trying too hard to say teach the gospel perfectly?
Will you allow God to take your words and touch people’s hearts?