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April 9: Acts 4:1-4
Key Verse: Acts 4:3
They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day.
Devotion:
There are so many accounts of what we may look at as being rough justice for the disciples as they spread the gospel message to everyone they came into contact with. This sort of history can be off-putting for us – why should we have to go through rough justice just to tell people about Jesus? Well, have a think about how much Jesus did for you...
Every instance of the Apostles being attacked, imprisoned, hunted down or otherwise persecuted, has a persecutor behind it. And behind that persecutor is a feeling or emotion – normally pride or greed! The Apostles were persecuted because of the pride and greed of other people, not because they were telling the truth. This is going to be the case no matter what truth we are telling in our lives. If you stand up and tell the truth, there will probably be someone who wants that truth hidden and will do anything to hide it...
Jesus sees directly into our hearts and knows why we do the things we do. He knew what would happen when He stood up and told the truth. He could see the corruption of the people in charge of the country or religion at the time, just as He sees into our hearts right now. What He is asking us to do, and has been asking mankind forever, is to try and tell the truth and share the truth about God... What could be better than a world where we all know about God, about Jesus and work with the Holy Spirit at all times? Alas, sin is always going to be in our lives until we get to Heaven; so we need to be ready to put up with the consequences of sin...
Points to Ponder:
Are you afraid to tell the truth?
What would happen if people found out you were telling lies?
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April 8: Luke 24:36-43
Key Verse: Luke 24:41
And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’
Devotion:
I wonder how much joy Jesus got out of appearing in amongst the disciples after His resurrection! From this account we can see how the disciples could still not believe Jesus was back from the dead – they are the ones who had witnessed all Christ went through, the death and the burial! Jesus wanted them to know He was fully raised from the dead and was once again in human form; He asked them for something to eat and joined them in eating some fish.
We are brought up to know the gift of life is very special and the closer we get to death, be it our own or friends and family around us, we begin to know how final it may seem. Yet Christ was giving the disciples, and us, hope there is something more after our physical death – even life eternal!
Here Jesus was asking the disciples to extend their faith from what He had told them during their ministry together, to the reality of what God can and will do. This was the physical proof they needed to have absolute faith in everything Jesus had taught them. This is now all written down for us to read and digest over time so we too can bolster our faith in Christ.
In everything we read about the life of Jesus whilst here on earth in human form, we read a set of deliberate events all to achieve the ultimate goal of being our Saviour because of His great love for us. The more we read, the more we should realise this was all deliberate and aimed at saving us from ourselves. This is the basis of our faith.
Points to Ponder:
How often do you meditate over what Christ has done for you?
Will you accept what Christ has done and share it with others?
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April 7: Acts 3:1-10
Key Verse: Acts 3:6
Then Peter said, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’
Devotion:
When I read this story, I always think of the modern professional beggars who are always in prominent places around cities, where they know they either have a captive audience, or they know the people are kind. This man had learned of the kindness of the people who came to the temple, but I’m sure he was not expecting a gift of this magnitude when he was there this day!
I also think of the saying my grandmother used to say to me when I was young - “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.” This man had learned to ask for help and in those times, it was looked at as a humiliating act which he had been forced to do every day for as long as he had been lame. There was no other way he could make a living...
Peter and John stopped when the man asked them for a bit of spare change. Peter admitted to the man he did not have any money because they had learned it was not good to save up their money when it could be used for greater good. But just because they did not have any money on them this time, did not stop them from doing the greater good!
This time they relied on what Jesus had taught them and what Jesus had blessed them with because of their faith. Peter told the man to get up and walk in Jesus' name! He did not tell him to get up and walk because he was now a healer but relied on what Christ could do when he said something in Christ’s name. And Christ made sure the man was healed and was able to spread the good news to more people!
Points to Ponder:
Have you ever tried to do something and failed?
Will you invite Christ to do it with you next time?
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April 6: Acts 2:36-41
Key Verse: Acts 2:37
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’
Devotion:
When the people listening to the disciples realised what Peter was saying and how much they had ignored, they were cut to the heart. They wanted to know how they could put things right after supporting the crucifixion or at the least ignoring it... Nowadays we have films and many stories about what happened, some very graphic and terrible to watch... we do need to know the truth!
But we also need to remember why Christ did this and what we have to look forward to now it has been done! Christ did this all because of His love for us and because He wants us to be free from the death we often look at in our lives. I know many people around the world are still in mourning for losing friends and family to this virus or other causes, and it is at these times when we search for answers to “why!”
Far too long we have ignored the “why” by passing the blame on to others or not wanting to hear the truth. We may, one day, find out exactly where this virus came from, but even when we do – can we blame someone? Which one of us is without blame? Which one of us has not broken the rules and done something they shouldn’t have? Which one of us is without sin?
What we can do, though, is take the example from Christ and show forgiveness and mercy. He came to show us how it can be done on a grand scale – we can copy that example and do it on a smaller scale to and for the people around us. We can spread this Good News by example and leave the evil scattering, trying to find a hole to hide in. Expose the truth and put it behind you to move on with Christ!
Points to Ponder:
How many things have you done wrong already today?
Will you ask Christ for forgiveness and show Him you mean it?
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April 5: Acts 2:22-32
Key Verse: Acts 2:32
God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.
Devotion:
After the disciples had had time to think about what Christ had done and how much it meant to them, they made sure they went out and told other people just how special that first Easter was and is! We can now read about their reactions to what happened and we can made informed decisions about it... but still many choose to put Christ aside and ignore the Easter story.
We need to be more like the disciples and face up to people who make excuses about what Christ means to them. I know I have been there and made excuses so I would not have to go to church, or made excuses so I would not have to tell others about Christ... but as time goes by I see just how important it is to not just know the Easter story, but to re-tell it!
We have many writings from before Christ even came to earth to tell us about the things which would come to pass. Many people either ignored those writings or refused to believe Jesus could come to earth as a mere human being! This is exactly what He did – to make sure we understood this can happen for us too!
I have just listened to a wonderful talk about how we could be like a train going through a tunnel. Christ is the engine and made it through the tunnel to be raised from the dead. We are like the coaches, without an engine, we will not make it through the tunnel, but linked up to Christ, He will pull us through and make sure we too are raised from the dead to eternal life with Him!
Points to Ponder:
How many people did you wish a happy Easter?
How many of those people know the truth about Christ?
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April 4: Mark 16:1-8
Key Verse: Mark 16:6
‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.
Devotion:
Around Easter I often try to think how the people in the stories felt about what was going on. This was a time of great sadness because they probably thought they had somehow lost the battle, but this was the moment when they would see just how much God loves us and how much Jesus had done for us! The ladies came prepared to dress up the body with the spices, probably dressed appropriately for mourning...
When they approached the tomb and finally looked up to see how they were going to try and roll the stone away from the entrance, it was already moved aside! The first thing Christ had done at the break of dawn was to complete His promise to the world, to defeat evil once and for all; just not in the way we think of defeating evil.
When we think of coming up against evil, we think of big battles, fights, superheroes and all manner of earthly things. What Christ did was to defeat death, or debt for the evil in the world. Christ paved the way for us to be able to avoid eternal death by rising up from death and showing the world He can and will do everything for us!
The ladies must have been in shock when they saw the tomb was empty. They must have been very afraid by the young man dressed in white sitting there as if everything was ok. And then to be told Jesus was no longer dead after they had seen Him die on the cross... weel, we can only imagine what they thought. They fled! They said nothing at first because they were too scared to say anything. We only know this now because this is all history and they figured things out.
Points to Ponder:
Jesus is our Saviour! Christ has risen! He has risen indeed!
Hallelujah!
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April 3: Matthew 27:57-61
Key Verse: Matthew 27:58
Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
Devotion:
After the terrifying ordeal of Easter Friday when Jesus was crucified, people would have been divided as to what to do with the body; should they leave it there because it was such a position of shame, or should they do the right thing and take it away for burial? Joseph or Arimathea stepped forward and asked for the body of Jesus to be given to him for proper burial.
Not only this, but Joseph turned over His personal tomb (which he had no doubt paid a lot of money for) to Jesus’ burial. There was no doubt in his mind what should be done – the right thing! Joseph was willing to give everything he had stored up for Christ because of what Christ had just done for Him!
Too often in our lives we look at the things we have and we give a portion to God; a portion we can do without for a bit... This is not what God calls us to do. God calls us to be willing to give Him everything in our lives. If you remember when the rich man approached Jesus and asked how to get to heaven, Jesus said he had to sell everything – something he was not willing to do because he was so wealthy.
God is not going to demand we all sell everything and give it all away – what he is asking is that we are willing to do this if He asks. What He has lined up in Heaven for us is far and beyond anything we can comprehend on earth. He is not asking us to turn what we have so we can gain more in the end either... He is asking us to be willing to give everything should He ask. Joseph was willing and able – he did!
Points to Ponder:
Are you willing to give everything to God?
What will you hold back next time He asks?
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April 2: John 19:16-22
Key Verse: John 19:19
Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews.
Devotion:
Sometimes it is not nice to be the person in charge when things go terribly wrong. Sometimes the outcome is way out of your reach and the only thing you can feasibly do is to go with the flow – or at least that is how we see things. God does not see things like that, instead standing up for what is right and always telling the truth!
I’m pretty sure Pilate saw what the Chief Priests were up to but he was not in a position to argue against them. If he did, they would have revolted in some way and there would have been a time of unrest which is not what he would have wanted! So he did the human thing and gave ground to the crowd. We do things like that when the going gets tough because we see it as an easier way out that having to put up with an angry crowd.
Jesus knew He was going to get blamed for many things and He knew He would have to go to the cross and give up His life. I wonder what was going through His mind as He saw the Chief Priests doing what they were doing out of ignorance, pride and greed rather than out of wisdom! Jesus wept over the people when He saw they had turned toward sin instead of following Him. Now the priests themselves were turning away from Him.
Pilate’s words he had written on the sign which was fastened to the cross explained his personal feelings in a way. He saw Jesus as the example the others should have been looking up to and following. Instead, to keep the peace, he was having to give in to the ignorance, pride and greed of the people in charge of the Jews, so he wrote these words! And he stood by them when the Chief Priests came to complain about them...
Points to Ponder:
Do you give in to peer pressure a lot?
Have you tried to ask Christ which way you should be going lately?
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April 1: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 11:26
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Devotion:
Jesus tried to remind the disciples about the poor and needy whenever He could, and on this occasion, He wanted them to think about what it means when they sit down to a meal in remembrance of God. When we do ask for God’s blessing on the meal, are we doing it out of habit, or are we really remembering what it all means.
As we come up to Easter we remember all Christ did for us and all the history which lead to this – I think modern Christians have got pretty good at setting up reminders of all things which have happened – but some of us may not be thinking about the right stuff in our hearts!
When we remember how Jesus’ body was broken for us and how He shed blood for us, we also need to remember who He did this for and why. How can we sit at a nice big family table and enjoy a great meal, saying all the right things about how Jesus died for us when we are not doing what we can to show love and support for the people Jesus wanted to show love and support for?
Jesus showed His love, mercy, support, forgiveness and so much more for every one of us, from the richest to the poorest, from the healthiest to the sick and infirm. Jesus wants us to remember these same people when we sit at the table to remember Him. Jesus wants us to know what was going through Jesus’ heart by remembering these same people as He did all those years ago. Jesus reached out to us, sinners. We should be reaching out to others – not just because they are part of our family circle, but because they are loved by God!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you thank God for your food and drink?
How often do you share your food and drink?
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March 31: John 13:21-30
Key Verse: John 13:21
After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”
Devotion:
We all like to think we will never let God down, how we will always listen to Him and obey when He asks or directs, but the truth is we all fall short of the mark and we all let Him down every day! Every day? Yes, every day! No matter how small the infraction, we all do something wrong against God’s will every day just because we have free choice and are surrounded by temptation all the time.
God knew this and knew not matter how much His chosen people said they would follow Him, they, and us, would falter at some stage. This has been shown to us time and time again in the Old Testament as the people went after their own beliefs when they grew tired of waiting for God or when they got side-tracked by things and people around them.
We live in similar times nowadays too; we get side-tracked by all manner of things and people. We let God down because we are weak and we fall for the many temptations which surround us. But God still loves us! That is the key thing here! The love of God goes far beyond our failing and our strengths. God’s love went all the way to the cross and beyond. Jesus knew what he had to do and He even understood how one of His disciples would betray Him in the final days – just because they wanted a bit of money!
Even though we face temptations, trials and sinful ways, we do still have a choice as to what we do before the case, during the case and after the case! We have the choice to try and avoid bad situations. We have the choice to leave bad places. We have the choice to ask for forgiveness when we know we have done wrong. This is why Christ went through this all – so we have that final choice, the one which can save us!
Points to Ponder:
How many things have you done wrong already today?
Will you ask Christ to forgive you?