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February 17: Matthew 6:1-8
Key Verse: Matthew 6:6
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Devotion:
Devotional... check. Bible reading... check. Pancakes... check. Ready to give up something for lent... mmm... What are you a Christian for? Why do you do the things you do? What is your life all about? These are the important parts and not the outward things you think other people would like to see!
God did not call us to be great actors who can make it all look good and feel great! God called us to make a difference – and if that difference starts by you lifting up your prayers to God, then start there. But don’t invite everyone round to see you do it. Don’t make a video of it and post it online to see how many likes you get. Just do your work for God and allow God to bless those who need to know.
It is not some big popularity contest we are in – this is real life and we have to make sure we are behaving as if this could be the last of our life. We need to make sure we are doing our best for God and not to try and will the accolades of the people around us! We can see those around us who need love and support. We can see those who are doing what it takes. We can see those who are making a big fuss about things for their own promotion and not for God’s glory!
So why should we try to do those things instead of doing what God wants us to do? God is going to give you the reward you deserve whether all your fans get to hear about it or not. God is going to make the difference and not the crowd of onlookers who may pay you some attention! Allow them to get the attention of Christ and to seek Him out and not ourselves. This is God’s race, not ours!
Points to Ponder:
Do you make others see what you are doing all the time?
Why not do something secretly for God today?
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February 16: Psalm 50:1-6
Key Verse: Psalm 50:1
The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
Devotion:
For me, this introduction to this Psalm conjures up images from the Old Testament during the time when God was leading the Israelites out of Egypt. The power of God on display making sure nobody has any reason not to know how powerful God is and how much He cares for those in His charge – but also how He wants those in His charge to follow the rules!
I fear many people don’t realise just how Just God is, or what being Just means! It means we will not get away with anything because He does not overlook anything... So how can we hope to be forgiven if He cannot overlook anything. That is where the power and might of what Jesus did for us comes into view.
Jesus took on the blame for every little, big or bad thing we have done. He took on the blame for all those wrong-doing and separated us from the debt we owe as far as the East is from the West. In other words, God does not have to see any of the things we have done wrong because Christ have separated us from those things. We are presented as pure and innocent before God!
God’s power and might should never be overlooked. This goes for Christ, His Son and the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God too. Just as we see the power and might of God doing so many things in the desert for the Israelites, so too can Jesus and the Holy Spirit work in our lives. We live with the Holy Spirit who has all power just as God the Father has all power... just think on that a while...
Points to Ponder:
Do you keep close to Jesus?
Will you rely more on the power of the Holy Spirit today?
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February 15: John 6:60-66
Key Verse: John 6:66
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
Devotion:
This is one of those sections of scripture where you will either wonder how they can even think like this, or you will totally relate to their feelings at the time. Maybe you are like the disciples who stood by Jesus, or maybe you have been like one of the others who walked away from Jesus. I know both sides because I have been there, walked away, but thankfully have found my way back again...
Jesus was not one to hold back the punches – He let the fly when people tried to trip Him up or tried to justify their own ways instead of upholding God’s ways. And when someone in authority throws a punch, many people turn their backs on them and walk away – we see this happening in many parts of the world right now where people are turning their backs on people in authority because they have been upset in some manner by them.
One way of looking at this is to put yourself in their shoes and try to figure out what you would do; not a “I should do this” but rather “what would I have done in those circumstances”
God continues to uphold the truth and sometimes we are faced with hard decisions because we have chosen our own paths of ease rather than standing with the difficult truth. Sometimes we have to make that hard decision which may well upset us or others around us, but we have to make it because we need to stand up with God’s truth rather than our own desires.
Points to Ponder:
Do you find it hard to keep being a Christian?
Will you hold out your hands and allow God to guide you?
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February 14: Mark 9:2-8
Key Verse: Mark 9:7
Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Devotion:
If there was any doubt about what Jesus had done over the last few days before this happened, then the disciples would have their doubts dispelled and instead have their hearts filled with love. Jesus came to serve and to give His life for us because He loves us so! But this must not detract from the glory Jesus is the Son of God!
The disciples were caught between this world and the next in what they were seeing and experiencing. Jesus wanted them to see a glimmer of the next world; He wanted them to see what was in store for them – a new body and a new way of living. They would be able to put aside the hardships they had been through and start to experience just what God has in store for us.
God wanted them to know this was all because of His love for His Son and for us; hence He declared His love for Jesus in front of them. They were not to be left in any doubt about the love God has for all of us by experiencing the expressed love God has for His Son.
God has something rather special for us after we outlive our physical lives on this earth. He has an enduring love and life which we will be very pleased with. This life will not be limited to earth like our physical lives, but will be shared with Jesus and God in Heaven!
Points to Ponder:
Do you think your life is a bit tough at the moment?
Just imagine the peace and love which awaits us in Heaven!
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February 13: 2 Corinthians 1:8-11
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 1:10
He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us
Devotion:
I wonder how much grief the writer went through so he would write words like these for all to read. I know I have faced so little compared to the hardships the apostles faced, but I have seen a side of people they probably did not know existed before they faced me in their anger.
I find comfort in words like these because I know people hit out at us when they do not understand why we are doing what we do for God. Friends and family change when they see you doing things they have no understanding of; and in ways they don’t understand because they cannot grasp all God means to us or what He can do with and through us.
How can we “count it as joy” when people are turning against us because we are doing something different? Well, when we do something new or different when guided by the Holy Spirit, we will face opposition – after all, nobody likes too much change in their lives! Isaiah promoted the idea Christ was going to come and do something new; and when He did come and do something new, people objected and rose up against Him – even though Jesus knew what He was doing was the right thing to do!
When we face opposition we should not try and fight it alone because the fight we fight is God’s fight and not ours alone; we are working for Him and should be under His command. We are going to continue to face opposition and even dangers in our work for God, but as long as we stay close to Him and rely on Him for love and protection, you will be assured of a great future with Christ!
Points to Ponder:
Do you despair when facing opposition to God’s work?
Will you rely on God for His guidance today?
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February 12: Mark 6:7-13
Key Verse: Mark 6:8
These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.
Devotion:
When Jesus sent disciples out to spread the gospel, it was not in any form a big public affair which was going to make anybody rich, well known or an upstanding public figure. Christ was sending them out to reach the real people in the communities they were walking into.
Sometimes we get afraid of doing something for God because we fear it will not succeed or the public will stand up against you and you will look like a fool... This does not come from God but from the evil one who is trying to trip us up before we can share God’s Word with others. The instructions for the disciples here were to become totally exposed to the public with nothing to fall back on!
Why should God wants us to be totally exposed and without a fallback if He loves us so much? The answer is to help us to understand just how much He is with us. If we never step forward because we are too scared, then all we will live with is the fear. But if we step out and place ourselves wholly in God’s hands, then we will see how much he does look out for us!
God does not want us to fall flat, He wants us to succeed in sharing His Word. But He does not want us to think we are fully capable of doing it all without Him! Far from it. We are nothing without God! With Him we are more than capable to doing amazing things – these disciples found out just how much they could do because they were willing to listen to God and obey Jesus first of all.
Points to Ponder:
Do you make long and complicated plans to make sure things always work?
Will you be willing to simply listen to God and obey?
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February 11: Psalm 36:5-6
Key Verse: Psalm 36:5
Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
Devotion:
I do like watching films about the things mankind is doing in space – about the lengths they are going to find what is going on with the planets around us... even though they are millions of miles away from us! The way we are getting pictures sent back from another planet is just remarkable... And when someone does finally step on Mars or some other planet, we will be reminded of the words Neil Armstrong used when they set foot on the moon.
God is there! No matter how far we think we have gone in space, God is still there with us! No matter how little air there is, or lack of gravity and light, God is there! He continues to be faithful and just no matter what we get up to. No mountain is too high, no sea too deep, no planet too far, God is there!
And on of the most pleasing things to me is how God is there for all animals and mammals and insects and all manner of life! God cares for all of His creation and will continue caring for it all for as long as He deems necessary. We don’t know the limits of it, the time, the depth, the height – they are all just measurements we put on things to try and allow us to figure things out!
Nothing will ever cost too much for God and nothing will ever be too cheap for God! Just as we are as important as the sparrows in the marketplace, so too are the things going on other planets we can hardly see with our own eyes! Don’t try and limit the everlasting all-encompassing love of God. As I watched the snow flurries drifting past my window today, I was in awe of God’s creation once again!
Points to Ponder:
What makes you think of God?
Will you give more credit to God’s creation today?
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February 10: Psalm 33:1-4
Key Verse: Psalm 33:3
Sing to him a new song; play skilfully, and shout for joy.
Devotion:
I marvel at people who are skilled musically and who can lead worship! I am normally the other end of the scale trying to make what they produce sound good in churches or other buildings – I'm the sound engineer! Whatever we are skilled at we should be willing to use our skill to bring praise and worship to Christ our King!
We may be skilled at typesetting and can produce the sheets of words we use to sing to God. You may be skilled at making people feel welcome and meet and greet people as they come in. You could be fit and help put out chairs and stack them away afterward. You could be skilled at talking and studying and am able to teach others. You could be skilled at thinking about all the things needed to pray for. You could be skilled at making flower arrangements...
You could simply be good at timekeeping and arrive at church on time giving the meet and greet people a lift as they welcome you, making the people who set out the chairs feel like they have done something worthwhile, making the florists happy people enjoying the flowers, making the speakers more confident to teach, giving the sound technicians a task to bring the best sound forward from the worship band who see the people and thrive in worship...
Bringing joy to Christ our King who sees every little step every person does and accepts with open arms and heart the worship and love we all pour out to Him.
No matter what part of the chain we are – God sees us all and is overjoyed when we praise Him!
Points to Ponder:
What do you do to worship God?
Will you think of something else you may be able to do?
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February 9: 1 Corinthians 9:16-18
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 9:18
What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.
Devotion:
I have often been asked why I don’t advertise my devotionals or charge for them or make them into a book; I guess this passage says it all for me. I do this because I want to keep myself in the Gospel as well as knowing that I am giving the gospel to others for free – as it was intended to be. I despair at the history books when the church tried to restrict who could have access to the gospel by chaining bibles down in churches!
God has requested we each play our part in telling others the gospel truth. Jesus came to reinforce this by giving the disciples permission to go out and teach to the people and not just the Israelites, but all the Gentile world as well! Maybe Jesus opened up the doors because it was getting to be a bit of a select group of people. Maybe the early preachers in our history were placed there to open the doors to those who needed it because the church was becoming a select group.
Our church still has an air of selectiveness or even oppression – open the doors and shout out the gospel! God wants His word to be heard up and down the land without limits. God wants us to share the gospel with our neighbours and them with their neighbours – this is how the gospel is spread.
I know some people want to be able to make a living out of being a preacher who can go up and down the lands to spread the word, but maybe God is simply saying we need to focus on the people who are close to us and allow the natural spread of the word to gain ground like it was intended!
Points to Ponder:
How many people know you as a Christian?
How many of those people are outside of your normal church group?
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February 8: Mark 1:29-34
Key Verse: Mark 1:31
So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
Devotion:
Ok, let’s be honest... how many times have you said you were going to do something for God when you were not too well or in a bad place... but when you came out the other end of the bad session, you kinds forgot about the promise you made... I know I am guilty on a few occasions, but I also know God has continued to be by my side even when I have let Him down!
When Jesus came to the house of Simon and Andrew after ‘church’ at the synagogue, He heard how Simon's mother-in-law was ill in bed. He went through to her and healed her, not to have someone to wait on them but because He had compassion on them all, for the mother-in-law and for the rest of the family too – what better way to spend the day than with the full family and not just those who are not off ill!
The Holy Spirit continues to reach out to us and wants us to join in the work for God no matter where we are and no matter how we feel. If we are at the end of our tether, He is there to give us the support we need. If we are about to explode with happiness, He is there for the party with us! God wants to be in our life at all times.
God wants us to enjoy our lives with Him and He is willing to bring healing and restoration to any of us who do ask. We should be willing to get on with doing God’s work no matter where we are in our own lives and not to have to wait until the “time is right” or “we have enough funds” or whatever other excuse we use in our human nature. Set aside human nature and live in God’s nature!
Points to Ponder:
How are you coping during these rough times?
How much are you doing with what God has given you?