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February 7: Matthew 4:1-11
Key Verse: Matthew 4:4
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Devotion:
We often complain about how much we are tempted and we somehow use this as an excuse so we can give in to temptations now and again; we try not to, but we do and we say it is human nature to do so. Well, it may well be human nature to give in to temptations and sin, but we do have a choice and we can choose not to give in. Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert and He stood by the Word of God so He would not give in.
If we need to find something to help us avoid the temptations or sin, then we need not look any further than God’s Word. It has everything we need to avoid temptation and to give us strength to fight the temptation to give in to sin. We have God’s strength backing us up all the way, just as Jesus had in the desert, so we have in our lives.
God wants us to stand up and ask for help. He wants to be able to help us in all circumstances in life, but He is not willing to be taken for granted and used as a tool instead of as a partner. We can draw parallels with our human relationships here – nobody wants to be taken for granted and nobody wants to feel like they are being used... so why should we expect God to be any different...
The big difference in that God has continued to offer His help and support throughout time. He continues to tell us He is here for us and how much He wants to support us in dire times... all we need to do is to ask in the first place!
Points to Ponder:
How do you cope with relationships?
How do you treat Christ in your life?
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February 6: Ephesians 4:17-19
Key Verse: Ephesians 4:18
They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
Devotion:
How many times have you been told to change the way you are? Maybe you were told at school you would never amount to anything unless you changed your ways... Maybe your parents told you things would get bad unless you changed your ways... What have you done about it? What is it going to take for you to change your ways?
None of us like to be told we have to change our ways because we feel safe with things we know. We want to continue to feel safe, so we stick with what we do know and not the unknown. But when someone else tells us something different is what is required, we get scared and back away from them...
Jesus wants us to pick up His ways so we have a better chance at living the life God wants us to live. This is going to mean turning away from our old ways and embracing new ways which can be scary and we tend to back away from that. But when God tries to encourage us to change to His ways, He is doing so to make our lives better – not to try and make us scared!
God knows what is best for each one of us and allowed Jesus to come to earth and share those ways directly with us. Jesus in turn shared those ways with the disciples and encouraged them to pass them on to all of us, Jews and Gentiles alike. The warning was most stark for the Gentiles because they had entrenched themselves in a way of living which was far from what God wanted. The Jews were a bit closer, but they still had a lot to learn too. Let us embrace what God is sharing with us!
Points to Ponder:
Do you get scared of change?
Will you have a look at God’s ways through Jesus?
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February 5: Matthew 6:11-13
Key Verse: Matthew 6:12
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Devotion:
As each of us continues to read or hear God’s Word, we need to apply it into our lives, not just in deed, but from and through our hearts. This means doing things God wishes in your life because you want to do it, because you want to please God and bring glory to His Holy Name!
One of the greatest ways we can do this is to forgive people just as God forgives us. We know we are guilty and we know what we have done in our lives – each of us knows deep in our hearts we are guilty of many things. Yet God was willing to allow His Son to take on the punishment for our sins, for our wrong-doings, so He can forgive us through the blood of Christ – our sacrifice.
If God was willing to do that for us even before we knew Him, then we should be willing to forgive those we know and those we are yet to meet. Just think how much joy and peace could be in this world if we were all willing to forgive; not just for the little things we do wrong, but for the big things too! Nothing is too great for God to forgive apart from consistent and recurring disbelief – even after we have been given the truth.
Accept God’s Word as the truth it is. Accept God as the one true God. Accept Christ Jesus as your own personal sacrifice God has accepted so we can be forgiven for the things we are holding deep in our hearts. God has set us free, but we need to accept that freedom and release it into the world by sharing it with the people around us. Forgive someone...
Points to Ponder:
Who have you blamed in the past for things you have done?
Do you know Jesus willingly accepted the punishment for that already?
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February 4: Matthew 6:16-18
Key Verse: Matthew 6:18
so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Devotion:
How many churches or gatherings have you been to where the leader has gone overboard with the theatrics to try and emphasise a point? Very subjective and leading question... because we all have differing view of what is acceptable and what we need to encourage us. But God has warned us against using theatrics for our own gain as opposed to for God’s glory... which greys the line even more!
It is not so much the use of theatrics or overt ways, but the reason for using such ways. Are we using it to build up ourselves or to glorify God? I’m afraid the answer goes both ways because we do find people who are using theatrics and advertising, not to promote God, but to promote themselves!
God should get all the glory in what we do and what we say. Just because we are going to fast does not mean we have to tell everyone what we are going to do. If we are telling them to try and encourage them to join you, then that is different; but doing it to make yourself look better is not promoting God and His ways!
God will see you whatever you are doing and wherever you are doing it. You don’t have to put it all over social media to get lots of likes and shares – that is simply building yourself up. Doing it because you share those view is different. Allow God to reward you in ways He wants to reward you – don't try and force His hand because you get more shares and likes!
Points to Ponder:
Do you share your faith with others?
Why do you share your faith with others?
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February 3: Mark 5:35-43
Key Verse: Mark 5:36
Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
Devotion:
We accept death as something final from which there is no return, so the people in these verses were not ready for what Jesus was about to do... Jesus wanted them to see the power of God in a way they had not seen before – His comment to them before the miracle was to simply believe!
We have God’s Word we only have to believe in order to be saved. We have His Word we are able to pray to Him and ask anything through Jesus’ name. We have God’s Word! Let that sink in a bit after reading these verses. God can do anything, and we have His Word saying he wants us to simply believe in what we are praying for.
The people here thought it was too late because the girl had already died. That was the end in their minds and all they could do now was to pray for comfort and mourn the death of this girl; or at least that is what they imagined! But Jesus knew what was possible through God and through believing what God can do.
After having gone through the death of both my parents now (but I still have an amazing mother-in-law) I know the finality of physical death, but I also know the peace and comfort which can follow because both my parents believed in Christ and knew they would be with Him in Heaven after their physical bodies gave up on them. The doctors and nurses around both of them had done amazing work to keep them alive after they should have died, but only Christ could give them eternal life because it was their time to join Him in heaven.
Points to Ponder:
How much faith do you place in Christ’s hands?
Will you stop being afraid and simply believe?
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February 2: Luke 2:25-35
Key Verse: Luke 2:27
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
Devotion:
There are some things we meet in life which we know are the truth and we accept them without question. There are other things we know to be untrue and yet they stick with us and upset us again and again. Simeon knew He would not die until after he had witnessed the Messiah with his own eyes and this was that day. He was not told by a big announcement Jesus was coming but was led by the Spirit to come to the temple at that time.
God continues to talk to us and try to persuade us to be at the right place at the right time; whether we listen and obey or continue on in our busy lives is another thing. God wants us to try to be aware of the Holy Spirit at all times and to listen for those small prompts to be at the right place at the right time. He has many things planned for each of us and some of those will be amazing times.
Some will announce an end to something you love doing; I loved being in London serving the local community and I truly miss being there – especially in these dire Covid times, but God has a plan. Simeon knew this was something very special but knew it was a signal for the end. His warning to Mary was also very unsettling. She was warned her heart would be pierced in the future.
God does not say we will have a life without sorry or pain but we will have the comfort of knowing we know Jesus personally and we have a home with Him in Heaven when the time comes. What goes on here on earth before that time may be hard to handle or to accept; we simply need to look to the future!
Points to Ponder:
What hardships have you faced last month?
Are you looking forward to what God can do this month?
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February 1: James 1:19-27
Key Verse: James 1:22
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Devotion:
How often do or have you zoned out whilst in a class or lecture? One of my failings is allowing my mind to wander when I should be concentrating on listening or reading; my mind wanders off on a tangent and I lose an hour when I begin to come back to what I should be doing!
God does not want us to listen “blindly” to what is being said or what is in our bibles. God wants us to apply what we hear and read into our lives so we can become better people. God wants us to read or listen with intent – to discern what we are hearing or reading and then to make a conscious effort to apply what we learn into our lives!
If we take a recipe and follow the words exactly, there is a good chance we will get a good meal in the end; but if the recipe does not list everything exactly as required, then it may be hit-and-miss as to whether we do get something god in the end. This is where experience and advice from others comes in – if we try to make our own rules, things may not work as expected, but when we follow advice from others who have been there, and discern this is good advice, then we will have better luck.
So, when you read your bible verses today. Don't just skip over them and then expect me to give you all of the information required – there is no way I can expand enough in these short devotionals for you to get the very best wisdom. God wants us to go through His word, take on board what others are saying and then go to Him for an insight delivered to you by the Holy Spirit!
Points to Ponder:
How well do you read God’s Word?
How well do you meditate on God’s Word?
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January 31: Proverbs 13:16-17
Key Verse: Proverbs 13:17
A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.
Devotion:
I have always been taught it is best to live with the truth all the time because when you try to deceive others, that deceit will be found out one way or another. The longer you try to hide the lies, the more stress you bring upon yourself and the more likely you are to slip up and let people know what you are hiding!
That being said, so many people do try to hide behind lies – far more people than you realise, including ourselves. We do like to expand on the truth and bend the truth, but this is only bringing deceit into our lives and there is no long-term solution for deceit! So much so, when we find someone who is always willing to tell the truth and share the truth, we find it a pleasure to be around them... unless we are trying to hide the truth in which case we get found out!
When we know this, we should be acting to expose the truth always and to be willing to share that truth with everyone around us. The more we see the positive side of the truth, the more we learn it is the best answer and we turn toward having the truth in our lives. The more we do that, the more others get to share the truth and the more they are willing to live in the light of the truth as well!
God wants us to continue sharing the light – His light, brought to us by Jesus Christ and continuing with the Holy Spirit every day. The more we share this light, the more others will see how pleasing it is to be in the light and they too will shy away from the darkness. It’s Sunday – share the truth with someone else today, be it your own life or the life of Christ, be willing to tell the truth!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you think you bend the truth?
Will you try to express truthful things today?
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January 30: John 9:1-7
Key Verse: John 9:6
After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.
Devotion:
Why would Jesus put mud on the eyes of the blind man? I don’t know if you have ever god mud in your eyes – I have a long history of getting things in my eyes when I was small and still seem to get things in my eyes nowadays! It is not comfortable and certainly not something you would ever equate to getting better or healing!
As we go through the words Jesus spoke here we begin to realise it is the circumstance and the way forward which makes a big impact on what people remember. If Jesus had simply healed the man who was blind from birth, would it have got so much attention? Would people remember it? Jesus knew exactly what was needed for people to remember what was happening here!
The pool of Siloam was also remembered, and people cling to things and places where the extraordinary has happened – it gives us something to focus on and something tangible to believe with. Jesus knew it would be a much bigger impact if He stuck mud in this mans eyes so he would have to wash his eyes out properly. The act of doing something would make more people believe in what Christ could do!
Similarly, God may allow something into your life which you feel is unfair or even unjust, but the results and the outcome will be remembered much more due to the extent of what has happened. My faith has grown so much more since I was in hospital and brought back from near death a few times. Not something I would wish on anyone and not something I want to repeat – but I know how much God did for me and how much He comforted me during those times!
Points to Ponder:
What will it take for you to take notice?
Do you really want to go through bad times to see God’s grace?
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January 29: Matthew 26:47-50
Key Verse: Matthew 26:50
Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.
Devotion:
I wonder what the disciples really went through in their hearts and minds during these few minutes when the crowd of people came to arrest Jesus. This was the man they had been following every move of for a few years and it was all about to come crashing down around them. I must say I could probably relate to the disciple who reached out with a sword instead of words – but Jesus quietened him and brought back the words.
One thing we often forget is Jesus reaching out to His betrayer, Judas, and calling Him friend one last time before being taken away and abused so horribly. When we think of the things we say and do in our lives, we often get caught up in the words and think Christ could never forgive us because we went that step too far even though we know Him...
But, even when we press one too many buttons and we kick the proverbial sand in Jesus eye, He is still willing to stop and look us in the face to say: friend. Jesus is willing to forgive us no matter what we do; and we need to remember that and depend on it too, believing He is going to call us friend and forgive us.
No matter what you have done in your past, no matter what you are doing right now in your life – if you step forward and ask Christ to forgive you, He will. He looks into your heart and not into your past. He looks forward and waits for what you can do with Him. And with Christ we can do anything!
Points to Ponder:
Are you standing scared before Christ?
Will you ask Him to forgive His friend - you?