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January 18: 1 Corinthians 5:6-8
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 5:8
Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Devotion:
This chapter may be a hard read for many because it is dealing with a case of incest in the community; but what is more disturbing is the attitude of the other people around in accepting this behaviour as OK and using some excuse to uphold what is going on. Paul’s comments are hard hitting, and I would like to focus on the humility of the submission Paul is suggesting.
Paul is trying to cut off this behaviour in the bud, before it takes over the community and destroys peoples moral code. It does only take one instance of something which is accepted to bring about a change in the whole community. If that acceptance is for something which is not good, then that behaviour may well spread throughout the community, destroying what God has tried to build up.
As Christians, we need to be the lights in our communities, holding up the light as high as we can and not covering it or hiding it. Just like letting in a little of a bad thing in to the community, letting in a little of a good thing to the community can bring about changed for the good!
Allow God to guild you and protect you as you step forward allowing His light to shine through you. Allow Him to guide you and counsel you to bring about a small, good change in your community; one which will be accepted over time and adopted as part of your community. This is how God gets into the broken communities we call home...
Points to Ponder:
Are you willing to start a change?
Are you willing to uphold that change for God?
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January 17: 1 Samuel 3:1-10
Key Verse: 1 Samuel 3:7
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
Devotion:
I love these verses where God is calling Samuel to a life of a servant of God; Samuel did not have much of an idea of what this would involve or what would be expected of him because he had not yet been taught God’s Word. And this is the point I want to focus on today. I have written enough about how we should submit and how willing Samuel was to submit, but not about how God called him before He knew what it was all about!
This tell us how God is willing to use anyone to bring His word to others – we don’t have to be famous, we don’t have to be accomplished priests or prophets, we just have to be us! God can do all the rest of the things as long as we are willing to listen. This shows how God looks into our heart and not into our lives.
When God chose David to be the next king of Israel, it was not his stature or strength which made God choose him, but what was in his heart! When God chose Gideon, it was not his strength but his willingness (albeit after a bit of coaxing.) God continues to choose us to do His work based on what He knows secretly about us – we may not even know until God calls us!
I certainly did not know I would want to do youth work until God called me to do it in our local church. I thought I had had enough of youth after trying to bring up my children – but God knew what I could accomplish because He knows what I am really capable of! He knows you – just listen...
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel God calling you?
Will you simply say yes and stop to listen to Him?
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January 16: John 6:16-21
Key Verse: John 6:20
But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”
Devotion:
One of the things I relish most about Jesus is there is nothing too big or too small for Him; He has been there for me from the beginning, even when I wasn’t watching, and even when I least expected it. I can imagine the disciples beginning to get worried with the wind and waves – after all it was dark and they were probably tired from being up most of the night trying to get to the other side...
Then to top it all, along comes somebody/something walking on the water toward them! Now I may have been in a few tight spots in my life, but I don’t think I have ever been in a place where I see something like this! I can remember being so scared I dropped to my knees and prayed out loud; but still being scared because I did not know at the time my prayers had already been answered!
God does not have to send a bright shining light, and angel or even Jesus walking on the water so you can know your prayers are answered – sometimes He is going to answer them before you realise it, and other times you may have to wait a bit... But your prayers will be answered, and answered where God will get the glory!
Jesus’ first words were to calm the disciples down and then He got them to safety. Whether those words are out loud or quietly whispered without you hearing them, they are answered and you will know in your heart because you find peace. God is just so awesome!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you plead with God?
How often do you expect Him to answer?
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January 15: Isaiah 25:1-5
Key Verse: Isaiah 25:2
You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin, the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.
Devotion:
No matter how strong we think we are, no matter how invincible we believe we are – nothing can compare to your might and power God! Over the past few decades we have seen quite a few tyrants brought down and we have even seen great countries brought to their knees by scandal and infighting – all because mankind has thought they could do anything.
God is faithful and just. This means He will listen to all our prayers and He will answer them – but He will also bring to justice those who pervert the course of justice for their own greed and wants. God is here for all mankind and He will do what is righteous and just. He will always uphold the truth and will ensure the truth will get to be told, no matter what!
Sometimes we may have to wait a season before the right people are in the right positions so the truth can get out. Sometimes we have to wait until a tyrant is taken out of the picture before the truth can be safely told to others – we are the ones who need to learn about patience, waiting for the truth to be told.
God can bring down anyone and anything. If we do not listen to His guidance and, instead, lean on our own understanding, then we will fall in front of justice and the truth. God wants us to be standing up in front of truth and justice instead, not waiting in the shadows too frightened to come out in case we are found out! Trust in the truth and allow God to guide you forward with Him.
Points to Ponder:
Do you have any skeletons in your closet?
Will you strive to tell the truth today?
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January 14: Proverbs 25:21-22
Key Verse: Proverbs 25:21
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
Devotion:
O how we like to berate our enemies or to embarrass them in the sight of others, but this is not God’s way! Jesus told things how they were; He called out those who were hiding behind acts which were not sincere, but He always held out a hand to His enemies! It is a difficult route to follow, but one which we need to strive for in our own lives.
I know many people justify their actions through the next verse which tells us how being kind will heap burning coals on the heads of our enemies. This is not meant as a justification for doing something good! God wants us to do good things for the people around us because it is the right thing to do – not because we will be getting back at them in some other way!
But it is a though we should remind ourselves of because we may end up doing more harm than good if we go about things in the wrong way. If we go out of our way to be nice just so we can get back at people, then we are doing that as our primary goal and not blessing them! It is not right to channel all our energy into getting back at people, no matter how much they have done in our lives.
Striving to be what Jesus would do is a far better goal to aim for – one which we may end up finding much hard to achieve that living our lives peaceably! Our motives for doing what we do have got to be more in line with God’s motives; it is these motive God will be looking at and how He will be judging us.
Points to Ponder:
Do you go out of your way to get back at people?
Are you setting your goals in line with Jesus’ goals?
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January 13: Proverbs 17:17
Key Verse: Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
Devotion:
When you meet someone as a friend and you bond together as friends, not a lot is going to be able to get in the way of your friendly love for one another – there is something very special about the love you build up as friends. If something does get in the way, then you start to ask questions about what is special and what is vanity.
As Christians we need to have this sort of love for one another, making sure nothing gets in the way of your love for others and making sure the love remains even when things go wrong. God wants us to think about others all the time and not just think of ourselves – this is especially so when we are in sad and lonely time as we are now in the UK.
It is hard not being able to go round to friends' houses and greet each other with big hugs, but we need to remain careful and diligent to ensure we don’t all succumb to the virus! We need to make sure we spread the love, but not the germs. God made special concessions for people who had infectious deceases in the bible and we should not take this virus lightly.
But, equally, we need to remember our love for each other, remember the friendships we have and make sure they stand firm and strong. Also making sure the people around us know they can count on us to help out where we can and to share things when we can. I love being part of a community where things are not just discarded but advertised in case someone is in need.
Points to Ponder:
Do you find it hard in these stressful times?
Will you try and share something with a neighbour to lift the stress a bit?
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January 12: Matthew 12:30-32
Key Verse: Matthew 12:32
Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Devotion:
This is one of those verses in the bible which worries a lot of people because it seems to say that we could be in mortal danger if we say anything against the Holy Spirit... but we do have to take it in context and study the whole bible and not take a single verse as meaning everything! There are so many places in our bibles which tell us how forgiving and merciful God is and many more places where God has forgiven people for sins which would have demanded death of old!
God is willing and able to forgive anyone who has done anything wrong, even those who have spoken against the Holy Spirit! If we take this to its furthest extent, then many of us have cursed in the name of the Holy Spirit or Jesus... do we deserve eternal death? Well, everyone deserves eternal death according to the rules... but God forgives us and allows us to come to Him through Christ.
It is the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus which has allowed us to come to God no matter what we have done in our lives. We have to be careful in this though because the rules were laid down by God for a reason! If we say one thing (say we love God) but do something else (continue sinning as if it was normal) then are we showing God our true colours?
God wants us to be truthful and honest with Him and then He will uphold His promises to us. If we continue to berate the Holy Spirit and continue to work against the Spirit in our lives, then we are living a lie; something God will see right through! God will judge us according to the truth in our lives and not just what we say!
Points to Ponder:
What do you say about God in your life?
What do you do with God in your life?
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January 11: Mark 1:9-13
Key Verse: Mark 1:12
At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness,
Devotion:
What is the first thing which comes into your mind when you think about the baptism of Jesus? Is it the fact He came to John in human form and asked to be baptised just as everyone else was being baptised? Was it the fact the Spirit descended on Him like a dove from Heaven?
These are points which we need to remember and be thankful for, points which are very important and upon which many sermons have been preached – but I want to focus on what happens next... Have you been baptised? Can you remember it? I love the way baptisms are done in a small community church called church at five, based in East Finchley in London; or at least how they were done before COVID-19 set in!
The person being baptised is fully immersed in the pool and then the whole congregation gathers around the pool and prophesies over them. Yes, the whole congregation! Each one of us can listen to the spirit and tell others what the spirit it telling them! In Jesus’ case the spirit of God spoke out from Heaven... but it was not Jesus’ task to sit and soak up the spirit...
Instead, the spirit led Him out into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan! What would you have thought if your first task as a new Christian was to go out into the hardest, toughest and wildest place you can imagine and to be provoked as far as you could by a horrible person! Jesus needed to demonstrate to us we have the power to ignore evil when we have God on our side. God gives us the strength required through the Holy Spirit!
Points to Ponder:
How much do you rely on the Holy Spirit?
Will you step forward and expect the Holy Spirit to hold on tight today?
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January 10: Genesis 1:1-5
Key Verse: Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Devotion:
I can remember some of those amazing days back in the late 60’s when the astronauts went to the moon; not much detail, but I can remember standing outside in the dark waiting for the sputnik to fly over and all the hype about people getting to the moon! It is only now I appreciate how extraordinary the task was for the technology we had back then.
Why then were these words chosen for Anders, Lovell and Borman to read to the world as they went round the moon? Apparently it was suggested by the wife of a certain official at the time because the USA was still involved with the Vietnam war and quoting peace on earth or a Christmas message was not deemed appropriate...
But I still love the fact they chose words from the bible to speak to the world as they came out of the shadow of the moon and were able to speak to earth once again. The sight of the earth rising over the horizon of the moon is remarkable (I say that because I can review photographs of the sight and not because I was there!)
God has given us so much and we continue to try and better ourselves; but on many occasions we step on other people’s toes or we upset others through what we do. We cannot please everyone all of the time because we all have our own views and we change... but we can aim to try and please God all of the time because we know He does not change!
Points to Ponder:
Who do you try to please in your life?
Will you aim to please God today?
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January 9: Ephesians 6:1-9
Key Verse: Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Devotion:
Sometimes I read through a section of scripture and wonder what has impressed the writer to write such things – like these words trying to encourage peaceful living with all manner of people. And then you read the latest news and wonder what people are even thinking about to make them so violent against fellow countrymen!
Let’s face it, we, humans, are a right bunch who can be incited to do some pretty horrible things against other human beings – and it goes through all communities and societies. None of us are immune to these things, but we do have ready help to guide us in our lives. Words like these written down by the apostles to encourage us to do what is righteous for all people and not just those we choose!
God wants us to live with everyone as one people – all with access to God’s Word and to His way of life for us all. That means encouraging each other to have free access to His Word and to share it and it’s ideals with the people around us all the time and not just when we choose!
It is easy to think about doing the right thing but stopping and analysing what you do and adjusting your ways to be more in line with Christ’s ways does take courage and strength! God wants to give us the strength and will-power to do what is right; we need to listen to Him in order to do that! Stop and think about why you do the things you do – then try and think about what Jesus would try to do if He were in your shoes...
Points to Ponder:
Do you call yourself a Christian?
Do you do what Jesus would do?