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December 29: 1 John 1:5-7
Key Verse: 1 John 1:5
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
Devotion:
The disciples may be seen to be the lucky ones who were able to spend time with Jesus in person; or they could be looked at as the unlucky ones upon whom the weight of spreading the gospel fell without limit! There are two sides to most things in life and depending on how we are at the time, we may well come up with different answers to the same question...
This letter describes the feeling of one evangelist who wanted to make sure other people got to hear about Jesus and were given the opportunity to make their own decisions about just who Jesus is! The words here describe the pride and joy this self-proclaimed evangelist knew because he lived at the time Jesus was alive!
These words are our gift from God to encourage us and to lift us up to the same position of peace and joy this evangelist knew! Our words to each other are what we have to encourage each other to praise and worship our God openly and freely. I do pray for all those around the world who are held under persecution and are not free to publicly worship Jesus and to know this joy and peace first-hand in a way we do in a free country.
God wants us all to be able to walk in the light Jesus brought with Him to earth. God wants us to be able to share that light with others and to be able to show others what it means to have this light in our lives. It is because of the light, love, living water and faithfulness of Jesus that we are able to live with Him and know we will join Him in heaven one day!
Points to Ponder:
Do you still creep around in the shadows?
Will you switch on the lights and allow people to see what God means to you?
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December 28: Psalm 147:1
Key Verse: Psalm 147:1
Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
Devotion:
One of the things I have missed most during these various lock-downs is the gathering together of all our church people on a Sunday for praise and worship... and it looks like this is going to continue to be the norm until we are all vaccinated and it is deemed safe to meet up once again!
No matter how far we are apart, or how close but behind locked doors, we can still praise and worship God, albeit in our own homes. If you are feeling down or alone, try tuning into a worship service somewhere else or listen online to some worshipful singing. We do still have our memory and we do still have recordings of lots of people worshipping God without restriction. Try to focus on the act of worship and not the feeling of not being with others. Try to focus on God and not on your feeling of somehow being inadequate.
I like to switch on a portable speaker and stream worship songs so I can listen to the words and focus on God for a while; blocking out the world and all the terrible things going on up and down the land.
And, the best thing is, it does not even have to be a Sunday when you tune in a praise God – Do it daily and without limit – but try to think of your neighbours and don’t turn up the volume too loud!
God has always been faithful, and we can do so by praising Him at all times!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you praise God?
Will you turn off the world and turn on some worship songs now
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December 27: Galatians 3:23-25
Key Verse: Galatians 3:25
Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
Devotion:
Before Christ came to live amongst us, we were all caught up in the law as given to Moses and upheld by many prophets and chief priests over the ages. Those laws were the guidance we needed to try and live our lives according to the will and wishes of God; we had to depend on the prophets and priests to faithfully recount what God was telling them to pass on to us.
As the first verse tells us, we were being held custody under the law and there was nothing we could do other than to try and keep all the laws – the problems being it was not within our powers to keep all the laws all the time. Therefore, God allowed Jesus to come down to be the ultimate sacrifice for us; to cover our sins once and for all instead of us having to placate God through giving sacrifices at regular intervals!
But when Jesus gave us the instructions we needed to hear, fulfilled the sayings of the prophets and became the very last sacrifice which was to be needed, we were released from that custody into the arms of our own faith. We were given the choice to believe in Jesus and to accept His sacrifice for all of our sins, past, present and future!
We now live under the grace period where we are still given the choice to believe in what Jesus has done so we can be set free from our sins. Indeed, throughout the New Testament we are told if we simply believe in our hearts this is what Jesus did for us, then we will be set free and forgiven once and for all!
Points to Ponder:
Do you believe Jesus came to be your sacrifice?
Will you continue to trust in His word and have faith in His promises?
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December 26: Luke 2:6-12
Key Verse: Luke 2:8
And there were shepherds living out in the fields near by, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
Devotion:
Do you know where you were born? Not the town or city, but the hospital and even the ward you were on. I don’t think many of us could break it down to the ward and room, and some of us were born in places which don’t exist anymore – much like the place or Saviour was born; a lowly stable where they had to lay Him down in a manger because they did not have portable carry cots and things like that then!
I know hospitals get rebuilt, moved or re-purposed because of the advances in technology and medicine – so a few generations back and things get lost in time. But what does not change over time is the people who have babies (mothers) and less so, the carers who look after soon-to-be mothers. But no matter how much changes, people are still going to be born and people will still die – it's the memories and our souls which live on forever.
One thing which is very different here is the first people who came to see the new baby. It was not the friends and family who were called to say the baby had been born, but shepherds who were looking after their flocks nearby. These were the guys who spent their nights out all the time with the animals, who didn’t get paid a lot and who were not recognised as people of society. But God chose them to be the first.
This, to me, is the ultimate statement of who Jesus looks out for first of all. It is not the well-off people who shower others with money and possessions, it is not the high priests and church leaders, but the poor and meek whom Jesus reaches out to – those He wants to bless because they have little else to look forward to.
Points to Ponder:
Who did you spend Christmas with?
Have you tried reaching out to someone you know who needs a little helping hand?
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December 25: Isaiah 9:6-7
Key Verse: Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Devotion:
Today we finally celebrate the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ after what has been, for many of us, a very challenging year. But none of this really compares to the weight which was placed on Jesus’ shoulders during His ministry on earth; a ministry He took on willingly because of His great love for us then and now!
No matter how much time passes and how much goes wrong in this world, we continue to have a Saviour who loves us and cares for us. During this year many may be questioning “where was God” amongst all the bad things which have happened. He has been here, waling with us and trying to protect us every step of the way. Unfortunately, we make our own choices in life and we upset the apple cart now and again!
Christ continues to love us and to want what is best for us in our lives no matter what things we get up to and no matter how far we stray away from His protection. When we listen and obey, we find out how much He does love us. When we look back on what has happened to us, we may well see how much He has protected us along the way.
But whatever happens, I do pray today you will see some more of the Saviour’s love for you, no matter where you are and no matter what state you are in.
Merry Christmas everyone, and may God continue to bless you.
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December 24: Matthew 1:18-25
Key Verse: Matthew 1:24
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
Devotion:
As we wake up tomorrow, we should be remembering what God has done for us by remembering the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It was no ordinary birth; not that there are ever ordinary births because we are all God’s children! This birth was to be remembered for many good and many bad reasons. We remember all the good reasons because we know what God was doing and we see the results of what He has done for us.
On the other hand, some people would be looking at this birth as something not welcome and even a disgrace to the Jews. Something God knew was going to happen and what had been foretold many years ago by the prophets. All this was unravelling just as the prophets had said, but people did not want to believe because it meant big changes in the way they had grown used to living.
None of us like too many changes in our lives because we have to get used to all new things, but God wants us to see how change can be good and change can welcome in new ways of living. If we are willing to change our ways and walk away from the sin in our lives, we will see changes which God wants in our lives; Jesus came to change things in a big way!
Joseph was ‘on the front line’ of this extraordinary birth and in normal circumstances would have every reason to reject Mary and the baby; but God called Him to love and protect the baby Jesus because He was a gift from God. We should never turn our backs on what God is giving us – no matter what the world has to say about it!
Points to Ponder:
Do you see what God is giving you?
Will you accept God’s gift with open arms?
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December 23: John 1:19-23
Key Verse: John 1:21
They asked him, ‘Then who are you? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’
Devotion:
What would you do if someone mistook you for someone famous? Would you revel in the mistake and take advantage of it, or would you try to persuade them you are just plain old you? I do remember seeing someone in a film who looked just like me (albeit about 30 years ago) and wondering what it would be like to be them...
Most of the time I have passed on opportunities to raise my profile and have, instead, wanted to remain anonymous. I do see the attraction of publicity, but also fear what it would bring me. I do, however, like being able to help others whenever I can and wouldn’t mind if I had the opportunity to do more for people; but my choices should be guided by Christ and not by money or notoriety!
When God calls us to step forward for Him, it is not so we can gain popularity or gain massive income from working in churches; God calls us to be faithful servants, willing to do things when He asks. This is a very different culture to some large organisations or even large churches. Jesus did not command any salary, and even warned the disciples they should go out and teach the gospel without expecting anything; instead waiting on God and allowing Him to give what was needed.
John was living what we may think of as a rough life, eating strange foods and wearing what was provided. He did this because God had called him to be a servant, preparing the way for Jesus and not lining his own pockets.
Points to Ponder:
What rewards do you expect for doing God’s work?
How hard would you work if you knew there was no income?
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December 22: John 1:15-18
Key Verse: John 1:15
John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, ‘This is the one I spoke about when I said, “He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.”’
Devotion:
John was faithful to do what God asked of him and to continue doing God’s will even when people began to flock around him. I fear many of us may well give in to the publicity we gain and allow the notoriety to get to our heads, taking us away from the true calling God has asked of us. But John remained faithful to God’s calling, no matter what.
The people around him began to ask questions like these in this passage – questioning whether he was Elijah come back to teach people or even a prophet sent from God to continue bringing them God’s word. Instead, John simply told them the truth as God had given it to him and continued to persuade people to show outward signs of believing in the Messiah who was to come – one of those signs was to be baptised.
When God calls us into His work, we are often asked to do things showing our belief to others in an outward manner. If we are covert Christians, nobody else is going to hear the Gospel and nobody is going to be encouraged to try and find out who Jesus is and what He can do in our lives... instead we may only succeed in developing an underground church where people will be forced to lie about their relationships with Christ, just as Peter did before Jesus.
God calls us to be faithful servants and to promote glory to God. To do that we need to be outwardly confessing Jesus is our Saviour and has given us the grace we need to be set free from our sin debt. Don’t let your life take you away from God’s calling in your life.
Points to Ponder:
Do you listen to God?
Are you really listening or going along with the world?
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December 21: John 1:9-13
Key Verse: John 1:10
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him.
Devotion:
When you make something, you will normally be able to recognise what you have made for some time; some of those things will be your pride and joys which you will never forget. When God made the world, He created something which He was proud of and something we all marvel at in our lives; but still there are people who refuse to believe He was responsible for creating the world!
It is wonderful to be able to study art and construction because many things will please us in ways we cannot explain in full. How does a piece of art invoke such emotion within us? How do people not have more emotion invoked by what God has done for us?
God has given us something which is so special it gives us what we need to be children of God; we just make the choice to believe in Him and He makes sure we are filled with love, joy and peace. But the person standing by our side may choose to not believe in God and they will have to rely on our love, joy and peace rather than having their own.
As we make our way through the last few days before Christmas, many of us face the idea of not being able to be with the people we love on Christmas day because of the pandemic still affecting so much of the world. Though we may be apart, we still will have the love, joy and peace God has already given us to sustain us until we are able to be with each other safely once again.
Points to Ponder:
How much do you get out of your relationship with God?
Will you step forward and take on a complete relationship with Christ this year
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December 20: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:16
Rejoice always
Devotion:
Ok, who is going to start the online party today? Seems such a far cry from last Christmas where we were able to be with each other in person most places around the world – but this year things are going to be very different for many of us. I am moving this Christmas! That is going to be a bit different!
I love the words from these verses: Rejoice always! We always can find something to be happy about and to share that happiness with others! We need to keep rejoicing in what we have. We recently said our final goodbye to my dad a few weeks ago, but we found so many good memories about all he was able to do over the years he was alive with us. We were able to rejoice as well as mourn on the day of his funeral.
If you are finding it hard to think of anything to rejoice about, stop and lift up your prayers to God. Yes, He knows about your position, but if you don’t acknowledge things to Him, you are never going to get them off your chest! God wants us to be free from our burdens, which means giving them to Him so we can rejoice is what we do have!
Listen to the good news from those around you and lift it up for others to be encouraged with. God wants us to share the good news, not just the gospel and His miracles, but everything we do with Him. Turning away from temptations and evil in our lives will allow us to see better and better things. Evil always eclipses everything when you focus on it instead of on God. Allow God to bring you the peace you deserve – the peace He has promised you!
Points to Ponder:
What are you focusing on today?
Will you allow God’s peace to shine today?