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December 9: Jeremiah 10:2-7
Key Verse: Jeremiah 10:3
For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
Devotion:
How often do you look at nature and marvel at the intricate design, beauty and splendour of the things God has created? From a simple flower which is so delicate but brings out passion, compassion and love in us all, to the power and stability of a mountain which has stood for thousands of years, God’s creations show us what is possible if you have the right attitude during creation.
We have learned to take some creations which look dull and even lifeless, and bring them to life by carving, chiselling and adorning them with shiny decorations. We have learned to take the delicate flowers and arrange them in ways which show our love. We have learned to mix soft and malleable items together to make hard, enduring structures for our good.
But nothing we do can compare to the things God creates for us; though we strive to make it happen in so many ways. God wants us to know His love for us by the things He does for us, but also through all He has created around us. If we stop and look at things, we will see the depth of His love!
No matter how powerful some nations say they are, and even prove in the battlefield, they are nothing compared to the power God has; all we need do is look at the ultimate force of natural things to see just how powerful our creator is – because He holds all of these things in His hands!
Points to Ponder:
Who do you look to as the most powerful person?
Could they place the moon in just the right place to move around the earth?
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December 8: Colossians 3:12-17
Key Verse: Colossians 3:14
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Devotion:
God continues to want the best for us and from us; and in order to accomplish that, we should always strive to abound in love because this is at the centre of our lives and our relationships with Him. Without love we cannot have a true relationship with Him, and without love we cannot hope to have a proper relationship with anyone here on earth!
God knows if we focus on the love He has for us and share it with others, we are going to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience: just some of the attributes we normally associate as being the fruits of the spirit. It is little wonder they are known as the fruits of the spirit because God is love!
Baring with one another and not getting stressed with each other as we face things which do not go our way is one way to make sure we always have God’s love in our hearts. God wants us to show His love to others. God wants us to show the fruits of the spirit to others. Much of this starts with forgiveness, just as God first forgave us and our sins, so too must we strive to forgive others in our lives.
Allowing God’s love to bubble up inside us will ultimately allow it to overflow from our lives and into the lives of those around us – then we can see the tangible results of this love as it fills the lives of those around us just as God’s love filled the disciples lives as they walked with Him.
Points to Ponder:
Do you allow your love to fill other people’s lives?
Will you accept more of God’s love so it overflows from your life?
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December 7: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 13:12
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
Devotion:
O I long to be able to meet people with a big hug or a kiss! These times can be very testing, but keeping each other safe and secure is how we can show our love for each other... just because you see someone else doing something does not give you the right to go ahead and do whatever they are doing. God does not want us to blindly follow others but to test what we do against what He has commanded us through His Word.
The bible does not have many words about global pandemics with new virial infections, but it does teach us what people did with things they could not control back in those days – such as leprosy. We have to separate ourselves to keep each other safe. Unfortunately, we do not know the moment when we may catch the virus, so we should err on the side of caution and keep each other safe.
I have had to do a bit of travelling over the last few weeks helping to organise things for Dad’s funeral, but I have done everything I could to be as helpful as I could without throwing caution to the wind. I would have been so much easier to say, I’m ok and go about normal life, but taking a step back and giving people space and still showing compassion has been rather encouraging in many ways.
We don’t have to give in to the ways of the world in order to do the things which need to be done – staying safe and being cautious can still be done and must be done until such time as enough people have been vaccinated against this virus! God is with us and greeting each other with a Holy Kiss is not necessarily walking up to someone and planting a wet kiss on their lips!
Points to Ponder:
How are you faring during these tough times?
Are you keeping your eyes fixed on Christ?
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December 6: Luke 2:1-5
Key Verse: Luke 2:1
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
Devotion:
So much of the world is based around money and the management of money; it is hard to avoid worrying about it and about how much you need to earn just to survive. How far we go with the need to know exactly what we have all the time and how much we have to spend may well detract your attention from the important things in life. God wants us to be good steward of everything He allows into our lives, but He certainly does not want us to make the love of money the centre of our lives!
Many governments will order a census to find out exactly where people are and how much potential there is to raise money from taxing people. This is judicious and will allow governments to plan ahead with spending and building a better place for people to live – as long as that is what they are focusing on and not just the money!
Caesar Augustus’ plan for the census was to try and locate the money but also to try and identify where this ‘self-proclaimed king’ was. He was trying to flush out what someone had prophesied so he could remain in control of his known world! Making people go back to their birth towns would allow him to control where this baby would be born and to try and control the outcome...
God wants us to rely on His Word in our lives to guide us to the best outcomes. If we look to the world and money for our outcomes, we will see nothing further than the world and money. But if we focus on God in eternity, then we shall see opened up to us the realms Jesus spoke of and the blessings He promised. Trust in God and look to Him for your future...
Points to Ponder:
How important is money to you?
Will you look to God for guidance instead?
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December 5: Luke 10:38-42
Key Verse: Luke 10:40
But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’
Devotion:
Many times in our lives we get caught up in the rush and end up forgetting to do the important parts; we are left feeling bad afterwards because we have missed out on something important, but we also felt we were doing the right thing by rushing round trying to do everything at the time! Sometimes, we need to take a step back and just spend time with God instead of embedding ourselves in the world!
I must admit to feeling like the last few weeks have been a bit like what is described here with Martha when I know I should be spending my time just listening to God like Mary. Understandable or not, we do need to stop and wait on God. He does have our lives in His very safe and capable hands. He wants us to be able to rest in those hands from time to time too.
The weekend is upon us, and you may well be busy trying to do all sorts of things for church, but spend some time being with God, listening to His word, breaking away from the hum-drum life and allowing the Holy Spirit to fill you once again, ready for a new week.
God continues to watch over us all the time and will take care of us if we ask. But when we start taking Him for granted and lose ourselves in the world, we lose focus on what is important and stop listening to important things He is trying to tell us each day. Our daily bread comes from God and we do need it to sustain us. Stop and be with God!
Points to Ponder:
Do you find yourself very busy?
Will you stop for a few minutes and try listening to God?
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December 4: Matthew 5:3-10
Key Verse: Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Devotion:
Today we say a fond farewell to my father who has fought a long battle with cancer; to us it is an “au revoir pour le moment” and not a final goodbye. We know he loved Jesus and lived his life for Christ, always caring for others.
As a child, I often though he was strict, but as an adult I look back and see how he was keeping me on track with the way God wanted us to live. He never forced God or religion on me, allowing me to make my own choices and live the life I thought was best; but always trying to show me a way of hope he knew inside.
I do pray each of you will meet someone in your life who has a hidden agenda, one which wants you to know about Jesus whilst not bashing you on the head with words which seem meaningless at the time. After living on an estate in London for a few years, I can honestly say I have learned how people need each other and need the love and support of a whole community in order to grow.
If that community has God at its centre, then that community will prosper in the long run. It may have aches and pains in the beginning as the old self is put aside and the new life in Christ is embraced, but the long-term gains of peace and love far outweigh any grumbles in the beginning.
Just like my dad looked at these words and accepted them in his heart for others, so our Father in Heaven looks to us to lift up these words to others and give them hope in this crazy world.
Points to Ponder:
Do you know someone who needs a virtual hug today?
Will you ask God how you can bless someone today?
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December 3: Isaiah 7:13-17
Key Verse: Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Devotion:
I wonder how many people took notice of these prophecies from Isaiah at the time. It could not have been too many people otherwise this would not be a message which carried good and bad news. The good news being a Saviour was going to be born who would come to be amongst us. The bad news being some rough times lay ahead... and this was about 700 years before Christ was to come!
We can look back on prophecies like these and do all the wondering we can think of, but the truth is still there. The more we walk away from God and His ways, the more we invite rough times into our lives. This goes for everyone in the world and not just a few select Christians!
But, let’s not focus on the rough times – we seem to have our fair share of them all around the world now; but things are looking positive for next year! Let us, instead, focus on the promise God gave to us – a promise of a Saviour! Jesus came to fulfil that promise and to give us a new hope to look forward with and the certainty via a promise fulfilled!
When we focus our lives on Christ, we get to learn more about Him in a shorter time than just trying to live righteously. We bring Him into our lives where He can do more with us and fill our lives with the peace and joy He has also promised. These are things we can look back on and know the promises were made but and kept. God has not changed and will not change – His promises still stand firm!
Points to Ponder:
What part of Christmas are you looking forward to?
Will you make sure Christ is in Christmas this year?
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December 2: Zechariah 9:9
Key Verse: Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Devotion:
Can you imagine what we would do with someone who came and said they knew a new king was coming into town, one who would bring peace through his actions; and he was going to ride into town on a bicycle instead of in a great big limousine! I think we would ridicule this person for saying something too outrageous for us to believe...
But Zechariah was talking here about Jesus coming to Jerusalem, the capital city where everything important was always held. The fortress where people could feel safe if they were to be attacked. A place where God was proclaimed and where He was worshipped in the biggest and best temples...
We tend to focus too much on the power or the riches of our leaders. We follow the rich and famous. We want to see people who have great presence and can talk the talk. We think we are voting to people who should serve us, the community. We think we bring people into government who will listen to us and do what we want. What we get are people who crave power above all else. We get people who are corrupted by power and greed...
We are God’s children. We are the ones who need to shout about God and to rejoice in all He does in our lives. We are here to worship Him and share His Word with others. We don’t get to vote Him into power, but we do get to invite Him into our lives, to be the driving forces in our lives instead of the corruption of power and greed.
Points to Ponder:
Who do you invite into your life each day?
Will you stop and invite Jesus to take control of your life?
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December 1: James 1:16-18
Key Verse: James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Devotion:
Sometimes we are tempted to go off the rails and do things which we know are not right – the more we do this, the more we think it is OK, if we don’t get caught doing it! But what we forget it God is always watching us and sees everything we do both physically and in our minds and hearts! We often make up excuses saying it is probably OK with God because He has not stopped us from doing it!
That is not how God works. God is not going to support us doing things wrong and sinning. God is not going to have any part of the evil we get up to. God wants the very best for us and He will try to support us in doing what is righteous. All the good and great things we gain in our lives can be said to come from God – He is the creator and author of everything... yet still gives us free choice to do what we please.
He is not going to stand by quietly when we do what we please instead of what He is asking – but too often we ignore all the warning signs because we don’t like them. We ignore all the instructions we find difficult to take because we don’t like them. This does not mean God is giving up on us; rather we are continuing to walk away from Him!
God will never change. He is our Lord. He is everything. He is love. He created everything for us. We now have the choice at to what we do with His creation. We have the choice to follow Him and His Word, or to follow our own wants and desires. Why not change your direction a little to be more in line with God’s direction and see what He gives you as you do!
Points to Ponder:
Do you continue to ignore instruction just because you don’t like it?
Will you turn and face Jesus and ask for His instruction?
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November 30: Matthew 4:18-22
Key Verse: Matthew 4:19
‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’
Devotion:
What is your first reaction when a friend asks you to do something which will take you away from what you want to do? We all react differently to requests from friends and differently again to requests from family. When a friend asks you to do something with or for them, they do not know what is going on in your heart and mind at that moment – if they are very good friends, they could probably guess...
God knows what is going on in our minds and hearts and He is also aware of what we need to ensure our hearts and minds remain in a fit state; something we often struggle with when things go wrong. God is not going to step forward and ask you to walk off a cliff or to ask you to tell a loved one you do not want to see them again – that would not be right.
But sometimes God is going to ask you to do something you may not have thought of before, or something which will stretch your abilities or comfort zones. We, after all, feel most comfortable doing things which we are accustomed to doing – things which make us feel good or things we are used to doing. God may well ask you to step out of that comfort zone!
How we react is going to define our relationship with God. When He does ask something big of us, He will do so because He knows we can do it and we need to do it. When Jesus asked the disciples to follow Him and be fishers of men, He was asking them to leave the comfort of their everyday jobs and livelihoods to do something with sounded irrational to many people; but not to them because they knew God!
Points to Ponder:
Do you really listen to God?
Are you doing what God is asking or doing what is comfortable for you?