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October 10: Mark 3:1-6
Key Verse: Mark 3:3
Jesus said to the man with the shrivelled hand, ‘Stand up in front of everyone.’
Devotion:
Jesus knew what the people were plotting, and He knew what was in their hearts; but He knew what God wanted and that was more important to share than what mankind was plotting! How many times have you shied away from doing something because people would say something bad about you for doing it? How many times have you given in to the pressures of people rather than standing up for what is righteous?
Difficult questions in difficult times... As we watch the number of cases of Coronavirus steadily climb in the UK, we wonder what we should be doing and what people are going to say when we do something different... so we continue to do the normal and nothing changes!
Well, if there was ever a time to stand up and make a difference, it is now. Not because the whole world is going to be watching you, but because not many people will see you doing anything! If you were scared to do anything beforehand, now is the time to do something when the streets are quieter and when others are focused on other things...
Jesus continues to call us to do His work no matter what is going on in the world around us. We can do so many things as Christians and now is our time to stand up and shine like the lights Jesus has made us to be. Now is the time to make a difference – not by breaking all the rules, but by doing what we can within the rules and showing people God cares for them.
Points to Ponder:
How many people do you know who are struggling?
Are you trying to make a difference in their lives?
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October 9: Luke 11:5-10
Key Verse: Luke 11:9
So I say to you: ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Devotion:
O the audacity! I wonder how many times you have used these words or something similar when someone has been a bit too forthright in your view... But when you look back on the situation you begin to realise if they had not asked, then they may well have been in desperate trouble by now!
Sometimes we must step up and ask the bold questions we continue to try and ignore in our lives. Sometimes we must be the one to stand up and ask the question so others can gain the benefit. God wants us to be bold in our walk with Him so He can work His wonders in our world.
God wants people to see His work in the world and not for people to just accept things happen. How can God get the glory when we are not stepping forward and demanding things change or demanding support for the poor and needy? If God works silently behind the scenes, we can give Him the glory because we know He is working, but others will not see it that way.
God wants us to be bold in our prayers and allow others to see when we ask and how much we ask. Daniel had no problem letting people know he prayed three times a day and even opened his windows so people would know he was praying. Because of his boldness people began to see how God was answering his prayers...
Points to Ponder:
Do you hide away to pray to God?
What are you willing to stand up for today?
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October 8: Luke 11:1-4
Key Verse: Luke 11:4
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
Devotion:
It’s not always the people who stand up against you, rebel or try to stop you from doing you work which are the ones to look out for either... Sometimes it’s the people who have done something wrong against you and you still carry a grudge against them! These sorts of feeling can stop you from doing God’s work just as much as a physical wall can stop you from entering a room.
When Jesus was asked about how to pray, I wonder whether He was looking into the hearts of any of the disciples with Him. Far too often in our lives we rebel when someone does something a different way to us, and then we hold a grudge against them when they continue to do it their own way. Sometimes we need to embrace the differences within our communities and move forward with the love of Christ in our hearts.
Jesus continued to show the disciples what love was all about by being friends with all the ‘wrong people’ and encouraging them to seek the truth about God. We need to be able to do this as well in our lives. If we are holding grudges or have not forgiven someone because of what they have done in the past, then how are we going to be able to show them the love of Christ?
I have learned to put things behind me and move on in life; this means forgiving people for the things they have done, possibly things which have changed your life. Without that forgiveness, we cannot hope to share the love as Christ did. He was ready to forgive anyone and everyone, but some people just don’t want to look for that forgiveness and that can be a very big stumbling block in everyone's lives.
Points to Ponder:
Do you forgive and move one?
Is there someone who need to know you forgive them?
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October 7: Nehemiah 13:26-32
Key Verse: Nehemiah 13:31
But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.’
Devotion:
One of the biggest obstacles we face with the work we do for God is other people! It often seems like we always get opposition to the work we do as Christians – but this is true for most things in life! We probably recognise it more because we believe we are doing what God has asked and therefore it should be true and supported by everyone! At least, that is how we see it!
God is no stranger to opposition but continues to uphold the truth and point people in the right direction. We may think we are the ones on the front-line who are facing the issues, but God is with us every step of the way. The harder we find the opposition, the more we are listening to that opposition and the less we are focusing on God...
I do love working for God and try to do what I can, when I can and with whomever is willing to work with God too! This has brought me opposition in life as people think I am not focusing enough on their work; but in the words of Jesus ‘for whoever is not against us is for us.’ There-in also lies our weakness because we focus on those who are against us rather than on those who are for us!
Do not be discouraged by the people who stand up against you. Rather continue to focus on what God is asking of you and He will ensure you are able to do his bidding. Caleb was willing to stand up and remind the people they would be able to do anything because God was with them. But still some would rather believe the stories of obstacles and issues before them. God wants us to have faith in what He has asked us to do...
Points to Ponder:
Do you listen more to the troublemakers or to the workers?
Are you willing to trust God’s guidance more than man's today?
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October 6: Daniel 1:3-16
Key Verse: Daniel 1:8
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself in this way.
Devotion:
Most of us cannot fully relate to the relationship of a servant and their master because we have not been a true servant in our lives. The king wanted something, and what he wanted, he normally got... because he was king and didn’t have a high regard for Daniel’s people! He wanted choice servant who looked good and behaved as he wanted them to. Nothing was going to get in his way!
Yet, along comes Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. They were chosen because of their looks and because they did not have any physical deformities, defects of markings. The king wanted to feel good by having good looking people surrounding him. The last thing he would have wanted is a servant who was going to answer back or one who was picky!
Daniel knew, despite everything which had happened up to then, God was going to look out for him and that was enough for him. He was not going to allow anything in life to persuade him not to do what God wanted of him. One of those things was to moderate what he ate – we know the Israelites had diets which excluded various meats; why should he give in to that if he knew God was watching!
Often, we give in to things because we don’t think God is watching or because everyone else is doing something. It may not be what God wants in our lives, and we may know that, but we give in anyway because it is easier to give in that to stand up for yourself! This is not what God has made us to do. He wants us to stand up for righteousness and to continue worshipping Him from our daily actions...
Points to Ponder:
What temptations do you most often give in to?
Are you sure that is what God wants in your life?
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October 5: John 14:15-21
Key Verse: John 14:16
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you for ever
Devotion:
Although this passage begins with the words “If you love me, keep my commands...” Jesus is not laying down an ultimatum to say we have no hope if we cannot keep the commandments! If this were so, then none of us would ever be able to get to Heaven because we have all done at least something wrong in our lives. This is Jesus saying, if you love me, then you should try your very best to keep my commands...
Jesus wants us to obey Him but knows we cannot fully obey Him because of our sinful nature and the sin in the world around us too. Therefore, He promises to give us an advocate who will stand up for us and defend us from judgement! This advocate was going to be in the form of the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit. Just like Jesus, the Holy Spirit is part of God and cannot lie either.
The Holy Spirit will try to guide us through every decision of every day and if we were to listen intently to Him, we would be able to avoid sin in our lives! Unfortunately, we are surrounded by a whole lot of noise and a lot of sin! We don’t have much of a chance at listening solely to Him because of these temptations surrounding us all the time... But, no matter how bad things get, Christ is going to be with us all the time in the form of the Holy Spirit!
Stop and take a breath. Stop and tune out the world. Stop and listen for the instructions from the Holy Spirit. We will find it easier to keep God’s commands, easier to walk with Him and much easier to avoid sin in our lives. All this because God allowed His Son to come down to be our Saviour and the Holy Spirit to be our Advocate. The best team in the world!
Points to Ponder:
Do you find it hard to avoid trouble?
Will your try to stop and listen to God today?
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October 4: Jude 1:17-23
Key Verse: Jude 1:22
Be merciful to those who doubt;
Devotion:
Do you find reading the bible hard? Is it because you find reading difficult, or because you find the words hard to digest? I have always found reading difficult and as such do shy away from reading when I can, but in order to share God’s Word with you, I have to spend time reading and thinking about the words I read!
Some chapters in the bible are hard to read because they remind us of all the wrong things in life and often, we find ourselves relating the words to what is happening in the world around us. This is because God is trying to speak to you through His Word. I do find it very refreshing how different people get different strengths from reading the same passage; sometimes I just want to copy the words down and see what others make of it. But this is a journey you and I are on and one which ultimately leads to eternal life with Christ.
We can read through all the terrible things which happen in the bible – but we can also listen to the news broadcasts and find out all the terrible things which are happening in the world around us. This is because we live in a world which is largely broken, just as they did back when the words, we now know in our bibles were written, and even before that!
But this chapter end with the encouraging words that this is all happening, but we still have a Saviour! We have a Christ who gave it all for us on the altar and who continues to love us no matter what happens in the world around us. We need to continue encouraging the people around us to look up to God and see how much hope they have – by demonstrating the hope we have! Be merciful to those who doubt. Keep on encouraging them through your actions.
Points to Ponder:
Are you quick to judge others?
Will you be merciful to those around you when things go wrong again?
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October 3: Matthew 11:25-30
Key Verse: Matthew 11:29
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Devotion:
When Jesus talked to others, He always made sure people knew what the truth was and what details people needed to know. Just after berating various town because they refused to repent for the wrongdoing which continued throughout the towns, He switches to His relationship with God His Father. Yes, we know Jesus is God, but when He was amongst mankind as a human, He was exactly that, a human being like us.
But that is where things get very different. Jesus made sure He prayed all the time and stopped to listen to what His Father wanted of Him. Because of this, you could say His life was fairly sorted! He did not have to worry about getting and maintaining a job. He did not have to worry about financial positions or stock markets... All this was left to God and He wanted people to know that!
We could say His burden was extreme because of what He had to face, but at this time He was simply spreading the gospel and stopping the ‘learned leaders’ from continuing to corrupt people with their own ideas and not what God wanted them to know about.
As Christians we need to step forward and make sure people get to know the truth. This may mean posting stuff on social media for people to think about. It could mean standing on street corners (though there will be far less people than normal now.) Or it could just be talking to your neighbour over the fence to show them you lead a very different life to the rest of the world. But make sure they know how much peace we get from living with God in our hearts!
Points to Ponder:
Do your neighbours know you as a Christian?
When was the last time you offered to help your neighbours?
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October 2: Deuteronomy 11:13-15
Key Verse: Deuteronomy 11:15
I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.
Devotion:
Back in the time of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and the subsequent trial through the desert regions, God continued to uphold the promise He would look after the people if they remained faithful to Him. This is just another point where we read about God’s promise to the Israelites; one of many! Jesus continued to uphold the idea we should continue to live with a close relationship with God so He can continue to look after us... So how does this work?
Does this mean if we follow all the rules, we will be safe from all the bad stuff around us in the world? Unfortunately not. We live in a world where many people do not listen to God and many people rebel against God’s word and His ways. We could be close to those people and anything which goes wrong (or right) we are affected. So, even when we do follow all the rules, we can still end up in deep trouble as we are suffocated by the ills of the world!
So how do we get out of this problem? Well, one way is to try and listen to what God is telling us. He continually tries to guide us away from the trouble spots if He knows we cannot cope with it – but He may well allow us to be close to trouble just so others can see the impact of our close relationship with God. There-in lies the clue... We need to uphold an honest, open, and true relationship with God at all times; one which others should be able to notice and be encouraged by.
I have been called many things in my life, but I love it when people call me names because of my relationship with Christ! I love being selected out of a crowd and pointed to by non-believers – not because I want to be berated, but because it allows others to see there is another way of living. A way of living where we live with hope constantly. A way of living where we know of a certain future!
Points to Ponder:
Do you live with God in your life?
Do you invite others to share your relationship with Christ?
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October 1: Mark 10:1-9
Key Verse: Mark 10:5
‘It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,’ Jesus replied.
Devotion:
Have you stopped to look at the laws of your country and wondered where they have come from? How many of the laws do you think are based on Christian ideas? How many of the laws don’t make sense to you? I know here in the UK there are some pretty strange laws which have been introduced many years ago which still stand but which don’t make too much sense nowadays. Apparently, it is against the law to wear armour if you visit the UK Houses of Parliament! (written back in 1313)
The Pharisees threw questions at Jesus to try and trip Him up in cases of law but Jesus’ answer in this case was spot on! The law saying divorce was OK was not chosen by God but was given because men wanted to get divorced and it was detrimental to keep people in a state of marriage when they really did not like each other. How can we spread and share love if we cannot love the partner we are with?
I’m not going into a debate about whether it is right or wrong to divorce, or any other of the laws we chop and change nowadays. That is between you and God to get it right. I have done many things wrong in my past and I have come to accept my wrong-doings and move on in Christ’s love. The things I did wrong were because of ignorance or desperation or greed and I have submitted them to God to allow me to move forward.
The question should really be – whose laws are you going to uphold in your life? It is very difficult when we face laws which go against the country or laws which go against God – which do you choose? Jesus has taught us to obey the laws of the country because that is right to do so. But He has also taught us to keep the law of love above all else, because that must be the basis of all other laws.
Points to Ponder:
Whose laws do you follow in your life?
Will you try to uphold love above all else?