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May 13: 1 Peter 2:2-5
Key Verse: 1 Peter 2:3
now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Devotion:
I thought it quite fitting to go back to these verses today to remember just how we should be going back to Christ and His ways. If you, like me, want physical proof for just about everything in life, then you may well find it difficult to come to terms with an unseen God who can do anything… Especially when we see people who think they know more than others trying to sort out issues which are totally out of their control!
I did something foolish yesterday and started listening to the news to try and catch up on what’s happening out there in the open world – only to be greeted by leaders around the world saying the most stupid things on Television to unknowing, trusting country people who now should be very worried about what they have said! I know it is a difficult time and I know not everyone is a scientist or micro-biologist… but certain things in life are just plain common sense!
One of the things which is common sense to me is how we should approach God as children and not as ‘all knowing’ adults! As adults we don’t like other people telling us what to do or how to run our lives – but if we go ahead and ignore common sense, we will fall down and hurt ourselves. God continues to try and impress on us the urgency of getting to know Him, getting to trust Him and telling other people about Him – yet we continue to try and do things our old selfish ways because that is how we have been all our lives!
The time I needed God most in my life I simply got down on my knees and told God I could do nothing without Him and His protection; I was scared and had nothing left to trust in, but God was there and came through for me. That was my time when I came to Him like a child, depending totally on Him and giving my whole situation to Him without limit. Now I know God is good and I know God answered my prayers on that day… in a way which did not make sense to me as an adult, but made perfect sense when I look at it as a child should...
Points to Ponder:
Do you want God to work to your rules?
Or will you finally submit to His ways?
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May 12: Psalms 31:14-16
Key Verse: Psalms 31:15
My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.
Devotion:
Hands up anyone who thinks they have got this virus sussed out and knows how to control it! None of us know for certainty what this virus is going to do to the world over the next six months and this verse today reminds us how our lives are in God’s hands. The more we try to take control of things and work things out to our own ability, the more things go wrong. We don’t know how to control our mouths properly, never mind our bodies or communities!
Can you imagine what it would be like to try and control the flow of a river give a bucket and spade as the only tools you have to control it with? I used to rush out into the rain back in Africa so I could build temporary dams with mud and stones and even sticks just to have fun; it gave us a sense of power over nature… but along comes a single car, a bit more rain or any small external force and the dam collapses and the water course returns back to its normal flow.
To a large extent this is probably what our leaders feel like as they try and manage the country – some of them seem to know what they are doing, whilst others make a lot of noise and say they know what they are doing. The truth will come out, unfortunately, in a week or so rather than right now. That is what it may seem like in our spiritual world as well; we have some leaders who are giving out good advice and others who shout a lot and say they are right! God will expose those who are shouting out things from their own minds because He knows what the rest of us need in our lives.
As long as we are willing to stop and listen and try to compare what people are saying with what God’s Word has told us all along, then we will also be able to ascertain the truth and follow those leaders who are giving us the truth. It is heartening to know it is because of God’s love for us that we are being looked after and not because we are following the latest rules or figuring things out for ourselves. Be patient and listen to God, wait on His word and obey His commandments; but above all maintain your right and proper relationship with Christ!
Points to Ponder:
Do you trust your leaders more than you trust God?
Do you know God allowed them to be in power?
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May 11: Psalm 31:1-5
Key Verse: Psalm 31:5
Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
Devotion:
What an awesome reminder of how prayer and faith must always go hand in hand. Here David is in distress of some description and so lifts up his prayers to God, not just to plead with God and ask for deliverance, but to depend on God to answer his prayers – that is faith; believing your prayers will be answered, not because it’s the right prayer at the right time, but because God is faithful!
Each time I hear someone say God has not answered a prayer because it was not the right prayer to pray I cringe and want to ask God to forgive them – but I know I am guilty of doing this too! It is not up to us to question whether we are asking the right thing at the right time, but simply up to us to lift up our prayers to God and wait patiently for His answer. You may well be surprised at His answers!
I know the feeling of someone wrapping their arms around you to show you they care or to help you see things are going to be OK. I love the feeling of a good honest hug and I miss not being able to hug people while this virus remains rampant in our world; but I know God continues to hug me and to comfort me because I know He is faithful and loving beyond anything we can imagine! David knew this too and pleads with God to come quickly and wrap His loving arms around him – because God is his rock and fortress, the safest of places he has ever known!
I marvel at the thickness of the walls of some of the castles I have visited here in the UK and know they have protected so many people in the past just because they are so strong. They have nothing in comparison to the love and security we can have from God – if we come to the fortress which is His love and faithfulness. But it may well test our faith because we cannot see the fortress like we can see a castle; and we cannot see the traps which are before us that the evil one has placed in our way… we simply have to trust in God!
Points to Ponder:
Do you find it hard trusting in the unseen?
Can you think of God as being the biggest and strongest fortress you can imagine?
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May 10: Acts 7:54-60
Key Verse: Acts 7:56
“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Devotion:
I had to sit and read this through a few times before bringing it to you today; I just cannot imagine what it would be like to have been in Stephens place! We don’t like to think too much about the persecutions which many Christians face around the world – I think the most I have had to face is the name calling and on a couple of times people being ‘in your face’ shouting at you with various fluids coming from their mouths as they shouted! Not something we would like to face during this pandemic!
But Stephen here did not relent in his support for Christ and in his telling of the truth about Christ. God looked down on him and reached out with a hand of support which we don’t often get to see in our lives. God opened up Stephen’s sight and allowed him to see Christ together with God – the place of peace and rest where he would shortly be! I think the joy of such a sight would overcome me!
What did the people around him do? They covered up their ears just in case they heard the truth and were convinced by it, and they laid their hands on him, dragging him out of the city so they could stone him! Now as children we used to go off into the bush and get lumps of soft clay which we would put on the end of sticks and throw the clay at others. It hurt when one of those lumps hit you – and they were soft clay! I cannot imagine what it would be like to have loads of stones thrown at you…
But because of the love God reached out with toward Stephen and the peace which that brought to him, he was willing and able to ask God to forgive them because they did not understand the truth. I know what it is like to have God’s protection and I know the strength it gives you to carry on doing His work. I just pray we would not have to face such a time as Stephen faced here; I pray the world will see what is right and turn to God instead of standing on its pride and rejecting Christ like many do!
Points to Ponder:
Have you asked God for protection?
Will you trust Him to protect you as you step forward in His name?
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May 9: Psalms 23:1-6
Key Verse: Psalms 23:4
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Devotion:
When was the last time you just stopped and accepted your current situation as being acceptable? I’m not talking about those moments when we stop and give in, being just a fleeting moment, but stopping and giving the best part of the day over to accepting what you have right now as being acceptable!
I have not written about this Psalm for quite a while now, but when I first started writing devotions I would turn to it often because of the great comfort I got out of it, no matter what was happening in my life. So, now most of us are in the same boat around the world as we step back from normal life, let us try to accept this as being normal and acceptable for this season. Let us stop the arguing and bickering, stop the boasting and greed and simply give this time back to God in prayer and worship.
I have stopped the constant moaning and groaning of the news people and put on a few hours of worship music. I intent to give as much of this day as I can to Christ and not to do my normal worrying or researching or working, after all it is a bank holiday here in the UK as I write this devotional.
Read through each verse or phrase and stop and think about what it means to you – not what the philosophers say, not what the bishops and priests say, but what God says to you in your heart as you read the verses. Already as I read through the Psalm while I am writing I feel encouraged and strengthened, not because I am weak, but because the words are so strong. Last year I walked through that dark valley with those closest to me sharing those dark times. All I had was a single light at the end of the tunnel, not that I could see it, but I knew it was there; but I still did fear because it was unknown… much like what many of us are going through now. Lift up God. Worship your Saviour and bask in His light and not be tempted to go out and socialise until it is safe xxx
Points to Ponder:
What are you going through right now?
Will you stop and take God’s hand and walk with Him?
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May 8: Luke 10:8-12
Key Verse: Luke 10:9
Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
Devotion:
When Jesus wanted people to go and tell others the gospel He picked about 6 dozen people to go and reach out to others – but it is interesting how He sent them out. He did not send them out as evangelists who would try to convince everyone as quickly as possible but asked them to go out peaceably and to find the people of peace in the communities. Reaching out to the people who are known as the ones who others look up to in spiritual ways is so very important!
We often think of the ways in which we can reach others and make plans for wonderful mass gatherings or praise parties where we can all jump about and praise God as loud as we can, but most often the way to reach a community is by going there and becoming a part of that community first of all. Joining in with the people of peace in the community allows us to become part of that community – that is when and where we can make a big difference, just by being there and showing people how we live!
When I look back at some of the townships back in Zimbabwe I remember places which did not seem to have much hope. Yes there were a few people there who had hope and they tried to allow others to see it, but because of the noise of the outside world and the racial hatred which had been built up, they were often overlooked or kept quiet.
Jesus is asking us to be like these people He sent out and to go into our communities and raise the banner of hope – allow people to see there is hope and there can be comfort in this time of despair! There were only a couple of times when I was able to go into the townships and just be part of the community rather than being the enemy and I will treasure those moments because they gave me hope of a brighter future.
Points to Ponder:
How dull or bright do you see your community as?
Will you help to switch on the lights and allow hope to come in?
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May 7: Romans 2:12-13
Key Verse: Romans 2:12
All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.
Devotion:
Why do we have laws? Well, it is our (mankind’s) way of describing what is acceptable and what is not. But if we did not make up laws, then how could we be doing anything wrong? We cannot escape laws! Just because they may not be written down on paper for you, does not make them non-existent. We live with in the natural world and we were given the task of looking after it by God in the beginning – so we are born into a world where natural laws existed before we had our judicial systems in place!
One of the positive things we have seen during this pandemic is the clearing up of the atmosphere, the cleaner air, water and even our streets! When we do give God control of things, we can see just how good He can be! But when we force our self-imposed laws upon God’s creation, we break it so quickly! It is unfortunate that it has taken something so drastic to make us stop and think about our world again – but we have started in the right direction…
It is not so fortunate we have also been exposed to the world-wide corruption of many governments! We see politicians in their true colours as they break all the laws which they are supposed to uphold – we see many telling lies to cover up their ineptitude! But through all of this, there is one who is watching and seeing all of those laws broken – not man’s laws, but His original laws!
I know I am no angel, but I do try to do what is right and I do try to uphold God’s laws. I also know it is not really what I do which will make me righteous in God’s eyes. This passage is not saying we have to work at the laws to be right with God; it is saying we have to do what God has asked us to do and to do it willingly!
Points to Ponder:
Do you know God has asked you to believe in Jesus?
Have you truly accepted Jesus as Saviour?
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May 6: Matthew 7:21-23
Key Verse: Matthew 7:22
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
Devotion:
So… have you been following the rules about being safe and staying at home? I’m not sure there are too many people out there who can definitely say they have done exactly what their governments have said because many have bent the rules slightly so they can keep some sort of normality in their life. I know I have bent the rules so I can help others out but one thing I learned at an early age was how to clean my hands properly! My dad was a pharmacist and cleanliness was a big part of the job, some of that actually rubbed off one me!
I know I was not the cleanest of kids and I know I did not clean things as much as I should have until this virus raised its head and boy was I thankful I had remembered some of the simple things to keep myself virus free – so far so good!
But just doing the ‘keep yourself clean’ thing is not going to completely protect me from the virus; I need to do many other things to help! But this is not a lesson on keeping clean, this is a lesson on not counting on your own works to get you to Heaven! These words spoken by Jesus bring it home hard that not everyone is going to get to Heaven. Some may think they have done enough by speaking about Jesus, teaching about Him, leading prayers or whatever… unless they believe in their hearts that Jesus is Saviour and believe the words which Jesus spoke, they may find themselves lacking!
Just because I can clean my hands properly, can take pills and self medicate does not make me a pharmacist! The same applies for Christians. Unless we actually believe in our hearts the words which come out of our mouths – we are not necessarily Christians! I have been in places where I found it very hard to believe the person speaking believed the words coming out of their mouths because they were reading from a well prepared script rather than from their hearts. If I can spot that, Jesus can see right through it!
Points to Ponder:
Do you tell others about Jesus?
What do you believe in your heart?
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May 5: Acts 3:1-10
Key Verse: Acts 3:6
Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
Devotion:
What have you got out of looking at the introduction to the apostolic letters in the bible? I thought about this for a short while and very quickly realised the introductions were centred around making sure people knew God through Jesus. What better passage to choose today than one where the a couple of the disciples are walking up to the temple and come upon the lame beggar who has been put out every day on the way to the temple so he can beg for support from people going to the temple and they do something extraordinary in Jesus’ name!
This makes me think of the beggars who stand at the junctions of major routes around London like the A406 North Circular Road where they clearly spend all of their day placed at the junctions where the traffic builds up and is often at a stand-still. But the difference here is the target audience, for want of a better term. The beggars friends would put him in clear sight of people who have been taught to care for others whereas modern day beggars are typically placed in paths of the wealthy or so called middle class people…
So what was all the fuss? This beggar had been lame from birth – he was born with a condition which prevented him from being able to work so he had no option but to beg for support from people. Can you imagine what went through his head when Peter said these words? What would go through your mind if you were in a similar circumstance? We don’t often think about what people are going through which places them in a position where they are forced to rely on others for their well-being!
This week in North London we see the opening of another Foodbank which is going to help hundreds of people out in these times where so many are fully reliant on others for their well-being! I know what it is like to have nothing and to have to ask others for help. I know what it is like to be very hungry with no food in the cupboards. I ask God to look after me all the time because I know how close I am to having to rely on others; but I fully trust He is able to do things whereby I can continue to work for Him and to help spread the fantastic news of Jesus being our Saviour.
Points to Ponder:
Is there someone you know who desperately needs help?
If you cannot help physically will you stand up and pray for them now?
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May 4: Jude 1:1-2
Key Verse: Jude 1:1
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:
Devotion:
How often do you keep in touch with people who move away from you for one reason or another? I assumed when I left my country of birth the people I knew would keep in touch, but was a bit disconcerted to find out they did not. I learned the truth when someone I knew and loved moved away to the other side of the world. Nowadays we have the internet and social media and I find I am able to catch up with many people, but back then we would have to write letters to each other…
When we move away to a very different place or lifestyle, we are effectively starting off again in a new place where we have to find our feet, meet local people and get to know them. They may well be from very different lifestyles to your own and it will probably take a lot of getting used to – you find you have to go above and beyond in many cases to make local friends. This takes time and energy… In many cases we do work and we do not see the results we want to because life is so very different to what we are used to!
So what keeps us going? What is it that makes us keep going when the world around us seems to be falling apart? What gives us the strength to continue in the face of such adversity? Not what but whom! Yes, we have Christ with us and we can gain buckets full of strength and grace to carry on, but we also need a bit of support from others in our lives. Speaking from personal experience, I can tell you how very important it is to hear from the people you have left behind, not so you can carry on being the same, but to be different and make a difference locally.
It does not matter what line of work we are in, be it running a hotel, programming computers or being a missionary – hearing from people does inspire you to make that difference you were seeking when you first moved! So what do you do to the people who have moved away from you for various works?
Points to Ponder:
Do you have a friend who moved away to do something for God?
Do you keep in contact with them?