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October 17: Luke 11:37-41
Key Verse: Luke 11:39
Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
Devotion:
Carrying on from yesterday, it is one thing to act like a Christian but a whole different story to BE a Christian! If we go around acting like Christians but carrying out all of the things God calls us to do, then we are no different from any sales person trying to peddle items they do not want themselves. Now some people can lie and tell a big sales story just to get people to buy their goods, but I can’t – believe me I tried!
When Jesus sat down to eat with this Pharisee He chose not to wash His hands before the meal. This was not because He had bad habits (like my parents used to tell me) but because He wanted the Pharisee to see the difference between a habit and a sign of dedication! The Pharisee was used to doing things in a particular manner and making sure the rules were always followed – but what he did not realise he was doing was to forget why those acts, such as cleaning of hands, were being done in the first place!
The same goes for our lives with Christ. We must not get used to doing things because that is what our service sheet says or because that is what we have always done. We must be doing things because they are meaningful to our relationship with Christ at the time we are doing them!
Jesus berated the Pharisee for cleaning the outside but not the inside. We should be remembering we must not just do things but do them because we love Christ first and foremost!
Points to Ponder:
What things do you do in church because you have always done it?
Will you stop and think about what you do today?
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October 16: Romans 1:1-7
Key Verse: Romans 1:5
Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.
Devotion:
I love the way Paul starts with the words he is called to be an apostle and set apart FOR the gospel of God. When we think about what we are and what we are called to do, how would we describe our positions as being. I did not accept I would be called to share the gospel with others in the beginning – indeed I ran away from God for quite a while, but He caught up to me!
Paul must have had second thoughts when he first realise he was called to reach out to the ‘Gentiles’ or the Romans with the gospel… why should they be singled out for God’s wonderful gospel which the people of Israel had been singled out for in the beginning.
This is the wonderful world which God has presented to us and in which we live. Nobody must be left out just because they were born in a different place or because they were brought up to worship anything else others than God! The best thing we can ever do is to continue spreading the gospel of Christ out to everyone. This does not have to be done by us standing on soap boxes and shouting out the Word of God to all passing people… it could just be us doing things which Christians do in front of other so they start asking ‘why?’
God is the one who can change people’s hearts and He alone is responsible for them. We just need to open the scene to show things can be different. We just have to show the different way of living and open up our lives for others to come and enjoy Christ with us. Be yourself with Christ!
Points to Ponder:
Do you shy away from sharing the gospel?
Do you not see the gospel is the way we live?
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October 15: Philippians 4:1-9
Key Verse: Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Devotion:
I like to think the writer was thinking about the people who actually do the work behind the scenes in the churches when they started to write this portion of scripture. There are many people who do work endlessly doing the cleaning, organising and other seemingly small tasks behind the scenes and keep our churches running. I would personally like to lift up the wonderful volunteers we have who come in after hours to make sure our church is a welcoming and wonderful place of worship.
God is the one who is behind these people, the one who gives them the love and encouragement when many who go to church do not recognise all they do. We should be making sure we all look after these wonderful servants of Christ who willingly do so much hidden work.
When we do listen to Christ and learn of the love we should have for one another we will be the ones stepping forward and thanking these wonderful workers. We may even be one of the wonderful helpers when we see we are doing this for Christ and not as a ‘requirement.’
Christ is the one who will be looking out for those who give selflessly, help without measure and expect nothing in return. We know what we are going to have in Heaven so nothing on earth can ever measure up to that!
Points to Ponder:
How much do you contribute to your local church?
How much of that is time given doing things?
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October 14: Luke 11:27-28
Key Verse: Luke 11:28
He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.’
Devotion:
sometimes we cling to the wrong things to find comfort or strength, only to see things fall apart when we realise we have been grasping at straws instead of safety. When this woman blessed Mary the mother of Jesus, His reply was probably not expected: blessed are those who obey God!
When we look back on the earlier life of Mary we do see a young woman who listened to God and obeyed God; and we know she was blessed. We can see so many occurrences throughout the bible where we see people being blessed because they have listened to God and still more when the people have faced hardships because they have not listened to God. These words are there to teach and warn us just as these words from Jesus.
It is no good just hearing the Word of God. It is no good just listening to Jesus. It is no good just being a righteous person. We have to live with Christ and obey what He is trying to teach us. Only then can we truly move forward with Him in or lives.
When we are willing to read our bibles, listen to what God tells us, act on what we learn and obey Him, then we can find out so much more about the living kindness God has for us. We should not be doing this all for the reward but doing it because we grow to love God the same as He loves us. A true communion with God will see the blessing poured down on us: more than we can count.
Points to Ponder:
Do you expect a reward from God for following Him?
Will you try just giving and obeying?
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October 13: Luke 11:24-26
Key Verse: Luke 11:25
When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.
Devotion:
Sometimes we let our guard down because we are not expecting any trouble or issues, so when we do find an issue we are not prepared for it and things seem to fall apart. This could be seen as the same after a long-term illness when you have finally been given the go-ahead to leave the hospital and as soon as you go back into the world you seem to go down-hill again, but more so than before.
Our bodies need time to recover and become strong after an illness before we can get about what we used to see as our normal lives. The same is with our spiritual selves. If we have been struggling for a while and begin to understand things, it is no good racing forward thinking you can take on anything the evil one throws at you because your spiritual self has not had time to bolster itself against attacks.
God is the one who will lead us to the path of righteousness, but unless we are willing to stay on the path He has given us to become spiritually strong with Him then we may well ‘fall off the path.’ God wants us to be strong enough to help others too, but it takes time to identify the ways the evil one attacks us all before we can be fully prepared.
Spend time with God learning what He has to teach you so you can face to trial which are ahead; the evil one will not like you getting the better of his ways so you need to be fully prepared with Christ.
Points to Ponder:
Are you finding it difficult to move forward with Christ?
Will you allow Him to lead you instead of rushing ahead?
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October 12: Luke 11:5-8
Key Verse: Luke 11:8
I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
Devotion:
One of the things we do in relationships is take others for granted at times even when we do not mean to and say we will not. When Jesus told us to love one another is was so we would not take anyone for granted and we would go out of our way to help those in need.
I have learned the hard way because I have had relationships break down because I have taken someone for granted. Once we can get our heads around this simple fact we can move forward and we can begin to love people for who they are instead of just because God says so!
On the other end of the stick we also need to allow people to know what our needs are. Any relationship is a two way communion and sometime we need to explain exactly what we need to move forward. This parable of the neighbour who came knocking to see if there was any bread they could give to their travelling friend is a case in point: unless we ask we should not expect others to give because they may not know our need.
God wants us to be like this with Him too. Although He does know our needs, unless we ask we will not be acknowledging Him as the one who can supply our needs. And when someone comes out of the blue to ask for help we need to be considerate and give what we can.
Points to Ponder:
Do you take people for granted?
Do you expect people to know your needs?
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October 11: Luke 11:1-4
Key Verse: Luke 11:3
Give us each day our daily bread.
Devotion:
One of the things the disciples were worried about is how to pray because they could see how God would always answer the prayers of Jesus and how often Jesus would go off to pay too. When they asked Him how they should be praying, His answer was surprisingly simple.
God does not need a big speech about how things have been done and what we think should be done in the world. God simply wants to hear your personal communion with Him. This means a simple two way meaningful conversation with God, starting off with acknowledging Him as our One True God just as Jesus did in every prayer. Then asking for wisdom in whatever form He chooses to give to us.
I have been writing these devotions for over two decades and I continue to get more out of the Bible each time I site down and study for what comes next. Sometimes I miss a day or two, or even weeks when in hospital, but as soon as I remember and am able I sit down to be with God. The more I do this the closer I get to Him and the more I understand what I have to do for Him.
Mine is not to shout and sing because I don’t have the voice, but mine is to be still and listen to Him before sharing what I learn each day. As simple as that sounds, it is, and I share it with you all.
Points to Ponder:
Do you get worried about how you should pray?
Will you sit down with God and try to have a conversation?
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October 10: 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:
Sometimes we get too distracted by what other people are doing or not doing to be able to see what we are not doing… Mary and Martha loved Jesus and they wanted to do what they thought was right for Him at the time. Mary just wanted to soak in the majesty of the moment by sitting at Jesus feet and listening to everything He had to say, but Martha wanted to show Jesus her love for Him by waiting on Him and the other guests.
Martha took offence to what Mary was doing and what she should have been doing in her eyes… a case of concentrating on the wrong thing. Each one of us is created different from others and we will worship God in different ways. Some will love to shout out and sing for everyone to hear. Others will want to quietly site with Christ and listen without even talking or making a sound.
There is no wrong way of worshipping God if you are doing what you heart says you should be doing to glorify Him. The fact you are doing something just for God is what He is looking for – an honest reflection of what is in your heart for Him!
Jesus wanted Martha to understand we don’t have to have all the bells and whistles to make our worship better. We just have to be honest and open with our feeling for God. Others will pick up on the fact we are being honest and open and may well choose to be more open with Christ too. That is enough!
Points to Ponder:
What do you like to do to worship God?
Are you being caught up in what others are doing?
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October 9: Jonah 1:1-9
Key Verse: Jonah 1:3
But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
Devotion:
Jonah ran the other way when God called him to preach against the people of Nineveh! There are probably many times in your life when you have run the other way instead of stepping forward to handle a very difficult situation; and if any of those times have been when God asked you to do something, He will persist until you do because He knows you are the best choice for that task!
God does not draw a name out of a hat to see who does the next thing, He chooses people carefully and with the knowledge they are the best people for the current circumstance. If He is calling you to do something which may seem uncomfortable right now, take courage in knowing He has chosen you despite the opposition!
He will not leave you to fend for yourself because He is asking you to do something for Him. He will not push you into a dead end to see if you will survive, He is pushing you forward because He chose you!
This is our almighty, all knowing, all powerful God who is choosing you! He is asking you because He knows exactly how to solve the issue you are going to face and as long as you are willing to let Him be your guide, you will be able to succeed! I know this first hand from the things He has asked of me...
Points to Ponder:
Do you shy away from God’s work because you think you cannot do it?
Why else would He have chosen you?
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October 8: Exodus 20:1-20
Key Verse: Exodus 20:3
You shall have no other gods before me.
Devotion:
If there are things we forget it is most likely going to be the things which happened when we were just living life and which happened a long time ago. But when big things happen in our lives we tend to remember them even if they happened a long time ago. The Hebrews had been long-time slaves to the Egyptians and now God had delivered them from their plight. But before they got comfortable and started forgetting things He wanted them to remember some basic rules about how they should now conduct their lives.
No longer were they going to be told what to do every day. No longer were they going to be restricted from living their own lives. No longer were they going to just listen and do… they would have to find their own way now and live a new life.
When we leave home for the first time we start out on a new adventure, and if we have listened to our parents we most likely have a good chance at making it through the next few years. God wanted the people to have a good grounding of basic rules to live by and so He gave these rules to Moses.
This is what we now know as the Ten Commandments; the basic rules God gave us to live by. None of them are grievous. None are impossible. But as humans we may find some of them difficult to follow when so many people around us are ignoring them! God wants you to have a great life and these are the simple ways of doing that, starting with loving Him!
Points to Ponder:
Do you keep God as you primary focus?
Will you try to keep these commandments?