- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 658
October 7: Luke 10:17-24
Key Verse: Luke 10:20
However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
Devotion:
When Jesus sent out the 72 people to go ahead of Him into all the towns before He got there He probably did so for a few reasons. I like to think the primary reason was to show people they could do amazing things in the name of Christ when they chose to listen to Him and obey Him. The same still stands today and will continue to stand for as long as the earth remains.
But the warning He gave them when they returned to Him was one which many people fall into nowadays. Jesus warned them about being proud they could get spirits to submit to them. Instead He told them to rejoice they knew they had a special place in Heaven because they were listening to Him and obeying Him.
When the person shouts out about what they have been able to do, they are lifting themselves and not God any more. God has given us the choice as to what we do, but when we turn our back on worshipping Him and giving Him the glory, we are treading into areas we probably don’t want to be in. When we promote ourselves we may well find we are left to fend for ourselves and fall short of many things!
Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit after hearing the good news and immediately praised God for allowing this all to happen. He especially praised God ordinary people could do such marvellous works when learned leaders who lifted themselves up were not able to do such works.
Points to Ponder:
Do you trust God to use you?
Will you keep praising God when He does great things through you?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 598
October 6: John 9:20-24
Key Verse: John 9:23
That was why his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’
Devotion:
One of the things I strive to do is to recognise Christians who disagree with institutional ‘churches.’ Jesus tried to teach us believing in Him is what is required and yet some institution which call themselves ‘churches’ will do what they can to force people to do things because they say that is what God requires. Jesus taught the disciples well and they went out to teach others the truth; and yet some people will just not accept the truth.
There may be many reasons why they do not want to accept the truth and I am not qualified to say why they don’t accept the truth. The only thing we can do is to continue learning from the Holy Spirit as we read the scriptures and draw closer to God through the truth and through faith in Him.
I have met people who’s faith has astounded me and yet they continue to support their local church even if the local church has issues with some of the scriptures. These people stand firm on the Word of God and continue to try and show the people around them a love which comes from Christ through them.
If we can continue to show people the truth in the scriptures without alienating our local churches, we would see a revival which would come from deep within people instead of being seen as the latest fad or something which would help promote themselves.
Points to Ponder:
Do you look for what you can get out of a local church?
Or do you look for what you can do in a local church?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 667
October 5: Nehemiah 8:7-12
Key Verse: Nehemiah 8:10
Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
Devotion:
Nehemiah was led by the Lord to go back and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem but before he could do that he had to get permission from Artaxerxes and gather all the right equipment; a bit of a logistical nightmare! But God had declared it so things fell into place… but not the local people. No matter how well things go and how much we know God is sending us there will always be someone who objects because they don’t get recognition!
After a long time of opposition and delays, the project was finally complete. The exiled people returned and the Levites set about teaching the Law, the Scriptures, once again. Nehemiah had made sure nobody was left out, the poor were helped and all the people got to hear the law after the building work was done; because now was the time to rebuild the spiritual wall for the people.
After hearing the law retold, the people were somewhat afraid and many were crying knowing what they had done wrong and beginning to see why everything had happened over the last few years. But Nehemiah did not berate the people. He stood firm with the law and told the people to look forward to what would come because they had collectively set things right once again.
Guiding the people to celebrate their victory he made sure nobody was left out, the poor would get the support they needed and everyone would rejoice because God had made all this possible!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you stop doing things because of opposition?
How often do you really rely on God?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 675
October 4: Luke 9:57-62
Key Verse: Luke 9:62
Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’
Devotion:
During Jesus’ ministry on earth, I wonder how many people said they would follow Jesus and ended up being caught up in life instead of doing the will of God? Luke records a few of the types of people who would say they would follow Jesus but ended up focusing on their earthly problems instead of following what they had just said to Jesus.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I have my own earthly issues and problems which I have to deal with all the time, and I know I have not always said yes to Jesus. So when I read verses like this it reminds me of my own shortcomings and makes me want to try harder to please God. The way I try to look at things nowadays is to ask God for guidance when my earthly issues are getting in the way. One way or another His answer gets through to me!
We get side-tracked with things happening around us and especially in our families. God does not want us to turn our backs on our families, but He also does not want us to turn our backs on Him. Inviting Him to join us in our earthly journey gives us the chance to do both!
Our journey with Christ is not going to be straight forward and not going to be easy all the time; but living with Christ in the centre of your life allows you to face more with His strength and to find answers to life’s issues faster. When I look back and see what I have been through, the hurdles I have faced and the things which God has done for me, I know He is not finished with me yet!
Points to Ponder:
Do you make excuses before following Christ?
Will you ask Him to be with you in your problems?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 671
October 3: Luke 9:51-56
Key Verse: Luke 9:53
but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem.
Devotion:
There are going to be times when you are going to find opposition to what you are doing simply because you are doing something different to what they want or expect of you. I worded that carefully because we will find opposition to worshipping God from both outside your church and maybe even to within your church!
People may well object because we are going to church instead of going shopping with them or going to the beach with them; that is what we come to expect as Christians since we have seen this throughout history. But what we may not expect is how some people will object to us worshipping God simply because we dare to do something different to what they want!
God has always encouraged us to worship Him in whatever way we feel is right because He then knows that worship is coming from the heart and not just being performed because that is what the rules say should happen. God does not want a troupe of automatons who perform the same thing day after day or week after week without feeling a sense of love and even pride for worshipping Him with a full heart!
The disciples met opposition from the Samaritans because they were going to Jerusalem! Jesus rebuked them for thinking He should pour fire down on them for such a thought… God has given us free choice to do what we please. If people choose not to worship Him, they have chosen not to accept His will in their lives and that is their choice to make, not ours. We should show them we have made a choice for ourselves too.
Points to Ponder:
Do you struggle with opposition to your worshipping God?
Will you allow them to see you have made your own choice?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 677
October 2: Luke 9:46-50
Key Verse: Luke 9:50
‘Do not stop him,’ Jesus said, ‘for whoever is not against you is for you.’
Devotion:
One thing I continue to struggle with in church is the human assessed hierarchy imposed which people stick to rather than what Jesus was teaching! We this this in action when the disciples were discussing between them who would be the greatest: They were probably doing this by assessing who would do more and who would have the greater following.
God does not measure our worth by how many people get to follow us or how many people we say we ‘saved’ because it is not us doing the convincing and saving but the Spirit of God doing that in people’s hearts. We are only the instruments by which they can open the book and see what is available and God who changes their hearts by giving them purpose in His kingdom!
When we go about church business as a business instead of God’s kingdom, we lose focus on the important things in God’s eyes. When Jesus caught on to what the disciples were discussing He brought a child to stand next to Him and made it a personal choice. If they were willing to accept a strangers child as their own just because He asked them to, then would not Jesus accept them just because the Father had asked it of Jesus.
This is a very personal relationship we have with God and one which we should concentrate on because it is our personal relationship. If we simply do things because ‘the business’ demands it, then we are not considering God’s will in anything but man kinds will alone!
Points to Ponder:
How do you see yourself in your local church?
Will you simply be a child of God and act accordingly?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 685
October 1: Luke 12:22-30
Key Verse: Luke 12:23
For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
Devotion:
I don’t know about you but I love to watch videos of the various harvesting methods from around the world at this time of year to see how much food the land gives us; all because God said He would provide for us! I know the farmers do work extraordinarily hard especially over the past month as they gather in all the crops and plan for storage and delivery; so I ask God to bless them for all they do and allow them to have plentiful harvests for their sakes.
We are reminded through these words by the apostle how we are reliant on God through nature to make the seeds germinate, how they seedlings have to be taken care of and eventually the harvest gathered for all people to enjoy. But we also see how God supplies all of nature with the food they need to continue their survival too. Animals of all kinds do not normally have to store vast amounts of food in hugs bins and silos because God has taught them how to gather the right amount.
We should take notice of the fact they know how to gather the right amount because many try to store up more than they need or buy too much when others are in need. We need to remember God has placed us in charge of keeping each other alive and not just survival of the fittest!
God placed so much provision and beauty around us through nature and we need to remember who the supplier is. We need to remember how much we need to work and support each other so we can all survive. We need to love our neighbours so nobody needs to go hungry when they don’t have the means to gather or buy supplies… because God has asked us to do so!
Points to Ponder:
Do you have a hand in the food supply chain?
Why not try to be a helping hand for someone who needs assistance?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 670
September 30: Jeremiah 31:10-13
Key Verse: Jeremiah 31:11
For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.
Devotion:
God’s plan for us all is not written down in books so we can be ready for everything which comes our way, but He does know what our destinies are. He continues to place the right people at the right places at the right times so others can get to know Him and to reach for a life in Heaven with Him. When we look back in our lives and in the lives of the people around us we will see just how much God is doing behind the scenes to try and make our lives better. That is how much he loves us!
We may be very surprised by some of the things which God has planned in our lives and we may question how some of those things could have anything to do with Him and His love for us; but God is always there watching out for us.
Sometimes the evil one does get his way because not everyone will listen to God. Sometimes terrible things seem to happen in our lives and we wonder why God is allowing them to happen. It is not God’s doing all the time! God has given us free choice in our lives and sometimes we, and the people around us, make the wrong choice. When that happen we may well have to suffer the consequences of our choices.
It is not God controlling everything otherwise that would make us puppets and Him the puppeteer. God wants us to be safe and secure, filled with the Spirit and enjoying all the love and grace He tries to push our way.
Points to Ponder:
Do you find joy living with Christ?
Will you allow Him to guide you more?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 705
September 29: Hebrews 1:10-14
Key Verse: Hebrews 1:14
Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Devotion:
I think the Hebrew people had been caught up in worshipping anything which was greater than them in their own eyes, not necessarily at this time but throughout their history. God wanted them to know just how precious they were to Him and this is described in one way here by the apostle.
We could probably all think of a passage or verse where God lifts up Jesus or where people thought Jesus was lifting Himself up to the level of God since they are emotive sections of scripture. The apostle uses words here which are designed to make the Jews think about their own position and the position of being such as angels.
We know angels have been described in ways which can frighten us when we think of them, but this last verse should remind us just how much He loves us and what He has done to make sure we know He loves us! That is how special we are to God and why we need to worship God alone in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit!
All three parts have always been and will always be and will always love us no matter what we have done. If we are able to get that round our heads and to see how He has allowed angels to minister to us we should have no problem worshipping Him with everything we have!
Points to Ponder:
Do you begin to see how important you are to God?
Will you show Him how much He means to you?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 653
September 28: Haggai 1:3-8
Key Verse: Haggai 1:4
‘Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your panelled houses, while this house remains a ruin?’
Devotion:
One thing which does impress me is the authority by which the prophets were able to live by. God would speak to them through visions and dreams, or even audibly, instructing them in which way the people of Israel should be headed. How many of those people listened is what the problem was. But God knew the right place for the prophets to say things to get the biggest impact on the people as a whole.
God knows who the people are in any community who will lead others, not because they want to be leaders but because they are the people others respect and listen to. There are some who do all the shouting and talking but few people want to listen to them because they feel those people are doing it for themselves. God chooses people who do things selflessly for Him!
Haggai was instructed to tell a few truths to the people because they seemed to have grown very fond o their panelled houses rather than worrying about doing things for God. They were self promoting rather than lifting up the name of God! That is an easy trap to fall into!
Whatever we have in this world is because God has allowed it to be so. If we do not acknowledge God for allowing everything into our lives, then we are missing the point and others will begin to see us as empty vessels. We do have to look after what God gives us and part of that is the buildings He allows us to have for worshipping Him...
Points to Ponder:
How much do you do freely for your local church?
Are you willing to give a little more time and effort?