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September 17: Romans 4:1-12
Key Verse: Romans 4:10
Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!
Devotion:
The Romans and the Greeks had to know the ins and outs of things before they followed or believed things; at least that is how we look at them nowadays and what it suggests through words like this. But if we look at all societies around the world we see these traits or similar traits because people like to find excuses not to do things!
The apostle tries to encourage the Romans by getting them to question the stories they have heard. If people simply follow the stories they have heard they tend to have a half-hearted belief in what they hear because they have no proof, only what others are telling them. But when they begin to question things they look for answers as well as looking for cracks in the stories.
Abraham is know as the Father of the Jews because God promised him he would be the father of a great nation. Abraham did not have many children but he is in the lineage of the nation. Abraham believed God before he took on this persona as the father of the nation; it was his belief in God which made this all possible, not the other way round.
All this talk about circumcision was raised to make the Romans ask questions about it and not just to get circumcised so they could be counted as ‘Christians!’ What makes us Christians – our belief in God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. What makes people do things like get baptised or circumcised – for them to show others how much they believe in God!
Points to Ponder:
How do people know you are a Christian?
Will you try to be more open so others will know?
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September 16: Luke 6:46-49
Key Verse: Luke 6:46
Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I say?
Devotion:
How many people do you know of who go to church at the weekend and then behave like anybody else during the week, or even as soon as they step out the doors of the church? Unfortunately there will always be people who say they are Christians and even behave like Christians in front of others but who do not really believe in what Jesus has done for them; we have known this throughout history.
As Christians we should be listening to Christ and obeying what He asks of us. Whilst it is not always easy to hear what Christ wants from us because of the noise of the world around us, we should still try to do what the Bible teaches us. People all throughout the world are taught to do things for work purposes and are expected to continue doing those things in the right manner for work.
Why do we expect anything different from God. He has given us so much and continues to show us the many ways through which we can get to know Him, but unless we do those things we are nothing different from the rest of the world. Belief has to be shown in order for it to be believed itself.
When Jesus came to live amongst mankind He showed us through example how we should live and how we should always lift up the name of God. He depended on God and He listened to Him obeying whatever God asked of Him. This is how we should try to live because through a life led like that we can show others the true hope and strength we have in Christ!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you act like a Christians?
How often are you living as a true Christian?
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September 15: Luke 6:39-42
Key Verse: Luke 6:40
The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.
Devotion:
One of the things I don’t like about our society is the way young people seem to have been brought up to expect certain things in life as if they are rights rather than things earned or learned. I’m not quite sure how this came about since my parents brought me up to learn and earn rewards in life. This also meant sharing the knowledge we have with others so they are not left behind or left alone.
On my YouTube channel there is a video I put together for the children's song “Is There a Plank in Your Eye” which regularly gets viewers from all over the world. A simple song about these verses which I put together for use during the children’s clubs I helped to run a while ago. An effective method of getting the idea across, but it does not do justice to these verses.
We need to remember we all depend on each others and we have a task to teach the next generation, not just about life, but about God and the way he wants us to live by. Making sure we always try to do righteous acts and not blame others for things we also do wrong.
The blame culture in the world is not helping Christians or any other people. If we, as Christians, continue to join in with the blame culture of this world we are not going to further God’s Word like He wants us to because others will not look to us for help because they feel injustice instead of mercy and justice like God wants us to teach.
Points to Ponder:
Are you quick to blame others?
Will you try helping someone instead of blaming them?
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September 14: Philippians 2:5-11
Key Verse: Philippians 2:9
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
Devotion:
One of the things which impressed the disciples as they grew to know Jesus more was how He seemed to be one of them even though they knew Him as the Son of God! This is one trait which encourages me when mixing with other people; if they elevate themselves above me and try to put on airs and graces, then I am not interested in what they have to say; but when they reach out to me as a fellow person I will listen and learn.
Jesus wanted us all to see this is the way through which we can love one another; but when we start lifting ourselves in position of authority because we think we deserve it, then community breaks down. Jesus wanted to build the church on people who loved one another and did not form a society where there are rulers and slaves!
God showed us all His great support for this by making sure people knew He exalted Jesus above everyone even though Jesus was walking as a person just like everyone around Him. Jesus did not separate people because of their backgrounds or because of their stature in society but treated everyone the same.
God wants us to know if we want to be more like Jesus then we have to start acting the same toward everyone and not picking sides, stature, class, race or any other societal division people come up with. Love starts with us taking the first step and continuing to walk as equals.
Points to Ponder:
Who would you like to invite into your circle?
How about opening up your circle to everyone first?
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September 13: Isaiah 46:1-7
Key Verse: Isaiah 46:4
Even to your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Devotion:
The prophet Isaiah has a way of making you stop and think. There are so many things he has written down for us to feed on and to remember just how great our God is; this chapter being one of them! We can see this sentiment reflected in the New Testament as the disciples saw this in action when Jesus would drive demons and spirits out of people, the former being scared of Jesus!
God alone is the one who is going to continue looking out for us and caring for us no matter what life can and does throw at us. We may find it hard as we fight with life or with people around us, but God is always there and as long as we are willing to listen and obey, our outcome and life will be better!
We do tend to get things in our lives which we build up and start to depend on because we think they matter. The more we build them up the more we draw away from God because there cannot be more than one god in our lives which we follow. I know as a Christian I used to think I would never be counted as someone who following anything which I would think of as more important than God; but there have been times in my life when that has happened even without me realising it.
Keeping God in the centre of your life and as the most important part of your life is what counts. When we do that He will give us space for loving our partners and friends and family as much as we should – this is what I have grown to realise in my latter years!
Points to Ponder:
How close is God to the centre of your life?
Will you hold Him closer today?
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September 12: Colossians 2:6-10
Key Verse: Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
Devotion:
Once you make the choice to believe in Christ the first few days/weeks can go either way… you may love the new found happiness and peace you have and thrive in it, or you may find it hard going because of your old life calling you back. Then, after a while, maybe even years, you get people around you trying to encourage you back into your old ways just because they don’t believe.
Life as a Christians is not going to be plain sailing. The evil one is going to plan all manner of things which will trip you up and he will encourage others to distract you from your faith in Christ. He will bring people into your life who will have arguments which sound like they could have ground; but they will be against God’s Word.
That is the one thing we have in our lives by which we can identify whether someone else is for or against God – whether what they do and say agree with God’s Word or not. We have so many traditions and habits in our lives which can go against God simply by looking at them another way and the evil one will use little things like that to try and dissuade your from following Christ.
The best way forward is to have Christ as the centre of your life because it is not us who have true power and authority over everything, but God through the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Points to Ponder:
Do you struggle with your Christians life at times?
Have you tried depending on Him more during those times?
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September 11: Luke 6:6-11
Key Verse: Luke 6:11
But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.
Devotion:
This sort of thing makes me mad even when I read about it so many years after it happened; but still, this seems to happen in our modern churches around the world nowadays. Sadly some church leaders will do whatever they can to uphold the letter of the law about what their ‘church’ stands for instead of following the love of Christ as He asked us to.
Yes I deliberately put ‘church’ in quotes because we have to ask ourselves the question – are we the church of Christ if we are more concerned about the local rules and regulations than we are about following what our Church Leader has asked of us? Because this is what I see happening in this recount from Luke.
We may not think we are to blame because we are doing whatever we have done for many years now and nobody has complained (much) so why should we change? Jesus Christ does not change, but He certainly used very different ways to reach all the different people He reached with the gospel. If we are not willing to accommodate the different people in our community then we are not really part of the community!
We have to trust God He will continue to guide us in appropriate ways to reach out to the people He has put in our lives. He has used a vast variety of people to reach an even wider variety of people. He has not asked us to become introverts who only do the things we are comfortable with doing. He is asking us to be disciples who go out and make disciples...
Points to Ponder:
Do you stick to tried ans tested ways of being church?
Are you willing to try something different to encourage someone new in?
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September 10: Romans 13:8-10
Key Verse: Romans 13:10
Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.
Devotion:
One of the biggest sources of all arguments is debt whether is it a monetary debt or a promise not kept; debt brings on arguments or hopelessness. We all should know the basic rules of life like not getting involved with adultery, murder, stealing and even coveting, but one things we do often overlook is sharing love where it is due.
Jesus reminded us love is the pivotal thing around which all other rules of life should revolve. If we are not keeping love fresh and in the middle of our lives, then we are falling short in our debt to the people around us. One of the things we need to accept and cherish is love, the love for our own selves and the love for the people around us.
I know in our modern world we find all manner of excuses not to do things: blaming stuff like the internet, electricity, work and so many more things; but most of those really do come down to not exercising the love Christ has given us for others. God made us to be able to love one another, but because of all these distractions in life we make excuses not to fulfil that love – because it just doesn't fit with our life-style!
One thing I have learn about being a Christian is we have to make sure we take this God-given love and share it with the people around us. When we do that we are encouraging others to do the same. When we all start moving toward that goal, we can see the benefits of this love in our lives.
Points to Ponder:
How often do you show your love to your partner?
How often do you share God’s love with others?
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September 9: Colossians 1:21-23
Key Verse: Colossians 1:21
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour.
Devotion:
As a non-believer, one of the hardest things to get your head round is the forgiveness of Christ, but when you get to know Christ your whole world changes! When you are faced with rules which you do not want to agree with, the temptation to break those rules is ever present and something we often give in to. But what happens when those rules do not agree with simple human survival?
God has watched mankind over the years and knows when we are going to give in and break the laws. It is not that He just accepts you break the rules and sin now and again, but He does know us and knows our limits. We are just human beings whether we are Christians or not and we will give in to temptations from time to time. When we do, we should be brave enough to admit them to God and ask for forgiveness and not try sweep them under the rug!
It is because of what Jesus did for us by giving His own life as the perfect sacrifice we needed, we are able to commune with God. It is knowing of our failings and bringing them to Jesus we are able to gain absolute forgiveness. We cannot put anything behind us or hide anything from God because He sees all; but we are able to give them to Christ to have them covered by His sacrifice.
But to do any of this we need faith in believing what Jesus has done and trust Him to deliver us blameless before God!
Points to Ponder:
Do you admit your faults to Christ?
Will you trust in what He has done for you?
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September 8: Colossians 1:15-20
Key Verse: Colossians 1:17
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Devotion:
By reading through each of the letters the apostle wrote to the various churches we can find very different communities which needed different approaches to the same gospel. I would say from the words written to the church in Colossae, they were quite well versed in their philosophy and all things Phrygian. They seemed to take society strictly and the apostle had to reach them at their own level.
Each of our communities and the churches within them are different. We have quite different views on things and how they should be done in the village where I live. We can all agree on the fact Jesus Christ came in human form to offer salvation to everyone through shedding His blood on the cross. But, even in our church we have people who think differently to others.
I come from an engineering and scientific background so I try to make things well defined and work with the parameters offered. This does not always agree with others who would rather live life on the edge. But we are all under the same God and under the same offer of salvation from Christ!
Jesus was an is there from the beginning and will be, always. Our lives may come and go, governments and royalty change over time, but our God remains constant and always ready to listen and guide each one of us in our different ways we live. We don’t all have to be the same, just accept the one true God – simple!
Points to Ponder:
Who is your “boss”?
Do you always try to listen to God?