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June 9: 1 Peter 4:7-11
Key Verse: 1 Peter 4:10
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Devotion:
None of us know the appointed time when Christ will return to take us home. None of us know when a natural disaster will strike. We have a fantastic scientific community around the world who work hard to try and predict various natural disasters and many have come close to or actually succeed in warning people something is about to happen. Christians around the world have been trying to warn people Christ is going to return; and we admit we do not know the time, which may lessen the impact of what we warn people about.
If we could know the time then we could give people a definite warning of a date and time which would make a big difference to how people see us… So what are we supposed to do instead of giving the exact date and time of Christ’s return to warn people of the impending event?
Christ’s command is quite clear. We have to love one another. One of the best ways to show love to others is through doing things for them. God has created each of us different from others, so each of us may have skills others do not have. If we can use our skills to show people we care about them – that is fulfilling Christ’s wishes!
When we speak to others we should be speaking in ways which support God’s Word. We should not be speaking against God and not upholding things which work against God’s Word. We need to do whatever we can up promote the bible and its content because it is God’s Word which has the best chance of convincing others of Christ’s return!
Points to Ponder:
How do you like to persuade people you know what you are talking about?
Will you support God’s Word?
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June 8: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 11:26
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Devotion:
I think we often forget about the timing and the immense roller-coaster of feelings Jesus would have been going through on the day He chose to share bread and wine with the disciples. Jesus was with the disciples but He also knew what was about to happen – from this moment on there was no turning back! He chose to share the last meal with the disciples knowing full well one of them would betray Him and He would no longer share a meal with them in this state.
Jesus chose to thank God for everything, including what was about to happen before He broke the bread. Then He broke the bread and offered it to each disciple telling them they should do this in the future to remember what was going to happen – His body would be broken for them as the perfect sacrifice.
Then He took the cup of wine and offered it to the disciples so they would remember how His blood would be shed for them. This must have been a confusing time for them because they did not fully understand what was happening and being told their master’s body would be broken and He would bleed for their sakes must have shaken them up a bit. But the focus here was to do these things to remember what Jesus was about to do.
When we share bread and wine in our churches, do you ever think about what Jesus must have gone through in His heart and mind as He chose to share the bread and wine with the disciples at this their last supper together. Do you realise the sacrifice Jesus has made for us in giving up His earthly life for our sakes – knowing we are sinners!
Points to Ponder:
When you offer to do something, do you offer whatever it takes?
Jesus did what was necessary for our salvation – because He loves us!
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June 7: 1 Peter 1:18-25
Key Verse: 1 Peter 1:25
but the word of the Lord endures for ever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you.
Devotion:
When it comes down to sacrifices and the Old Testament there were different innocent animals which would be sacrificed for various things not withstanding how much you could afford as well. But the sacrifice which has paid for our sins once and for all is greater than any sacrifice ever made or what ever will be made. The Son of God sacrificed Himself, pure and innocent, living flesh, Holy and one of a kind never to be matched.
Everything which was sacrificed up to that point was perishable. Even the human body which was Christ Jesus was perishable, but His spirit and soul are eternal just as our spirit and souls are eternal. That is the love Jesus has for us, that He willingly laid down His body as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, now and forever.
No matter what wealth and titles we accumulate over the years as we live on earth, none of that is going to stay with us forever. Yes it will stay with us while we are alive and living on earth, but after that they remain as we move on. The things which stand out as being permanent like Jesus’ sacrifice are the Word of God and everything He stands for.
We can and will join Him in Heaven for eternity if we are willing to believe Jesus did this all for us and ask Him to take on the burden of our sin debt so we can be set free once and for all.
Points to Ponder:
Do you look at the bible as another book?
Or do you look at it as the Living Word of God?
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June 6: Mark 12:13-17
Key Verse: Mark 12:17
Then Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.’ And they were amazed at him.
Devotion:
When a new Christian asks me about the laws of the world or when someone tries to object to the work I do, this story always comes to mind. Have you ever thought about how you would approach the subject when someone tries to make you choose between following the local law or following what they think God says? Note how I word the question: how they think God says!
After years of working in a company where the majority of people were not Christians and seeing the growing difference between their lifestyles and the life I was looking to live, I grew to depend more of Christ and what I believe He is asking of me rather then what the world or the people of the world ask of me. When I am asked about why I do things the way I do I like to try and open up about my life as a Christian and one of the biggest hurdles some have is how I want to support the church and other people all the time!
Just because I am a Christian who does things differently from the rest of the world does not mean that I can ignore the laws of the world; instead I strive to live within the law and to be a better example for others. This is what Jesus was saying here to the Pharisees and Herodians who were trying to see if Jesus would break the local laws. We do things differently because of what God has asked of us, but we still have to obey the local laws of the places we live.
There are few places in the world where local laws will demand you do not obey Christ’s teaching; when that happens you make the choice yourself as to what you are willing to do. God calls us to be disciples who are willing to go out and spread the gospel. If we can do that without upsetting the locals then we have an easier task to be able to tell them about the truth as we know it.
Points to Ponder:
Do you struggle with non-Christians?
Do they see you as a law-abiding person?
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June 5: Mark 12:1-12
Key Verse: Mark 12:7
But the tenants said to one another, “This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.”
Devotion:
This is one of those stories I find very disturbing in the bible; realising this is the way human society and some cultures have gone or are heading is not a comforting thought! This was written so many years ago as a parable and yet it continues to happen for real nowadays. The greed of mankind knows no bounds!
Although this was probably not meant to be a prophecy about our modern times, it is sad to see it so. There are, fortunately, still many cultures where people do look out for each other and do actively care for people. Thankfully I live in a village where some people do care for others even though there are a few who seem to go against everything Jesus stood for.
I’m not going to harp on about how Jesus will return in person and rid the world of these types of evil people; instead I am going to say we should be the ones trying to make a difference in our communities. Where we see injustice or uncaring we should be willing to step forward and find justice for those in need and care for the poor.
This is not a vigilante world, even though it may seem so at times, but a world where God made disciples who need to go out and make more disciples. That is the only way we will be able to change the views of the people to allow them to see there is hope even when there seems to be none. That hope is only through introducing Jesus Christ into the lives of others.
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel like you live in a place where people conspire against you?
Have you tried asking Christ the way forward to help others?
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June 4: Matthew 28:16-20
Key Verse: Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
Devotion:
I love the way the gospel of Matthew is ended with this the Great Commission. This is given to all people who confess to be Christians but here accounted to the disciples as they were witness to Jesus resurrection and meeting Him at the appointed place. This was a public place and the disciples took on a role which meant they would have to be public about their profession to believe in Jesus as being their Messiah and the Son of God!
Our relationship with God should not be a private thing which we hide from the outside world; I know there are places in this world where people do have to hide their belief in Christ because of the threat of death for doing so – but even they can share their belief in ways. Jesus wants us to be proud of being Christians and proud of being called sons of God!
When we stand up in a public way to be called a disciple of Christ, we take on a responsibility to share the gospel with people and to make disciples who will in turn be able to do the same. We should not hide our baptism, our prayers, our meeting together, our teaching of the gospel but be bold and allow people to see we have a real relationship with Christ, one which they too can have if they take up the mantel.
We should be bold to follow what Christ has taught us through the disciples and through everything God has done for His people all around the world. We should be bold to share those truths to anyone who is willing to listen and embolden them to share what they learn in turn. This is all about sharing our hope in a world which has lost hope in so many things.
Points to Ponder:
Do you share your belief with others?
Will you allow others to see the real Christian inside you?
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June 3: James 5:12-20
Key Verse: James 5:17
Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
Devotion:
Prayer is the most powerful thing we have against all woes and circumstance! How we listen after we pray will shape our relationship with God. It is no good asking for something if you are not going to wait for an answer to see how it will be answered! We have so many examples of prayer in our bibles you would think it would be on every person’s mind to pray first; sadly it is not so in our world.
Prayer comes in many forms and is not just the image some see of a person on their knees begging for mercy. Prayer is your way of talking to and listening to God – it’s definitely a two way protocol just as is any discussion or request in life. When you ask a friend for something you don’t walk away immediately and assume they are going to do whatever you asked of them; you will wait for some sort of response so you can know what they are going to do from your request!
The same goes for your prayers with God. It is no good shouting out a request and running off in the other direction. I would be offended if someone did that to me! Another thing we do in our lives is stand and wait until we think people are going to listen before we ask. God is always listening and will always take on board what you ask for. He will then answer your prayers in the way He knows is best for you – which may not be what you are expecting… Hence the need to wait for a response.
Does this mean God is going to talk back to me? Well, He may not talk to you verbally but He is trying to get through to you all the time. When we do not sit patiently and wait for an answer He will try to get through to us through other people who are listening or through things He can do with and around us.
Points to Ponder:
How do you ask God for things?
Are you prepared to accept what He answers?
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June 2: James 5:9-12
Key Verse: James 5:11
As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
Devotion:
One of the things I could not get used to as an ‘new Christian’ back when I first got to know Christ was this thing of trusting in our unseen God. I had many people let me down in my school years and I had grown to not trust many people; so when they were telling me to trust in God I had reservations. Those reservation stuck with me for a long time and it was really only when I was living in the UK when I got to see how much I could fully trust in Christ.
When we think of trusting people we expect to see immediate results otherwise that trust grows weak, but the trust we should have in Christ should know no limits and not be bound by time in our sense. When I got to see first hand how much I could trust in God, the feeling of utter trust continued and still grows. I know this does disturb some because I have a trust which goes beyond normal human understanding. My family cannot grasp how I can have this trust in Christ and I cannot really explain it to them either. But I do.
We can look back at stories in our bibles to see how we can rely on God. One of the stories which resonates with me is the story of Job. He continued to have faith and trust God even when things were going wrong. He knew things would not get better over night but he continued to have that faith and trust in God. Eventually it paid off, but he had to endure a lot of pain and suffering before things came right.
God will do what He thinks is best for you – you may not see it in the beginning and you may have reservations, but keeping your faith and trust in God is important. It will show mighty dividends in the end even though you may not see it immediately and may face trials before hand.
Points to Ponder:
Who are the people you trust without question in your life?
Will you have that sort of faith in Christ?
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June 1: James 5:1-6
Key Verse: James 5:6
You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
Devotion:
After reading the verses above you may think this is going to be another devotion talking about people lusting after money instead of God and that being a bad idea… But it’s not! I put off writing this schism for a while because I felt guilty about bashing rich people because I know quite a few good people who are rich and have worked hard to get that wealth… but they are different from other rich people!
I have been pleasantly surprised by hearing of the good and charitable things many rich people have done; to be able to give of your time or money so others can have a better life is something we should all aim for whether we are rich or poor! We can look at many people who say they do not believe in God but see a goodness within them which shows by the good things they do in communities and societies.
We are all in the same world and so in the same predicament when it comes to living and dying. Where we come from and how we get there is going to be very different for rich people as opposed to poor people; but we all face the same condemnation when it comes to the final judgment from Christ.
I am not one who fits into the world of separating rich and poor people just because of their wealth. I try hard to make sure all people are welcome to my home and into my life – and that gets me into trouble sometimes because there are many who live by some sort of class system in society. Jesus made sure all people from all walks in life were able to approach Him at any time – that is what we should aim for as well!
Points to Ponder:
Do you count yourself as rich or poor?
Will you set that aside and give help to someone today?
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May 31: Romans 12:9-16
Key Verse: Romans 12:9
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Devotion:
If you are going to go round carrying a chip on your shoulder, life is going to seem harder than it should be especially when you get close to the reason for that chip being there in the first place. When Jesus told us to love our neighbours and to love our enemies it was not just to stop wars but to stop the root cause of things like wars. We seem to spend far too much time worrying over what other people say about us and what we think of other people!
God is the one who knows us from the inside out and there is no way we can really know others like He does – ever though we try to fool ourselves that we do! The more we dwell on those thoughts about what we think is going on in other people’s minds, the more distorted our world becomes and the more we are distracted from doing God’s will in our lives.
The apostle hints here about ways in which we can get round those types of thoughts we harbour about others. If we are willing to try and over-ride our thoughts with actions which agree with God’s will, then we will see just how beneficial it can be to act more like Jesus than our old wordly ways! The hope which it brings into our lives will soon change our ways of thinking of others and allow us to love our neighbours and our enemies.
We have to try and let go of the thoughts and actions we have and do which prevent us from following Jesus’ commands to love others. When we change our mindset to see the hope which can be found if we do follow His commands, our actions and thoughts will follow and living more in harmony will be the normal way of living!
Points to Ponder:
What chips do you have on your shoulder(s)?
Are you willing to try and search for the hope?