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January 19: Hebrews 7:23-28
Key Verse: Hebrews 7:27
Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
Devotion:
Jesus was known by many names; some being our shepherd, our king, and her, our high priest. Each of these titles is an earthly title given to try and add more to what Jesus was to all of His people. We see Him as our shepherd because He looks after us like a shepherd looks after the sheep. We see Him as our King because He holds the highest position in our lives. And here we see Him as our high priest because He is the one who make sure God is going to forgive us of our sins!
Now normal high priests would have to offer sacrifices for people’s sins and also offer sacrifices for their own sins – they were not blameless and could not ask for forgiveness of our sins until they had squared their own sin debt first! Jesus, on the other hand, did not have to offer sacrifices for His own sins because He did not sin! So why did Jesus offer the sacrifice of His own life?
This is the most important step we need to remember and the step which sets Him apart from all other high priests in our history. Jesus did not sin, therefore He was perfect. He was the ultimate lamb without a blemish! So offering His own self for our sins was the ultimate sacrifice to offer. That is how much God thinks of us!
Each high priest throughout history has had sins which they have had to ask God’s forgiveness for before seeking forgiveness for our sins. Each high priest has had issues in their own lives. Now, whilst they had done everything God asked of them to gain forgiveness, Jesus did not have to offer anything for His own sins – He simply offered everything for our sins instead!
Points to Ponder:
What would you give to gain forgiveness from others?
Have you thanked Christ for what He did for you?
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January 18: Mark 3:1-6
Key Verse: Mark 3:3
Jesus said to the man with the shrivelled hand, ‘Stand up in front of everyone.’
Devotion:
Have you ever had to give a lecture or some other talk to a group of people? During my years at high school we started to have to learn how to get up in front of others a give an address of some sort with confidence; it’s a hard thing to do when you are looking in the face of a whole crowd of people, be it peers or strangers… The same was done in university where each of us had to stand up and talk for several minutes about a technical subject...
Talking to others about work or design of various kinds did not seem to phase me, but when, much later as an adult I had to stand up in front of a small group of teenagers and talk about Christ… well, that was nerve-wracking! But if we want to be a witness for Christ then we do have to stand up in front of others and be that witness. That may be a nightmare scenario for many of us, however being a witness does not have to be standing up in front of others and talking about things… Sometimes God just wants us to stand there so others can see what He is doing in our lives!
During this account Jesus was almost on trial by the temple elders. They had it in their minds they had to stop this person from saying they were the Messiah and to prove that they would try to trap Jesus into doing “work” on the Sabbath. What they defined as work and what God thinks work is are two very different things. Jesus wanted to share His love and mercy even on the Sabbath!
We could argue all sorts of things which should or should not be done on the Sabbath, or we can share in God’s love no matter what day or time it is. Jesus did not work according to the clock or the calendar, Jesus worked all the time as a witness of the truth; He wants us to be willing to do the same, to be His witnesses at all times!
Points to Ponder:
Do you get scared about doing something?
Will you try to simply show the truth?
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January 17: Hebrews 6:10-15
Key Verse: Hebrews 6:12
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Devotion:
I wonder how many times you have done work without getting payment for it? A lot of the time we do work with and form friends and family without asking or expecting payment, but we do get ‘paid’ through other means than monetary gain – maybe they cook us a meal or just enjoy time together.
We should have the same attitude with God; we should not expect to get paid for the work we do with and for God because we should be doing it for the love He has already shared with us. Even so, when we do things for God they do not go unnoticed by Him. He will return the favour by doing something for us, probably in the most unexpected ways!
We should not grow weary because we have not been paid for God’s work; Jesus was the example by which we should try to live. He went out to do God’s work and did not expect to be paid for it. Instead He went out knowing God would love Him and allow Him to continue doing the work through other means. Jesus accepted meals and support from those people around Him, many of which were not Christians as we know them, but simply people seeking the truth.
If we are able to be effective disciples for Christ, He will make sure we can continue to be those disciples through supporting us in love and other ways. When God told Abraham he would be the father of a great nation, it was not and empty promise but one which He kept in unexpected ways. Abraham and Sarah expected to have many children of themselves, but God’s promise came through the generations of people which followed from Abraham and Sarah.
Points to Ponder:
Do you expect God to give you things?
Have you tried just doing the work and not expecting anything in return yet?
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January 16: Hebrews 5:5-6
Key Verse: Hebrews 5:5
In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.’
Devotion:
Have you ever wondered who chooses priests or church leaders? I put it to you that if they have been chosen by man, then that is all they are, people chosen by man; but if they have been chosen by God to serve, then God will give them everything they need to fulfil that role He has chosen them for!
Jesus was chosen by God, not because He needed to be chosen by God but because people needed to be told the truth so they would believe. Jesus knew everything from the beginning and knew what had to be done. His human side would probably get in the way all the time but He chose to listen to God and obey Him at ever opportunity, that is why He was so effective at everything He did – because God was leading Him every step of the way.
This was chosen long before Jesus came to be with us. It is recorded in the Psalms of David, another man who willingly listened to God and obeyed Him. The difference between Jesus and David was David did not always listen because he chose to do things his own way at times instead of listening to God. We have the same issues in our lives where we think we know better and we go off to do our own thing instead of listening to God.
If we choose to listen to God properly, He will be able to guide us properly and we will be able to do more for Him. It is a choice we have to make for ourselves but one which has implications far greater than what we think!
Points to Ponder:
Do you listen to God?
Do you obey God?
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January 15: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 1:7
Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.
Devotion:
How often do you take on board good instructions and follow them to the end? How often do you succeed only because you have followed the instructions faithfully? Why should this be any different from following the instructions God has given us to make the most of our lives and those around us!
Paul was an incredible witness for God; not only was he changed in a very big way, but he continued to spread the gospel far and wide telling as many people about Christ as he could. He did not start off like that because he was one of the people who would go around working against God and working for what they thought was the church back then.
We have to be very wary of who we work for too. It should not be the organisation we call a religion or other corporate bodies; we should be working as Christ directs us and continuing to uphold the gospel truth in whatever we do. This is what made Paul such a success – we willingly set aside things to step up and listen to God’s instructions and to obey them no matter what would happen.
The amount of people he was able to reach during his life is quite staggering, but the amount of people he continues to reach because of the words written down by him is even more impressive. God wants us to be able to spread the gospel in new ways. There is something to be said about social media and the likes because it reaches new people in ways not done before – but we have to be wary we do not fall into the trappings of the world instead of spreading the gospel truth!
Points to Ponder:
How do you like to tell people about God?
Do you know God chose you?
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January 14: Psalm 19:7-14
Key Verse: Psalm 19:14
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Devotion:
When a lawyer has to go to court to defend a client, they want the best possible witnesses behind them and the best possible advice for their clients based on past court cases and events… If they are very good lawyers, they will search high and low to make sure they have as much data behind them to defend their clients to the best of their abilities. They will be standing up in front of a judge and jury to present their case and so they need all of this data behind them. They are the witness for their client...
When we try to witness to others about Christ, we need to know as much as possible so we can witness to the best of our abilities. This does not mean we need to know everything. Just like a new lawyer, we are still learning and we have to discover things before we can present them before others. We effectively need to study the law.
So what is the law we need to study? Is it the cases presented by the teachers of the law during the time of Jesus life on earth? No! Jesus was not impressed by them either. We should take on board what Jesus stood for and the law He used as His example. That law is the scriptures, or our bibles.
There is nothing more precious than God’s Word for us because it is the truth we need in order to be witnesses to others. This is the law we should try to study to be the most effective witnesses we can be. This is the law being talked about in these verses where the writer describes it as being the most precious thing we have. God’s Word!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you study the law?
How often do you read your bible?
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January 13: Mark 2:1-12
Key Verse: Mark 2:9
Which is easier: to say to this paralysed man, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up, take your mat and walk”?
Devotion:
I love this story about how Jesus was able to release this man from his past, not just spiritually but physically too. Jesus first reaction was to help the man with what they were struggling with; in this case the man must have been really struggling with the fact he was paralysed and was probably blaming his physical condition on what he had done in the past.
So many of us will blame ourselves for the spiritual and mental positions we are in by looking at the things we have done wrong in the past. This is not how Christ works! Jesus first healed the man of his spiritual problems by forgiving him – this was unheard of and the teachers immediately said Jesus was blaspheming! How could he forgive the man when it should only be God who does such things!
This was the teachers first fault, overlooking the fact Jesus was their Messiah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Nothing they could do would have released this man from his problems, but what Jesus said released him immediately!
Sensing what they were thinking Jesus turned to the teachers and asked them which would be more difficult, to simply say the man's sins were forgiven, or to physically heal the man just by telling him to get up and walk! As soon as Jesus told the man to get up and walk, he did! This should have put an end to any doubt those teachers had about Jesus; but it probably didn’t!
Points to Ponder:
What do you look to Jesus to do in your life?
Will you accept what He does for you in faith?
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January 12: Hebrews 3:7-14
Key Verse: Hebrews 3:10
That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, “Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.”
Devotion:
How many times have you said something horrible in anger after being provoked a bit too far? I’m sure we have all said things we don’t want to say or even repeat because they were out of character for us; that alter character being born from anger and provocation from people who were not thinking about your feelings...
Now think of that feeling a short while and see if you could have changed your ways at the time? The answer would probably be that you would very much like to change your actions at the time, but your were not in your normal state of mind because of the things which had probably been done and said to you just before that!
God had to put up with the people of Israel doing and saying horrible things time and time again. Eventually He got so angry with the people He made an oath which He looked back on and knew it was harsh – but if truth be told and we look back on the actions of the people of Israel at the time, those reactions may well have been deserved… but out of character for God. This is why we know God as a wrathful God. You continue rubbing Him up the wrong way and it may be inevitable He does something out of character!
This is where Christ comes in. He willingly paid the ultimate price for us so we could be forgiven for the things we do; you know, the time when we have provoked God so much we just know He is going to do something to us! That is the amazing love God has for us; He enabled His own Son to step up and take the blame when we deserved it!
Points to Ponder:
Have you provoked God recently?
Will you seek Jesus to forgive you?
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January 11: Mark 1:35-39
Key Verse: Mark 1:35
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Devotion:
Have you ever got caught up in work and forgotten something you had promised someone close to you? I know I do get carried away with work and have been known to forget things – on more than a few occasions! Jesus knew how important it was to make sure He made time to pray to His Father in Heaven. Just when things were getting busy and the disciples were getting excited about all the healing miracles and things, Jesus would try to calm things down a bit...
We often get far to busy with life and the world around us, forgetting how important it is to talk with God. This is what prayer is about – us making time to commune with God over everything, the mundane and the important! God wants to hear from all in all aspects of our lives and not just when we panic and need Him to fix things!
The disciples would get caught up in the world many times whilst they were following Christ. It is not that they lost faith or that they stopped doing things for God, they just got a bit busy and got caught up in worldly things instead of spiritual things!
God wants us to remember the spiritual aspects of our lives all the time. Jesus was well aware of this and made sure He spent time communing with God. Jesus would take Himself away from the business of life to make sure He could not just talk to God, but stop to listen properly as well. It is the listening part which we overlook when we are busy...
Points to Ponder:
How often do you pray?
How often do you stop and listen?
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January 10: Hebrews 2:5-12
Key Verse: Hebrews 2:9
But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
Devotion:
When I read these verses I am reminded of the marked differences between people from around the world. We often try to call people as being from the East or West, and we have seen how the Magi came from the East – but differences come in all shapes and sizes and not just cultural differences!
Just yesterday I was in a church attending a funeral where the majority of the people were Baptists with a few Church of England people, and I supposes a few others. The differences between the way they greeted each other were surprising even though the majority (if not all) were Christians. The way they spoke was different again being from different places in the UK. But we were all there to remember the life of a friend.
When Jesus came to be amongst us He was born as a Human baby, introduced as the Messiah and King of Kings. Brought up in Nazareth as part of a loving family and then a minister and teacher to many who would listen. The church leaders rejected Him because they felt insecure in the world they had built up around themselves. The country lowered Him to be amongst murderers and thieves. But God raised Him up into glory to sit by His side once again!
This is our Saviour in whom we believe. Our shepherd who willingly leads us. Our rock who gives us refuge and strength. This is Jesus Christ and we can make of Him what we choose – but He is still recognised as the King of Kings by our Father in Heaven!
It is by His grace we can be lifted up to join Him in Heaven!
Points to Ponder:
Do you lift Jesus up to His rightful position?
Are you looking forward to joining Him in Heaven?