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September 19: John 14:1-9
Key Verse: John 14:2
My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?
Devotion:
As the United Kingdom comes together for the funeral of our late Queen Elizabeth II, our hearts are mourning the loss of our Queen but our spirits should be celebrating the fact Her Majesty is now with our Lord Jesus Christ. These words recorded by John remind us God has had a plan all along to ensure we will be taken care of. Jesus told the disciples they would have places which are already being prepared for them, just as you and I will have too.
The faith of our late Queen stood out as a beacon to us all to remember Jesus Christ is watching over each one of us. Over the last few days we have remembered God has a special place in His heart for the poor and lonely, not because they are more special than the rich and famous, but because they have led lives which are so far removed from the lives of the rich and famous and will be rejoicing in a new life alongside the rich and famous who have trusted in Christ as we have.
When our time comes to be called home by Christ, we will all join one another in a place which Christ has prepared for us. We will no longer be constrained by the limitations of our physical and socio-economical world we live in, but will all be children of God together.
We cannot hope to comprehend the life which awaits us because it will be so very different from the physical lives we currently live. Christ has prepared a place where we will no longer have to fear anything, where we will no longer have to conform to the greed and pride of others in this world. This is the special place we call Heaven, a place where those who have gone before us are already enjoying!
Points to Ponder:
Do you fear what lies ahead after death?
Will you trust Christ to prepare a special place for you too?
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September 18: Amos 8:4-7
Key Verse: Amos 8:4
Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land,
Devotion:
When the people of Israel lost their way or went after other things instead of God, God sent prophets to come and give dire warnings to the people to give them every chance at turning away from their evil ways and to turn back to God… It didn’t always work at first because the people had become proud in many ways, proud of their own ideas and proud of the way they did things – mostly when they found they could make money or gain riches by doing things other than what God had asked for!
We still do things like that nowadays – we seek after riches and ways in which we can gain riches instead of following God’s righteous ways and living with Christ in our lives. We still get caught up in our pride and greed and we still (mankind as a whole) run after riches instead of following God’s ways.
Amos was given this stern message to remind the people God does not miss anything and remembers everything we do! There is no sin which He does not see and none He will forget on their own. It is only when we turn back to Him and ask Christ to forgive our sins that we can safely have them removed from our record – in which case God will not hold on to them!
God wants us to see what we gain in our lives and to help those around us who are in need, especially when they need something we are gaining. If we can help others and we withhold that help, then we are working against God because these are Gods people! God looks out for the poor and needy – if we reject them, we are working against God!
Points to Ponder:
What riches do you have in your life?
Can you bless others with those riches?
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September 17: Luke 8:4-15
Key Verse: Luke 8:15
But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
Devotion:
I don’t know how many times I have heard the parable of the sower, but it was not until I understood a bit more about our spiritual lives did I begin to understand what it was all about. In the beginning I understood the part where the word of God is given to all, but not everyone would believe or understand it. It was the spiritual aspect I was missing out on!
I don’t think enough emphasis is placed on understanding our spiritual lives and so many miss out on what it is all about. When people gain understanding of the bible and how we must spread the gospel, they understand enough to make a choice to believe the words or now, but the deep and personal connection we can get through The Spirit is not understood by all.
When we do physical things to gain an understanding of the bible, we gain physical understanding; it is not until we open ourselves up to a spiritual connection with God that we will gain a spiritual understanding about our lives with God. With that spiritual understanding comes a whole new life with God, the real peace and joy comes through this spiritual connection with Him.
Yes it can sound daunting, opening our most inner beings to a connection with God! We all like our physical protection from houses and other people. But opening ourselves up to something which cannot be bound by anything physical it a whole new area in our lives we may struggle to contend with. With this spiritual connection comes a whole new life with Christ!
Points to Ponder:
How willing are you to open up totally in a new relationship?
Are you willing to open up fully with your relationship with Christ?
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September 16: Luke 8:1-3
Key Verse: Luke 8:3
Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
Devotion:
How often do you think of just the twelve disciples following Jesus around when you look back at what Jesus did on earth? Have you ever thought about the logistics of the whole thing about Jesus being here? Nowadays we would probably look for Bed & Breakfast if we were staying away from home, or hire an Air BnB place to stay for a while, and that is after we have hired a car to drive there and back or wherever we are going!
Back then it would be a very different lifestyle. They would have had to walk everywhere and they would have had to go round asking for places to stay because there was no Internet through which you could look and book ahead of time. No phones to call a friend. Then there was the issue of what to eat and how to prepare the food… no takeaways and no services where you can phone up and order any food you like! There would not have been electricity or gas to cook on – you’d have to go around and collect wood to burn in a fire to cook on!
Now, the disciples where a mixture of fishermen, a doctor, a tax collector to name a few – none of them were innkeepers, cooks or in the catering trade! I don’t think they would know how to do much other than light a fire and cook a fish on it!
But it wasn’t just the disciples. There were several women who had joined them on the journey. Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna are named here. They each had their own lives to lead and their own tasks they would normally be doing; but each one had made a choice to change their lifestyle and support Jesus and the disciples in their own way – and out of their own pockets too! They chose to worship Christ in their own ways!
Points to Ponder:
How do you worship Christ?
Have you ever thought about worshipping Him with your skills?
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September 15: Luke 7:36-50
Key Verse: Luke 7:38
As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
Devotion:
Can you picture this event happening… the Pharisee was a man who had studied the scriptures and thought he knew it all until he met Jesus and saw there was so much more than just the knowledge. He had avoided mixing with sinners and had probably shunned them many a time before. He knew the local people and he knew of this woman’s past and what other people thought of her.
Everything in him was probably wanting to put this woman out of the house and yet Jesus was allowing her to not just come close to Him but to wash His feet with her tears and her hair. She then proceeded to pour the perfume on His newly washed feet. This sort of thing was not normal for ordinary people!
When the Pharisee questioned Jesus’ judgement, Jesus told him a story about two people who were in debt to a money-lender; when they were forgiven their debt, it is supposed the person with the bigger debt would be more thankful. What this was intended to do was to show this woman was giving Jesus everything she had just to be close to Him.
Jesus then turned to the woman and said “your sins are forgiven!” Not only was this unheard of because nobody had the authority to forgive sins at that time, but He also said her faith had saved her and allowed her to go in peace. Jesus had the power to forgive all sins and what He did for us demonstrated clearly we have the ability to have our sins forgiven simply by looking to Him and believing!
Points to Ponder:
How much are you willing to give to be close to Jesus?
Nothing we have is enough to have our sins forgiven except our belief in Christ!
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September 14: John 3:13-17
Key Verse: John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Devotion:
I have watched a few of the news channels reporting on the number of people who have lined streets to catch a glimpse of the late Queen Elizabeth II as they drove past. Just about every road the hearse drove down, people were patiently waiting, bowing humbly as it went by. When it came to driving down the streets of London, people stopped their cars and got out – this is on dual carriage ways where there is no stopping allowed; because there was no room for them to park up and make it back to the road in time.
Back in the days of Moses, a statue of a snake was made and the people were told to simply look up at the snake in order to be healed. They had to do a few things: be somewhere where they would be able to see the snake, stop what they were doing and wait for the snake to pass by, and finally to look up at the snake. With that they would be healed and life could go on.
This is what was going to happen to Jesus, He was going to be placed on a cross for everyone to see. The people would have to make a choice to go and see Him, or to at least believe that what He was doing was going to make all the difference. That belief was the important part, the part which would save their lives.
Jesus did not come to condemn us but to give us a way through which we can be saved from our sin debt. He gives us the choice to believe Him and trust Him, or just continue on in our lives and see what happens. We know the right thing to do is to believe in Christ – we have to make that active choice in our lives.
Points to Ponder:
Do you wish to live an eternal life with God?
Will you trust in what Jesus has done for you already?
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September 13: Luke 7:11-17
Key Verse: Luke 7:13
When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’
Devotion:
Wherever Jesus went, a large crowd of people was sure to follow, some to worship Him, some to monitor Him, some to see what miracle He would do next, and many other reasons… What the apostle writes about here could be looked as as being just another miracle, but when we look at the events and what is written, we see the real reason behind Jesus’ actions.
A widow had just lost her only son and the funeral cortège was on its way out of the town going to the place appointed for the young man to be buried. Jesus could sense the loss this woman was going through and even the crowd of people who were following the bier which was being used to carry the body. He had great compassion for this woman because He knew it was her only son and knew what she was going through.
Rather than simply comforting her and assuring her the young man would be with God, He went a step further and stopped the people carrying the body. He spoke plainly to the young man and told him to “get up!” With those words, the young man sat up with his life having been fully restored as all around him could plainly see when he sat up and started talking again!
No matter how small and insignificant we think we are, no matter how much we think we do not deserve God’s love and support, Christ shows us there is no end to God’s love and no end to His mercy. With this in mind, never give up hope when the world around you is saying give up. Trust in Christ and allow Him to do what He wills in your life!
Points to Ponder:
Do you hamper God’s will by listening too much to the world around you?
Will you allow Christ to work in your life?
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September 12: Psalm 40:7-11
Key Verse: Psalm 40:8
I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.
Devotion:
If God called out audibly for helpers to go and spread the gospel, what would your reaction be? Would you step forward and say “Here I am” as the psalmist writes here? Would your reaction be because it was an audible voice from God and other people heard it too? You see what I am getting at here… sometimes we do things because we want to show others we are doing something, but when nobody else knows about the request, we often stay quiet and do nothing just because it is easier to do that!
God is always asking people to be brave and step forward to do His will. He is not going to shout about it because that would attract people who may not be pure in heart; i.e. they may just be doing it to impress others! We all know God is calling because we have His written word telling us this all the time – what we do with that silent call defines our hearts toward God!
The psalmist knew he was stepping forward because of his love for God. Here he reminds God (who doesn’t actually need reminding, but it’s good to tell God what is on your heart) about how he has been telling others about God in the great assembly. The psalmist is not trying to convince himself, but it telling it how it is. His heart is open and honest.
This is what God looks for in each of us, a humble heart which is willing to listen, and an honest heart which is willing to say here I am and step forward to be there when is counts! God doesn’t want people who say yes and then go back to their old ways; God wants people who will say yes and step forward time and time again to do His will in their lives!
Points to Ponder:
Have you ever said “Here I am, send me” to God?
Are you ready to try and make that commitment?
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September 11: Luke 15:8-10
Key Verse: Luke 15:10
In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
Devotion:
How special you regard life depends on your outlook on life and how much you treasure it. If you are nonchalant about life, then your value placed on life would be equally nonchalant. If, however, you regard life as all important, then your value of life is high and will affect how you live your life. God’s value on life goes beyond our understanding; how else can we justify Him allowing His only Son to die on the cross in our stead!
When Jesus came to be amongst mankind, it was a step through which God could be amongst us without giving in the sin and mankind's ways. Jesus tried to impress on all He talked to how much God the Father regarded the life of every soul on earth. We have been given free choice to make our own decisions on whether we live our lives with God, or whether we live a life full of and indebted to sin. The choice is ours.
Jesus came to share God’s Word with us because mankind was losing direction and walking away from God. This was the way He could reach us with the truth and through which we could gain eternal life and walk away from our lives of sin. Because of what Jesus did for us, we have a way of being totally forgiven for what we have done wrong in our lives once and for all.
When we make the choice to bring Christ into our lives, the whole realm of Heaven rejoices as another soul is made safe from eternal darkness and given a place in heaven when God will always be our eternal light.
Points to Ponder:
How much wealth do you place on life?
Will you give you life back to God so Heaven can rejoice eternally with you?
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September 10: Luke 6:43-45
Key Verse: Luke 6:44
Each tree is recognised by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn-bushes, or grapes from briers.
Devotion:
The first years of my life, up until late high school years, was spent in Zimbabwe where we were blessed with many different fruits being able to grow abundantly. During my primary school days we had a variety of fruits and vegetables which flourished in our garden; each fruit tree or vegetable was know by what they looked like and by the fruit and vegetables they produced. We did have one odd fruit tree which grew a fruit which looked like a lime, tasted between a lime and a lemon, but was the size of a large coconut! But it was still unique and many got to know of this tree and would ask for spare fruits it gave – I loved to make a special lemonade from it!
If a tree, bush or plant was not taken care of, not watered at the right time, or left to fend for itself, it would often not produce a good harvest and we would have to wait for the next year remembering to take better care of it for a better harvest!
Just like these plants, each of us is unique and also needs care and attention to grow into the best plant and produce the best harvest. If we are left to our own devices we often seek the path of least resistance and get mixed up in things we should not be doing! We do need care and attention to make sure we become the best version of ourselves.
What better caretaker than the King of Kings, Jesus Christ, who is willing and able to make the best of us if we are willing to listen and obey Him. When we do listen and obey, people will see us for the best version we can be; they will see us in a new light which is not shining because we did things for ourselves, but because we listened to Christ and reflected a bit of Him through our lives!
Points to Ponder:
Do you try to be the best version of yourself?
Will you listen to Christ and be a reflection of what He wants for you?