- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 722
July 6: Psalm 115:3-8
Key Verse: Psalm 115:8
Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
Devotion:
The hope of the nation of Israel was not in statuettes or other makings of mankind but in The God who lives in Heaven! Even then some turned to silver and gold idols which had been crafted by men – not to speak, not to see, not to hear, smell or feel, not to walk or talk – just to exist as an object people could look at!
Why put your hope and trust in something someone else has made with their hands? I’m not talking about chairs, tables or even cars planes and buildings, but small statues made so people can do something strange like worship them! Putting your faith in a dumb idol is probably akin to putting your faith in “square wheels” being able to roll gently down the hill! They are not real!
The more we live our lives caught up in modern society the more we get drawn into all the things in this world which we trust our lives in. We place our trust in the physical things because we can see them. We place our hope in something we can see rather than what we cannot see. It’s easier that way because we don’t have to think things through… But God wants us to think things through and to put our faith and trust in the truth instead of what someone said in the heat of the moment!
God is our living breathing faithful God. He has done everything for us to get to know Him – but we have to step forward and make that choice to get to know Him. He has done so much already for us so we can be safe – but we have to make that choice to ask Him to protect and guide us. God hasn’t put everything in place so we don’t have a choice, He has put it all here so we do have the choice… Choose life!
Points to Ponder:
Do you choose to follow Christ?
Will you trust Him?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 704
July 5: Matthew 9:32-34
Key Verse: Matthew 9:34
But the Pharisees said, ‘It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.’
Devotion:
One of the hardest things to accept in life is something you don’t believe in because your mind has already been made up and you don’t want to have to admit to being wrong in any way – so you carry on with the lie you have learned! Christ wants us to stop and look at the lies we have been told and compare them to what is good and righteous – that way we can move away from those lies as we see them for what they are… but it is hard!
The Pharisees saw what Jesus did to the demon-possessed man, freeing him from his life of misery and silence; yet they did not want to believe this could be done because that would mean they were wrong about the man Jesus. They would have to admit they were wrong and turn from their lies toward the truth. Instead, they invented another lie and started saying Jesus was the prince of demons and was controlling the demons!
How many times have you fallen into that sort of pit in your life when you have been telling a lie so much you believe it yourself and when someone confronts you about the lie, you make up a few more lies to cover the facts and carry on living the lie? I know I have been in that circumstance before and have told lies to try and get out of trouble – especially as a child!
But the truth has a habit of finding its way to the surface and everyone gets to hear the real story instead of the lie you have been spreading for so long… Wouldn’t it have been easier to admit to the truth in the beginning and move forward with the truth so you would not be caught out in lies again? Of course! But we don’t think like that when we are caught up in the lies. We need to let go and follow the truth – follow Christ!
Points to Ponder:
Do you spread gossip?
You know it is a lie, don’t you?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 732
July 4: Matthew 9:18-26
Key Verse: Matthew 9:21
She said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.’
Devotion:
After being ill for quite some time, I think I am getting there and beginning to be able to start up the ‘normal’ parts of my life, like writing these devotionals! I has taken some time but all throughout this time I have always been reminded of How God is with me and how He is in control. I probably have to go through a bit or surgery soon to try and alleviate the issues I am having with my digestive system, but seeing how I look at my life and how others look at theirs whilst in hospital, I am truly glad to have Christ in my life!
Can you imagine what the synagogue leader was thinking at the time. His daughter had been ill and had just died – but he did not give up there, he continued to come to Jesus and ask for healing, miraculous healing! I like to think I am strong enough to ask God for everything and rely on Him all the time, but when push comes to shove and you are facing a hard time or immense pain, your mind pleads for what the doctors can do for you instead of asking God for guidance.
The faith of the synagogue leader and the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years stands way and above what many of us aspire to. They were firm in their belief Christ would be able to do something there and then. They were not going to rely on mankind, doctors, physicians or whatever any more… You may say they were desperate and nothing else had worked… but they still stopped and asked Jesus for help!
When we reach the point in our lives where nothing else has worked and we turn to Christ, isn’t it a bit late? Should we not be turning to Him first of all and asking Him to do what He does best. It doesn’t mean He has to be physically here to touch us – it means we should be trusting Him first of all. He may well put the right doctors, surgeons and nurses by your bedside to get you back on your feet; He may be asking you to open their eyes to what faith is all about...
Points to Ponder:
How far do you think your faith goes?
Will you trust Christ a little more today?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 664
June 29: Acts 12:1-11
Key Verse: Acts 12:9
Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.
Devotion:
I wonder, have you ever had something happen to you which you thought was a dream only to realise afterward it was not? I know the Lord has worked in many different ways around me and with me; through these things which I have seen, I know the Lord is always with me and looking after me. Though we can find it very difficult to explain these happenings, we should do so to encourage each other and others who are seeking something.
King Herod was being his usual tyrannical self and had James killed with a sword. After seeing how the crowds reacted, he thought it good to seize another disciples and put them to death as well. With this he had Peter taken and thrown in prison under very heavy guard. He even had guards sleeping either side of him in case Peter had any ideas of escape.
What God did next went against everything that could be expected. God sent and angel to take Peter out of the prison starting with releasing the chains between him and the guards. After getting dressed and putting on his sandals, Peter was instructed to walk out of the prison! With his cloak wrapped around him, the guards would not have thought much because he did not have chains on; leaving him to walk straight past them all and out into the city!
It was only afterward Peter realised this must have been God’s angel because none of the guards had been aware it was him escaping (until the next day that is!) God does things without explaining them to us, because if we stopped to think about everything, we would have more than enough doubt to stop a train, never mind something small He could be doing for us!
Points to Ponder:
Do you realise how much God does?
Will you look back and see how much He has already done for you?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 609
June 28: Psalm 5:8-12
Key Verse: Psalm 5:8
Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies – make your way straight before me.
Devotion:
This again is one of the hard things about having any sort of belief – what happens to those people who do not believe in what you believe? And if you believe in something, are those people who do not believe your enemies? Philosophical questions which I tend to avoid!
I believe in God, I believe in Jesus Christ and I believe in the Holy Spirit. So when I read through verses like these I have pity on those people who do not have beliefs like mine; probably one of the reasons I like wearing various forms of “Jesus T-Shirts!” I like to show I have hope in my life, not that I am against anyone else, not that I am an enemy to anyone else, just that I have hope because of what Jesus has done for me!
But, back in the days when these words were recorded, God had told the Israelites not to befriend anyone because of the chance they would be distracted from God and do strange things or follow other gods! Thus, they were looked at as the enemy! Something I still struggle with even though I know it was accepted back then!
Even though they were “the enemy” there was still hope for those who would choose to turn from their ways and turn towards God’s ways like the Israelites did. These verses even ask for protection for anyone who is willing to follow God and take refuge in Him. So don’t turn your back on anyone just because they are different or believe in something different – let them see how much you get out of believing in and following God; it will encourage them to seek the truth too!
Points to Ponder:
How do you treat others?
What if they believe in something different?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 753
June 27: Matthew 8:18-22
Key Verse: Matthew 8:22
But Jesus told him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’
Devotion:
This may sound like a really horrible thing for Jesus to say to this person, but let us not forget Christ would have known what was in their heart and not just what came out of their mouths. Quite often we hear what someone has to say and we take it the wrong way because we cannot know their hearts without God guiding us. I know I have got into trouble a few times for saying something which turned out not to be what the other person needed to hear!
This person came to Jesus and said they were willing to follow Jesus wherever He went. Jesus then said something which seems strange “foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” This seems to be a dig at the people around Him by saying that animals and birds have their homes allowed them by God, but Jesus would not be able to stay with any of them – suggesting most of the people around Him would not give Him a place to stay in their hearts.
Another disciple must have know this teacher of the law and said Jesus should let them off because they had had a death in their family. Jesus’ response was to reject them by saying the dead should bury the dead. This does not mean leaving the body of the person’s father to physically dead people to bury but to leave that task to the spiritually dead people to bury the father.
Christ’s rejection serves to remind us He wants a firm commitment from us, not some sort of “wishy washy” decision we make when we are standing in front of others. Christ wants the decision to follow Him to come directly from our hearts out of love and not through pride or any other emotion. Allow Christ to know your true feelings!
Points to Ponder:
How honest do you think you are with God?
You do know He knows already – don’t you?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 727
June 25: Matthew 8:14-17
Key Verse: Matthew 8:16
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.
Devotion:
Soon after the centurion’s servant was healed without the servant even having to be with Jesus, the flood-gates opened and everyone want to be healed by Him. It was the first demonstration of faith which allowed more people to have faith and their faith grew on others; before long the queue was probably very long!
When I came back into hospital yesterday I was faced with a long queue of people trying to get admitted to hospital too. This was not to see Jesus and be healed unfortunately, but we all had a need to have some respite from our ailments. It is moments like those we see the frailty of our bodies, for desperate circumstances and the unfolding issues in our communities.
I thank God He is with me and gives me hope and peace to continue on. I see the desperate situations of patients around me but also the desperate situation the medical staff find themselves in because of lack of staff, time and space. This is very different to the way Jesus was handling things – though I’m sure He would have felt overwhelmed by the number of people reaching out in desperation – knowing they were seeking something more than what they thought they needed.
As the doctors, consultants and nurses discuss what can and should be done with me, they have to work within some restrictions which they do not like having to face. They try to do what they can in the time and budget given to them, but want to be able to be more like Jesus and give out absolute healing rather than patching people up and moving down the queue. Allow Christ to heal you from the inside so your life will have more meaning!
Points to Ponder:
What sort of healing do you think you are looking for?
Will you allow Christ to work with your heart?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 709
June 24: Galatians 3:23-25
Key Verse: Galatians 3:24
So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.
Devotion:
Have you ever had to stay in a place which had lots of very strict rules to follow? Boarding school seemed like that at times with lots of rules to follow which were strictly kept by the prefects and masters. To a large extent it made sure we behaved properly most of the time, but there were times we got into trouble because we broke the rules...
Israel was like that in the beginning because they had so many rules to follow so they could please God; when they broke the rules there would be consequences and the people would have to atone for what they had done wrong. After atoning they would be forgiven and life would continue.
When Christ came to live amongst us, everything changed. No longer would we have to live strictly by the rules and atone for everything we did wrong. Christ laid down His life to atone for all of our sins instead of us having to sacrifice animals or birds each time we got things wrong. Instead we are instructed to have faith – faith that Christ has died for our sins and we will be forgiven when we ask Him to forgive us.
No longer do we have to carry out the physical deeds to make sure we will be forgiven, our faith in believing Christ has paid the price once and for all is all that is required of us… just like the people had to have faith in looking up at the snake statue after snaked ran rampant in the camp of the people of Israel. All they had to have was faith that God’s promise to cue them and keep them safe would become true when they looked up at the statue of the snake.
Points to Ponder:
What do you think is the weak point in your faith?
Did you know Christ died to cover all of our weak points?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 661
June 23: Luke 12:35-40
Key Verse: Luke 12:38
It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or towards daybreak.
Devotion:
One of the mysteries we face in life is when will Christ return. The disciples were closest to Him and yet they understood they were not going to know when He would come back, but only after it was told to them multiple times. We like to be in control of things in our lives and having an uncertainty hovering over us makes us uneasy at best! Christ is asking us to have faith and to be ready...
The best description of His return date is like a thief who will come in the middle of the night. We don’t know when the thief will come because they don’t announce their coming, instead they approach with stealth and try to leave again with stealth so they will not be caught out. If we have the right stuff like security systems then we may well be alerted about the thief – but only after they have arrived!
So how do we stay ready all the time? Should we not sleep or work? God does not want us to give up on life but rather the live our lives to the best we can. He also wants us to be prepared so when He does make His surprise visit, we will not find ourselves in a difficult or compromising situation! He wants us to live our lives as Christians who know Christ is returning and are ready for it.
This means knowing what we should do by reading His Word and preparing. He wants us to be disciples. Being a disciples does not just mean staying home and studying the bible. Being a disciple means taking what we know and passing on that information to others – going out into the world and encouraging others to follow Christ as well.
Points to Ponder:
Are you getting ready for Christ’s return?
Will you help someone else to get ready too?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 756
June 22: Matthew 7:15-20
Key Verse: Matthew 7:17
Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
Devotion:
How do you recognise bad people? Is it not from seeing or hearing the bad things they do or say? It is very easy to make wrong assumptions about people just by meeting them once, but as you get to know them better by being with them, their true colours will show through. Jesus had the advantage of being able to know the people before He met them in person but we do not have that luxury!
The same could be said about fruit trees – if you do not know the fruit trees by sight, you have to wait until they bear fruit before you will recognise them; that takes time. We may start out by thinking we know the fruit tree and tend to it as best we know how, then be disappointed when we get to know the truth about what kind of tree it is. Some fruit trees will not bear fruit unless they are cared for in the right manner…
We are going to meet some people in our lives whom we think are good and righteous people, but when we get to know them by being with them for long enough, we will find out the truth about what sort of people they actually are. God wants us to be wary of the people who act good but who are not good inside because they may fool us in the beginning and we may only find out the truth when it is too late!
To navigate this minefield of good and bad in our lives we need to have someone to guide us so we can avoid the bad and evil where possible. The Holy Spirit was sent by Christ to do that for us – but to gain from this relationship we need to listen to Him! Bring the Holy Spirit closer into your life and allow Him to guide you in the best ways forward.
Points to Ponder:
How do you tell good from bad?
Will you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you?