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January 24: Psalm 89:19-27
Key Verse: Psalm 89:21
My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him.
Devotion:
These words at the beginning of this section of scripture may make you ask questions when you read it at first: David is described as being mighty when when he was chosen from the sons of Jesse. But we also read about him being the ruddy one who was looking after the sheep and not one who had gone to serve king Saul in the army!
Depending on which translation you read, different words are used to try and translate these words into our modern English; but all of them refer to David as being mighty or strong at the time. What God was referring to may not have been the present day when David was anointed, but what God would make of him during his time as leader of Israel. It goes on to say this was pointing to the future as David would grow into his position, how he would lead and how he would overcome so many obstacles too.
God is not limited by time or any other worldly limitation we care to impose on Him; no matter how impossible we may think the situation is, nothing is impossible for God! He is not limited to time like we are and certainly does not have to limit His words or thoughts to the timespans we think of when we talk about things.
When God asks something of you, don’t think about the obstacles or the lack of time, rather think about the possibilities which are opened up when God is in control! We really do need to submit to Him in everything – something I have learned the hard way over the years I have spent serving Him, some of which were spent in a pretty rough state in hospital. Ask Him to open you eyes and your heart to the things which are possible, and probably not probable!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you doubt because of lack of time or money?
Will you allow God to open up the improbable possibilities in your life?
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January 23: 1 Corinthians 12:12-20
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 12:15
Now if the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.
Devotion:
This section of scripture goes down as far as verse 31, but I think you get the picture after the first few verses… We are all very different. It is not just our finger-prints or our DNA which makes us stand apart from anyone else; God created us to be different in so many ways. The people of Israel had a very different picture to how we look at people nowadays, they were taught they were selected by God to be separate from others.
The more time went on, the more they separated themselves from others; each time they mixed with other people, things started to go wrong… not because they were mixing with others per say, but because they started to live like the other people instead of continuing to live as God wanted them to live. We face this all the time in our modern world, but the more we get involved with the Internet and world-wide travel, the more we realise we are all the same underneath.
But still we are different. God wants us to live differently from the world. He wants us to live with Him at the centre of our lives and not the riches of the world being what keeps us going! Just because we are different from someone else who goes to church, does not mean we will not fit in at that church or with other Christians!
Just because we like to read a different translation of the bible does not set us apart from God any better or worse than other translations. As long as we seek the truth which is God given, we will continue to live for Him and give Him the glory. This is all He asks of us. We are all people in God’s church. One church with Christ at the centre.
Points to Ponder:
Do you see yourself as different from the next church down the road?
Will you turn and give God the glory just like the heavens do?
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January 22: Psalm 80:1-6
Key Verse: Psalm 80:6
You have made us an object of derision to our neighbours, and our enemies mock us.
Devotion:
As a Christian who loves to step forward and help out whenever I can, I can relate to these words from personal experience! Sometimes doing a little goes a long way and huge rewards come from that little amount of work, whilst other times you feel like you are going far and beyond what would normally be required just for a little reward – or even no reward!
This is where many Christians fall short because they expect the rewards from what little they are able to do and they want the rewards as soon as they have done anything! From experience, I know this is not the case; not because God does not want us to have the rewards but because we live in a wicked world where other things are in play as well as our work for God.
I have found there is not always the time or need for a reward for the work you do with or for God. Sometimes it is enough that we are able to do the work at all. When we are working in a world in which we are surrounded by evil, we have to put up with a whole lot of opposition from the people around us just because we dare to do something different to them!
God wants us to be the lights in dark places – which means we are going to come up against many things as we work for God. This will be opposition, hard times, not enough time, not enough money, all manner of things. But we must continue to do what God is asking of us and not to give in to what the world is telling us is not possible or not allowed. God wants us to be the difference. God wants us to be the change. God knows how much we can put up with and does ask a lot of us at times – but he is always there to help us in those times!
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel like giving up?
Can you remember how much Jesus had to do?
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January 21: Mark 3:13-19
Key Verse: Mark 3:13
Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.
Devotion:
Jesus personally chose the twelve disciples. I think many people would have been trying to follow Jesus at the time and, as the custom at that time, they would call Him teacher and do whatever He said so they could learn as much as possible. They, and many more, had seen Him drive out demons, heal people and would come to see people being brought back to life! This is the power He wanted the disciples to have – but He knew they would not achieved their full potential because of their doubts.
Jesus had no doubt about who He was and how much could be accomplished by God. He depended fully on His Father so others would see how they too could get this power from God – as long as they would acknowledge it coming from God and not anything they were doing.
This is the power He shared with them, and taught them to use. This is the type of power He wants us to be able to share in too – not because He has chosen us to be His personal disciples, but because He is giving us power through us being dependent on Him. If we continue to listen and obey, He will continue to listen to our prayers and answer them. This is where the power of healing and authority comes from – not because we are special in any way, but because we ask God to do this.
Even though Jesus chose these twelve people, one of them would turn their back on Jesus and betray Him. Jesus knows not all of us are going to do all we can, because we do have doubts and we do give in to temptations. But He still offers us the same position as those He knows will go all the way with Him. He gives us all equal chance to ask Him to answer our prayers!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you doubt your prayers will be answered?
Will you remember Jesus chose you?
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January 20: 1 Samuel 18:6-9
Key Verse: 1 Samuel 18:7
As they danced, they sang: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.’
Devotion:
After David had killed Goliath, there was no longer any doubt God could accomplish much more than man could alone. The people started to sing and dance celebrating the fact David was able to accomplish what none of the greatest soldiers could do – just because he trusted God! But Saul, on the other hand, took it very personally people were singing more about David than him!
Once people have tasted strength and power, no matter how they have gain said power and strength, have a greedy thirst for that power unless they fully acknowledge where they get the power from. This strength and power may not be to go forward and beat great armies, it could just be to be able to run an effective business. God is the one who has given us the intelligence and foresight to do many things and if we are willing to acknowledge it comes from Him, then we will see greater success than if we try to do things ourselves.
David lifted up God instead of himself. He refused the earthly armour and took God with him. He put aside the powers of man and took up what God had given him, a simple slingshot and a few stones. He depended on the things God had taught him, preparing him for the moment he would face the Philistine alone.
If we are willing to depend on the things God has given us and not focus on the worldly treasures we think we need, we may well find much more strength at the right moment, just when it is needed. I do try to rely more on God and I do try to listen to Him as much as I can. I still get distracted and I still make wrong choices from time to time, but when I have made the right choice to give the praise and honour to God, I find things do go a lot smoother.
Points to Ponder:
Do you trust yourself and your ways?
Will you try trust God’s ways?
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January 19: Psalm 144:1-4
Key Verse: Psalm 144:3
Lord, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them?
Devotion:
I love reading through verses which are attributed to king David. To me he was a ‘normal person!’ Yes he was chosen by God to be king of Israel, but he was also a humble shepherd boy to start with. He was a man who led people to God, yet he made silly mistakes. He spread Gods word, but still tripped and fell making others falter too. This is what it is like to be human – both god and bad things happen!
David knew God as his strength and purpose. He knew God was leading him when it came to keeping the country safe. He knew God was training him to be the mighty king he was. He knew God was the strength behind everything which kept him going in the face of adversity. He knew God protected him in ways he could only dream of!
He also knew he was just a human being, mortal and frail. He knew he would face things he could not overcome, but God could if he depended on Him and listened to obey. He knew he was a nothing, but also knew God was there with him, making him a mighty king. He knew his life was just a drop in the ocean… but God made a special point of making sure David understood He was there for Him always!
These are the type of words we need to go back to when we are feeling low, damaged or hopeless. These are the words God has given us to make sure we do understand He has us in the palm of His hands. These are the words to give us hope for a strength which goes far beyond our understanding and beyond what we think is logical. Because, this is God we are talking about!
Points to Ponder:
How do you see yourself in God’s eyes?
Will you move forward with hope today, knowing God is watching over you?
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January 18: Mark 2:23-28
Key Verse: Mark 2:24
The Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?’
Devotion:
When I was a young lad all the shops would be closed on a Sunday and people would spend time with families and have time to themselves, and no it was not that long ago when things changed! But even back then there would be one or two shops which would open for a short while in case of emergencies. One of those shops was my Dad’s pharmacy which would open on a shred rota system for a couple of hours so people could get prescriptions done!
No matter how careful we plan things or how much we try to tell ourselves we will always take a day off every week, we do have to do things every day of the week. I’m not talking about cooking or other necessities because the more people get to want to do things over the weekend, the more some have to step forward and open the places where people want to go.
What Jesus was showing the Pharisees was that everyone had to keep on living – this would mean some people may have to do things on the Sabbath so the majority would not have to work. Things still need to get done. Electricity need to be generated. Food needs to be cooked. And so we continue. But Jesus was also saying we should not be the ones laying down the law just because it is the weekend. We should not exclude people from being able to do things just because it is that one day of the week!
God wants us to be observant and to make sure we put time aside to be with Him each day. He wants us to have a rest day at least once a week. He wants us to observe these things because we need them as human beings – not because it is written in law. We need to be sensible with our time and always include God in our lives. This is what He wants!
Points to Ponder:
How much do you work every week?
How much do you worship ever week?
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January 17: Mark 2:18-22
Key Verse: Mark 2:19
Jesus answered, ‘How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them.
Devotion:
Do you feel guilty when another Christian does something extraordinary when you have just done what was expected? Maybe a friend went out of their way to feed a homeless person whilst you simply tosses a coin into their pot. Maybe your friends in church have organised a prayer session and you had to duck out because you had work to do...
There are going to be times in your life when you do feel like you have not done enough because others around you have done more; but God is calling each one of us to do our own things. If He wanted everyone to do the same thing, it would not be extraordinary any more – everyone would be doing it. We may have been created in His image, but each of us is a very special person with our own abilities and our own calling; we may find similar people in our lives, but still we are different.
There are going to be people who call out the rules in church and try to make sure we all follow them without question – saying God has directed us to do so. But there may well be times when God is calling you to do something different than following the rules; but be sure it is God calling you and what He is calling you to do concurs with His Word and His ways.
When God was calling Samuel, Samuel thought it was Eli calling because there were no other people with them. It was only when Eli told Samuel to answer to God he realised who was actually calling Him. We may not hear Gods calling at first because we are too distracted by the world or we cannot think outside the worldly ways. God calls us far a beyond what the world can do. Listen carefully.
Points to Ponder:
Do you think others hear God all the time?
Have you stopped to wait for God to call?
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January 16: 1 Corinthians 12:1-6
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 12:4
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.
Devotion:
How many times have you been persuaded to do something which, when you look back on it, was a terrible idea! The more modern technology comes into our lives, the more we seem to give in to scams and to things which we find out, afterward, are just plain wrong! We somehow think, because it is technology, we should believe it and take it for granted it is correct. As a programmer, I can tell you the opposite!
When a programmer makes a stupid mistake in their code, it can be catastrophic for the system; all it takes is for a bad bit of code to completely ruin what seemed like a good idea at the time! When something goes wrong in the code, it can take a very long time to find the fault, but when it is found, you cannot un-see the fault because it now looks obviously wrong! The same goes for our spiritual lives – the more we get involved with something which is wrong, the more it goes wrong and the worse the situation becomes! It is only when you find out what has gone wrong you realise it was not right to start with… but it can take a fair while to spot where you go wrong.
This is why God has given us the bible – so we have a reference point we can compare things to so we can find out what is wrong. If we did not have this reference, we would continue to go down the wrong path and continue to mess up our lives and the lives of the people around us!
God has given each of us some spiritual gifts; whether it is to spot where things go wrong, to help others find their way, to comfort people in troubled times; whatever they are, God has given them to us. We need to compare the gift we think we have with what God describes for us in the bible. If it goes against the bible, it is likely not given to us from God! It may be very difficult to spot right from wrong because the bible does not explicitly describe each personal gift God gives us...
Points to Ponder:
Do you long to have your spiritual gifts on show?
Why not spend time with God asking Him for advice instead of making a big fuss?
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January 15: Mark 2:13-17
Key Verse: Mark 2:15
While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.
Devotion:
If you are like me and are always tempted to go against the rules and what other people think, then you will love this bit of text from the bible. Jesus saw a large crowd of people were following Him, but did not think twice about asking Levi, a tax collector, to follow Him and learn what God wanted him to hear!
It was little wonder when they went to Levi’s house, a whole bunch of tax collectors and sinner gathered. Levi was both tax collector and sinner and mixed with those types of people – so they came round to see what was going on! When the teachers of the law saw what was happening, they were horrified Jesus was mixing with the “wrong crowd!” But Jesus was doing exactly what God was asking Him to do – to give the sinners the same chance at coming to Him as any other person!
Jesus’ response was to remind them it was these very people who most needed to hear about God and most needed to repent and ask for forgiveness. I say that with tongue in cheek because we all are in the same boat. The wages of sin is death, no matter how big or little we think the sin is. So we all need Christ as much as each other!
You could look at this in two ways. You could say it would be easier for someone who only knows sin to be convicted of the wrong doing and accept Christ than for someone who follows all the rules but does not quite accept Christ as Lord. Or you could look at it in the opposite way as sinners being further from God, hence harder to reconcile. Stop judging!
Points to Ponder:
How much of a sinner do you think you are?
How much do you admit God knows of you?