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Feb 9: Psalm 81:8-14
Key Verse: Psalm 81:9
You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not worship any god other than me.
Devotion:
The psalmist recounts God’s feeling for mankind here, something we get to understand when we do have a relationship with Him. The closer we draw to Him the more we are able to understand this love and jealousy He has toward us; and hopefully, the more we get to understand just how important it is to love God with everything and to worship Him alone!
When we try to listen to God and open our hearts to His will in our lives, He teaches us His ways and tries to direct us down the best possible path in our lives. It’s the listening part which we seem to have problems with. We get carried away with everything the world has to offer us and lose track of what God is saying in our lives. The more we listen to the world the harder we find it listening to God!
He is the one who has done so much for mankind and for His chosen people. He is the one who allowed His Son to die on the cross for our sakes. He is the one who guides and, strengthens us and directs our every move – so long as we allow Him to!
When we don’t listen we go in the ways of the world and find out the hard way things are not as they seem. Our enemies are all around us and they will take hold of us if we do not have a guard against them in our lives. That guard is God!
Points to Ponder:
Who directs your life?
How is it going with them directing your life?
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Feb 8: 1 Kings 11:4-13
Key Verse: 1 Kings 11:9
The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
Devotion:
What was your first thought when reading through these verses? Was it a sense of disbelief of how Solomon could turn his back on God even though God had done so much for him and been so close and even direct with him? Or was it a feeling he was only human and what could we expect? I put it to you God is speaking directly to you through those very thoughts!
Solomon had go so involved with the world, his wives, their ways and now was giving in to peer pressure. He had been given great wisdom by God, but he was turning his back on that very wisdom to follow after human traits by trying to please his wives instead of God. I’m not saying we should turn our back on our families, but if our family loves us they will allow us to worship God in full!
God is a jealous God and will not allow us to go off worshipping other gods without something happening. God had promised Solomon things and was going to keep those promises; but he would have to know the things he had done were now going to affect his offspring instead – they would have to face losing the kingdom because of his own actions!
God continues to support us and all the promises He has made to us will always stand; but there will be consequences to all of our actions we do in our lives. For those things we do against Him, we will see the consequences unless we turn back and ask for His forgiveness.
Points to Ponder:
Do you do things which God has said not to?
Will you ask for His forgiveness?
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Feb 7: 1 Kings 10:1-10
Key Verse: 1 Kings 10:10
And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
Devotion:
I have never really looked at this interaction between the Queen of Sheba and Solomon too closely before… but something struck me when I was reading it today: The Queen was from a very different background to Solomon and clearly ruled in a very different manner to Solomon. What she saw of Solomon and Israel was a bit too much for her to fully understand; the only thing she could come up with in the end was to leave Solomon with such an abundance of spices and precious stones that Israel has never seen the like of again!
Once again, Solomon did not ask for the riches and praise. His request from God was for wisdom to rule the people and that wisdom is what he shared with the Queen. Whatever the Queen asked of Solomon, he was able to answer the questions and shed wisdom over all the queries.
This got me thinking about us and God’s ways. We have ways of thinking and ways of behaving which somewhat dictate the habits we get into and the lifestyles we live. When something new and incredible is introduced to us we have a hard time trying to get our heads round it. If we ask for wisdom in the same way as Solomon did, we will get a better understanding of God’s ways!
We can receive all of this wisdom and understanding; in return we can give what we have in our lives. We may have riches which are measured in terms of earthly riches: these can be used in church to make the gospel more accessible to others – give what you can!
Points to Ponder:
Do you struggle to measure up to God?
Why not just give what you can?
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Feb 6: Mark 7:1-7
Key Verse: Mark 7:7
They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.
Devotion:
I can just picture scenes like this during Jesus’ ministry – the teachers of the law getting so upset with Jesus and the disciples because they did not follow all the rules and regulations laid down my them! Here the Pharisees were complaining about the disciples not washing their hands in the ceremonial manner they had deemed necessary…
Jesus answer to their complaints was straight forward and easy enough for us to understand, but I don’t think the Pharisees saw it that way at all. They had become too embroiled in their ways and in their traditions, leaving the truth behind and making rules which no longer honoured God but honoured men instead.
This is the same trap we face in our modern world. We look to the traditions and ways of man because, somehow, we think man's ways are good enough for God! Nothing we can do will ever be good enough to impress God; but what we can do is to offer our hearts in truth to God because that is what He is after. He does not want us to come up with the most sophisticated ways in which we can worship Him but simply to show Him we love Him in humble ways!
Here the Pharisees had made up more and more elaborate ways they could show off to each other instead of worshipping God with their hearts. God does not want us to worship each other – He wants us to worship Him with our hearts!
Points to Ponder:
How often have you got caught up in traditions?
How often have you got caught up in worshipping God with your heart?
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Feb 5: Mark 6:53-56
Key Verse: Mark 6:55
They ran throughout that whole region and carried those who were ill on mats to wherever they heard he was.
Devotion:
When people began to realise Jesus was healing the sick people from all over the regions came often carrying the ill just to be able to have the chance of getting healed. If this was a random chance then maybe not so many people would have come, but these people knew Jesus was not being picky about who He healed and was not reserving the healing for the rich and famous – He was healing anyone who came to Him!
Our modern societies have made an art form of serving the rich and famous; it is the people who have the money and connections who get seen to first and who have the best chance at getting the help they need. The poor and frail are being left behind and ignored. The richer seem to get richer and the poorer get poorer. This is not what Jesus was about!
We have to stand up to make sure people who are most in need get the attention and help they require irrespective of their social standing or the wealth and connections. We need to get things back to the way Jesus was showing people back at the times of the disciples.
This also means we have to be a part of the wheel of help too – we cannot turn our backs on the people who need help. We have to be more like Jesus and reach out to everyone who is in need. We must be willing to help just because they need help and not because they can do something for us or give us a reward!
Points to Ponder:
Do you do things for reward?
Or do you do things because they are needed?
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Feb 4: Proverbs 8:22-31
Key Verse: Proverbs 8:23
I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
Devotion:
I have often thought about what was around in the very beginning and each time I do try to imagine it, my brain gets all confused and can’t figure things out. I do consider myself as being intelligent and I like to figure most things out by looking at all of the facts and bring them together to give me the most likely answer… but the beginning of everything is still a puzzle and will probably continue to be until the end of time!
These verses are too often overlooked in favour of the gospels and other scriptures where Jesus is mentioned and ascribed as being there in the beginning with God the Father. So, let’s just all agree God was and always will be – ergo He was there at the beginning and will always be and was there in three parts, Father, Son and Spirit.
So what are these verses talking about? Wisdom! In order for things to be created, there would have had to be order. In order for there to be order there must have had to be some sort of wisdom to define the order. This is where God comes in because He brought forward wisdom so creation could be possible!
With wisdom we get to understand things, understand order and start to figure things out for ourselves. Once we get to consider wisdom and see how it had to be, order starts to form in our minds and we can then begin to understand God as our Creator.
Points to Ponder:
Do you think you are wise?
Will you accept God’s wisdom to guide you?
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Feb 3: Mark 6:30-34
Key Verse: Mark 6:34
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
Devotion:
When we go through the Gospels we find all manner of secrets which Jesus showed us and shared with us. I think this is one of them and one we often miss because we are too busy with life or ‘doing church!’
Wherever Jesus went He found time to be with people from all walks of life, from the disciples, to ordinary people, to sinners and even to the teachers of the law (though they did not tend to like Him teaching them!) Jesus always seemed to be faced with crowds who wanted to either be healed or to be taught, or both. In this instance the people saw Jesus and the disciples get into a boat to go to a quieter place so they could relax and eat. The people ran ahead of them and were waiting when they landed…
What would be going through your mind at this stage if this happened to you: you are weary of the crowds in town so you jump in the car and head off to a quiet village to have a nice quiet tea and cake in a cafe. But, when you arrive at the village it is overcrowded with people waiting for you!
Ordinarily I think we would all just keep on driving to find a quite place where the crowds have not yet made it… But Jesus had compassion on the crowds because He knew they wanted to learn more from Him. He could see they were lost and needed a Shepherd to guide them; so He set aside His own quiet time and gave that time to the people as He taught them more about God!
Points to Ponder:
Do you get sick of crowds at times?
What if those people were crying out to learn about Jesus?
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Feb 2: Mark 6:21-29
Key Verse: Mark 6:23
And he promised her with an oath, ‘Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.’
Devotion:
This is yet another fascinating part of the bible which shows the shortcomings of humanity when people try to do their best to keep their promises. The king, Herod, did not want anyone in the public eye to have any hint of power which could be seen to be above he kings power; he wanted to make sure there was nobody who could cause him worries about power or leadership! John had condemned the king wanting to marry his brother’s wife and so Herod had him arrested and placed him in prison.
After some time Herod held a banquet at which he promised the daughter of Herodias anything she wanted up to half of his kingdom! This promise was made for all to hear and the king would have to live up to that promise, or face ridicule. What happened next was a combination of the grudge of one person, the willingness of another and the peer pressure Herod faced…
The young lady, guided by the grudge of Herodias, asked for John’s head on a plate! Herod gave in to peer pressure knowing full well he was in the wrong. We look at acts like this and wonder how people could ever do such horrible things, but the world turns away from such horrors happening all over the world just because it does not directly affect them!
God doesn’t want us to turn our backs on anyone, whether they be our neighbours or some stranger trying to escape a tyrant or a lifestyle which persecutes them. God doesn’t want us to support people who kill in the name of gods or power struggles. God wants us to love our neighbours and pray for our enemies...
Points to Ponder:
How many horrors have you heard on the news today?
Will you try to be different from the world?
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Feb 1: Mark 6:7-13
Key Verse: Mark 6:8
These were his instructions: ‘Take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.
Devotion:
One of the things I continue learn every day is God is with us no matter where we are in our journey. As you may have noticed there has not been much input from me over the past several days – unfortunately I suffered another setback in my health once again, an ongoing issue I though I could dodge after my pancreatitis. All the doctors at the time continued to ask me if I had any signs of diabetes and I had not, but five years later after battles my body gave in. Fortunately I had been watching for signs and went to the doctors before the doctors came to me!
Being prepared for our journey with God does not mean we have to be strong and courageous in the face of any odds and fights, it just means we should be willing to allow God to be in control. He continues to try and give us the right moments at the right times when we will be able to make a difference in the communities which surround us. I am blessed to be able to say I am both a child of God and a servant of God.
I did not step out and take huge strides and make a big name for myself, I patiently worked with God by my side to bring His Word to the people around me. I will continue to do so too. I don’t take anything with me but go where I can serve His best and help the people who need to know Him.
This is all God asks of us. Not to become a famous church leader, youth leader of whatever – just to love Him and share that love with the people around us; let Him take you through thick and thin...
Points to Ponder:
Do you allow God to care for you?
Will you give Him a bit more control today?
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January 24: 2 Samuel 7:4-17
Key Verse: 2 Samuel 7:14
I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands.
Devotion:
When David wanted to build a temple for God to dwell in after so much travelling through the desert carrying the arc of the covenant, God’s answer was a bit different than David expected. God reminded David He had been living in the tabernacle ever since they left Egypt and all that time He had not asked for a temple or any other house to be built for Him.
Instead God turned the tables and promised David He would build another type of house based on people, all from David’s descendants! Then God reminded David He was his Father, and David His Son; and just like a father God would punish him for doing wrong, but it would be punishment given by human hands and not God.
This is the promise He continues to have with us. He will look after us both in the good times and the bad times. When we are out of line, God will allow us to be punished by human hands because He does not want to punish us as we are His children. God has every right to judge and punish us and if we take things too far, we cannot say He will ignore things.
But His love for us means He will continue to try and give us what is best for us. He will continue to put the right people at the right place and time so that we can choose to prosper in His sight. That is the love a true father has for his children!
Points to Ponder:
Do you get punished when you break the law?
Will you allow God to guide you in righteousness?