- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 830
June 23: Psalm 107:23-32
Key Verse: Psalm 107:29
He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.
Devotion:
I wonder how many of the disciples heard of this part of scripture and recalled it after they had seen Jesus calm the storm at sea. We often think Jesus did so many new things, but when we go back and read our bibles which show us what God has been trying to get us to understand for so long, we see a whole different side of things.
Jesus came to fulfil the scriptures. He came to show us they are real and they are the promises of God. He came to bring them to life so we would no longer have to have what we may think of as blind faith! God has tried to show us so many things through scripture, prophecies and through miracles too. Jesus came to bring them to life so we would have something tangible to look back on... Yet we still have doubts!
This passage from the book of Psalms show us God had tried to encourage many people before Jesus came to live amongst us. God showed the fishermen the secrets of the deep, the storms and even how He was able to protect them at sea when they put their trust in Him. God continues to try and encourage us to have this sort of faith, placing our trust in Him...
It is the love of God which has been demonstrated to us since the beginning of time. It is God’s love which has brought us peace, happiness and joy. It is God’s love which has given our lives meaning and direction; but we have to see the directions, trust in them and do them! What use is reading an instruction manual unless you are going to follow the directions!
Points to Ponder:
Do you read the scriptures?
Do you apply them in your life?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 884
June 22: Luke 15:1-7
Key Verse: Luke 15:2
But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them.’
Devotion:
Jesus was like no other man! We speak of Christ as being the Son of God and we praise Him for all the things He has done and has promised to do. We sing of His miracles and want to tell people about all the things we have learned from our bibles... but Jesus the man was not like any men of that time.
The Western World paints a picture of Jesus as being a tall white man with a big beard and wearing white robes. Well, that certainly would have made Him different from any other man at the time! But Jesus was a local man, born of a local woman – which means He probably looked like one of the local men. But that is where the similarities ended.
Jesus did not act like the men of the time because so many of them had become corrupted by pride, greed and general lack of respect for God. They thought more of their own rules and ways of living than of God’s ways. When Jesus stepped out and visited the sinners around Him, it was not to become a sinner but to show them God loved them just as much as He loves those who were trying to follow God’s will in their lives.
God wants us to love our neighbours. That may mean stopping what we are doing and stepping forward to do something for someone else who others are turning away from. God wants us to step out and reach for the one person who is lost. Jesus wants us to break with our safe ways and step into the unknown with Him. He loves us all. He wants us all to love one another. Sometimes it will look like we are mixing with the wrong people...
Points to Ponder:
Do you try to help everyone?
Will you step out of your comfort zone and help someone in need today?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 791
June 21: Mark 4:35-41
Key Verse: Mark 4:38
Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
Devotion:
I loved the story we were told in our local church today where our elder compared this to a story of a child learning to ride a bike. When they first start, they wobble all over the place, but as they get more confident and can balance, they need less and less support... but the first time they realise they were riding by themselves, they probably wobble even more and fall off!
When we first learn to be Christians, we wobble all over the place and get things wrong. As we become more confident and learn more, we can do things and even act like Christians – but the first time we get challenged by someone or something, we fall flat on our faces because we don’t yet have the full confidence we need to continue alone.
Christ is like the father running alongside the child, supporting, then less so and finally not holding us up as we move ahead with Him; but as soon as we realise we don’t have Him holing firmly onto our hands, we fall flat and get things in a right mess again!
The disciples were still learning to put their trust in Christ and when they thought He was not looking out for them – they were in the middle of a storm whilst He slept – their faith, or lack of it, let them down and they called out to Christ for help!
Christ is always there by our sides and continues to support us in many ways while we learn more; but there will come a time when we will be the ones running alongside someone else as they learn and we should have the confidence to support them as they learn.
Points to Ponder:
Are you still learning to ‘ride you bike’?
Will you try to believe and trust in what Christ has already taught you?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 847
June 20: 1 Samuel 17:32-37
Key Verse: 1 Samuel 17:32
David said to Saul, ‘Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.’
Devotion:
How many times have you been stuck in a certain situation and have thought about it so much there does not seem to be a way out of it – but along comes a friend and asks ‘have you tried this yet?’ A fresh pair of eyes on the situation can often see a way through when you are lost in your own issues!
God has promised to continue looking out for us and watching over us. He continues to support and love us just as He has promised. We can see this happening every day when we look for it; but if we focus too much on the world we lose sight of what God is trying to do to help us out and we lose out on that help because we discard it because we can only see the problems ahead and no solution!
God has given each of us unique abilities which we can use to either do things for ourselves, or to help everyone with. David was unique in how He trusted God. If he had simply stayed with his father's sheep, he would have continued fighting off predators without anyone getting to know what he was doing. But God opened up a door where he would be able to step up in front of the world and show them what God had been doing behind the scenes for so long – to open their eyes to what God can do once again.
Sometimes we have to step forward and put our faith and trust in God once again to allow people to see what He is capable; not to see what we can do, but to see what God can do through us. If we are willing to show people it is God who does these things through us, we will be able to do anything God has in mind for us!
Points to Ponder:
Do you limit yourself to what you think you can do?
Have you tried stepping forward and allowing God to show you more?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 869
June 19: 1 Samuel 17:4-11
Key Verse: 1 Samuel 17:4
A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.
Devotion:
There are going to be times in your life when you think you are facing a giant who is impassable – someone or something which you cannot see a way round; we give in to these situations because we cannot see any way round. When we focus on the world or situations in the world, all we will see are those things and we will lose sight of what God can do in our lives!
Mankind spends so much time looking into the minutia of the world and not enough time spent on meditating on what God can do in our lives. I do think we have the most amazing programs about nature and history – things like that fascinate me and I love watching them. But I also see how the people making these productions have lost sight on what God could do in their lives.
It is great to learn about history so we can do the things which have worked in the past and avoid the things which have not. We limit ourselves and our lives to what other people have learned because we are learning from them. This sometimes allows us to fall into the same trap and believe everything we hear rather than trusting in God.
God has tried to teach us through His word by having it all written down. He has shown us what has and has not worked and even expects us to find out more about the world as we go on. But He also expects us to continue trusting in Him like the people in the bible did. We have so many examples of how people have lost sight of God’s power and might and given in to the fears the world shows us. Sometimes we have to stop and look back on what God has done in the past to see how we can go forward in life with God.
Points to Ponder:
How well do you know your history in the bible?
Will you read a bit more history today and be encouraged by it?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 805
June 18: Psalm 92:4-7
Key Verse: Psalm 92:7
that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed for ever.
Devotion:
Whenever something good happens to or for us, we rejoice and even want to tell others about our good fortune. But when bad things happen, most of us will hide the bad news deep inside ourselves instead of sharing it with others. God wants us to be glad for all He does for us and to entrust more to Him so we can receive more from Him. It sounds counter-intuitive because we often find putting trust in other people often leads to trouble instead of joy!
But then we have to remember we are not going to put our trust in human beings, but in God Himself. It is the failing of mankind which lead to so much strife in our lives and not any failing of God. We cannot express all God is able to do and we certainly do not understand just how much He can do; in fact, we are like the senseless people described in this passage – we don’t know what God is capable of...
When we get down because of the success of evil or when bad seems to win over good – we are not seeing the bigger picture. We limit ourselves to what we can see and feel instead of opening our minds to what God can do. God will always look at the bigger picture and will work things according to our needs – which may well be out of our site to start with.
God does not simply allow evil to continue thriving. He continues to support and uphold righteousness. Evil and the people who support it are not being looked over – God knows who they are and what they have done and they will be judged according to their works when the time comes. As for me, I praise God for all He does in my life and look forward to seeing what else He can and will do!
Points to Ponder:
Do you give God room to work in your life?
Will you support Him in what he does?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 803
June 17: Ezekiel 17:22-24
Key Verse: Ezekiel 17:24
All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. ‘“I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.”’
Devotion:
Too many times we try to limit God through what we can see and do or how we see the world. Too many times we put limits on things because we cannot see a way forward and we expect nothing to happen... But God is not limited by our imagination and certainly not by our rules or regulations!
When God was speaking through Ezekiel, it was to show the world there was no limit to what He could do and no physical definition of what could be done; so He described it in ways which don’t seem to make sense for us, until we have seen what God can do in our lives! God can take the smallest of sparks (or in this case the smallest of buds) and from a roaring fire which can consume everything from it. But God is not here to destroy everything but to build it up and support us.
Hence, He describes it as being a small bud from which a huge tree can grow – but not to be limited to nature or natural ways, God can take the biggest trees and lay waste to them or take the smallest shoots and grow giants from them. God is not limited to doing stuff where we define it can be done because He will get things done where they are needed and not where mankind thinks it is possible!
Where we see a tree dying because it has lost its leaves, God sees the potential for a big green and healthy tree. Where we see death and destruction, God sees the beginning of life and growth. Don’t be disheartened because you cannot see a way forward – trust in God and allow Him to make a way forward to show everyone just what He can do!
Points to Ponder:
Do you limit God’s work?
Do you know He will get it done with or without you!
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 884
June 16: Psalm 34:8-14
Key Verse: Psalm 34:11
Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Devotion:
How do you go about telling people about God? Do you try to sit them down and teach them from the bible? Do you remember what it was like when teachers tried to teach you about a subject you had no interest in?
When we first try to teach others about God, we are very likely going to come against people who have no real interest in God – because if they did they would be Christians! When we hear the good news about God, we want to grab it with both hands and keep it close – but before we got to hear the gospel, we probably did not want to hear any of this good news because it would mean we would have to change the way we were living!
We cannot convince people by telling them all the awful things they have done. We cannot hope to convince people by telling them how good God is... but if we spend the time showing people what it is like to be a Christian and to have Christ in our lives – then they have something to look forward to! That is why it is called the good news! If we cannot show people how good it is to live with Christ – they are not likely to want to come and taste our lifestyle!
This does mean changing the way we live – turning our backs on evil and the bad things in life. If we can show others we have a wonderful life with Christ, then they may be willing to give up some of the horrible things they are involved in and change their ways too. It takes time and it take patience – but we need to do this all with Christ by our sides...
Points to Ponder:
How do you talk to others about God?
Have you tried showing others God in your life?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 868
June 15: Psalm 34:1-3
Key Verse: Psalm 34:3
Glorify the Lord with me: let us exalt his name together.
Devotion:
I am always amused at the story of David when he pretended to be insane before Abimelek – who drove David away and hence spared his life! When God asks you to do something are you prepared to do what He asks?
I can remember the first time I went to help with the youth work at Faith Baptist Church and was promptly asked if I would think about taking it over because the current person in charge would be leaving soon! I was petrified I would not fit in or I would not know what to do – but after praying about it and accepting the task I have never looked back with youth work!
God has a way of asking you to do things outside of your comfort zone – not because He wants you to do something you will not be able to do, but because He really does know how good you will be for the position He is looking at! Trust God in everything and obey Him!
As a result of David escaping from the hands of Abimelek, he had no issues about trusting God with everything and making sure he listened in future. He knew he had done things wrong in the past and knew he had no real right to ask for forgiveness – other than God promising He will forgive people when they ask! David knew he must continue to praise God and lift Him above all else so people would see how important having God in your life is! Let us lift up God’s name and allow people to experience the joy and freedom we enjoy!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like having God in your life?
When was the last time you told others how good God is?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 830
June 14: Mark 4:26-34
Key Verse: Mark 4:32
Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.
Devotion:
I think most of us have heard the parable of the mustard seed, but often overlook the simplicity of what is happening. We sow seeds, throwing them or planting them into the ground. We don’t have to set up a special container so the seeds will germinate. We don’t have to keep the temperature just right for the seeds to do something... We just bury them in the soil and apply a bit of water!
God is the one who makes sure the seed will do what it is designed to do. He will make sure it dies as a seed but germinates into a plant. Some of the seeds we plant are large and we may even use them as food without thinking about their true task as designed by God!
The seeds are food for birds as well! They don’t have to go to the shop to buy the seeds; rather God provides them with the seeds as they need them – though some may question that because they think they are keeping the birds alive in their gardens! We just short-cut the food chain and allow the birds to get the food quicker than they would in nature.
We know how long it takes for the seeds to germinate, grow and how long we have to wait before we can harvest the fruit from those seeds. God designed it this way, yet we don’t always think of it! We have learned to make the most of the seeds and the earth around us so we can get the most fruit from the seeds. We pride ourselves in knowing this simple design God gave us!
Jesus spoke in parables to try and reach into people’s hearts and minds. We must stop and think more about what God has given us and praise Him for the amazing design of everything.
Points to Ponder:
How often do you stop and think about what God has given you?
Will you try to praise Him today for some of the simpler things in life?