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February 22: Matthew 25:31-40
Key Verse: Matthew 25:40
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Devotion:
There is going to be a time when it will be too late to turn away from our lifestyles and follow what God considers to be righteous. We may think we do the right stuff by going to church on the right days at the right times and giving our tithes on time, but what are we actually doing for God?
God asks us to reach out to His people, those around us and in our communities. He doesn’t want us all to go out to foreign lands and be missionaries to new people in different places around the world – God is calling us to be disciples, reaching out to the people in our own communities. When they have enough support to know they are loved by God, then we can step out and reach out to others!
We don’t know who will turn to God and when they will; but we do know we are all given the same chance to do so. God is making sure every part on this planet is going to be given a chance to get to know Him and He is doing this my asking us to reach out to people next to us. The internet has made this world seem a whole lot smaller, but there is still nothing like reaching out with physical help to someone who may be your neighbour.
And before you ask why have I left out the goats and those being rejected by God, it’s because I have used those verses already in the past! We have time now to make the choice to do something for God by doing something for His people. We have the chance right now. Don’t waste it and don’t set it aside saying it will be done tomorrow – just maybe tomorrow will be too late!
Points to Ponder:
What do you do for people in your community?
Did you know God is watching over your whole community?
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February 21: 1 Peter 3:18-22
Key Verse: 1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
Devotion:
I think all of us can look back over the past few months and see how many of us have suffered in these horrible times, not because of any fault of our own, but because there is a pandemic and we all have had to do something abnormal for ourselves in order to try and keep safe or to keep others safe. We may even look back and think we have suffered over and over again – but this is nothing compared to the suffering Jesus went through when He came to be amongst us!
We can look forward as the vaccinations kick in and say we have suffered but now see light at the end of the tunnel. We can say we can see an end in sight. We still have to be careful and cautious, but we have hope once again.
Let's compare this to the life we have with God... We have been living under the threat of death because of our sinful lives we have lived and we were coming up to the time where we would have to face up to what we had done. The horrible reality is the price for this sin would be our lives. Then Christ stepped in, so much better than any vaccine, and took that threat of death away by laying down His life for us instead!
As we look forward we need simply accept Christ into our lives, believe He took on the debt for our sins and ask Him to be a part of our lives from now on. Nothing to look back on... Christ willingly stepped forward to take away the eternal death and give us eternal life instead. He did this because of His love for us and continues to show us the way forward – if we are willing to listen to Him!
Points to Ponder:
Have you had a horrible year?
Will you look forward to God’s year with me?
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February 20: Psalm 86:1-5
Key Verse: Psalm 86:5
You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.
Devotion:
If you never put your trust in bridges, you would never be able to cross rivers or ravines. If you never put your trust in aeroplanes or ships, you may never be able to visit people on the other side of the world. We physically have to put our trust in some things in life in order to be able to get places in life. But that is as far as we can go if we only trust physical things.
If we want to be able to go places after we die or go places spiritually, then we have to put our trust in spiritual things. Now, because these spiritual things cannot normally be seen, we are in effect putting our trust in things we cannot see. God does not want to have us trust every spiritual thing, because there are some things which are not good for us; rather He wants us to place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ because He has already shown us we can trust Him and He has declared His unending love for us too!
So how do we go about trusting things we cannot see? We have to ask for them and believe God will give them to us just as Christ has promised us. This is our prayers which we need to continually lift up to God, asking Him to fulfil the promises made and to continue to love and protect us as best he can. Whilst we do have issues in our lives and we do get things wrong, we begin to get worried we will not have our prayers answered because we don’t deserve it!
But Jesus has demonstrated how He is willing to love us even before we start to get things right. He is willing to forgive us because we are guilty and not because we think we deserve it for changing our lives in some way. This is God’s gift to us and not something we deserve for what we do...
Points to Ponder:
How often do you speak to God?
How much do you trust God?
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February 19: Matthew 9:9-17
Key Verse: Matthew 9:14
Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”
Devotion:
When I was at boarding school, the masters would try to condition us to behave in a certain way – because it would make their lives easier and give the school a good name because of the expected behaviour of the pupils. But this did not always depict the actual behaviour of the pupils; I despair at some of the things which went on behind the scenes!
What Jesus did was not the same as this ‘old way of doing things!’ He continued to reach out to everyone who needed to know God – so that included everyone! This did rub up the local Scribes, Pharisees and even the disciples of John the wrong way! Now we could say that the way of the Scribes and Pharisees was no in line with God’s ways, but what about the ways of John’s disciples.
John had probably been influenced greatly by the ways of the church at the time; what we may compare to now as the conservative side of the modern church. But what Jesus was doing stretched these ways and the people who upheld them. Jesus reached out to the people who He knew needed God in their lives much more than the people on the fringe of the church.
When we want to ‘act like disciples’ of Christ, we should not be limiting ourselves to the ways which are expected by the modern church, or by the established church or by any other groups. We should only be limiting ourselves by what God is asking of us! God wants us to reach out to the people who do not know what Jesus is like. He wants us to open the doors and allow new people to come in putting aside the safe ways we all know about. Jesus met with the people knows as crooks in society so He could allow God to start moving in their lives. He did not open Himself to their ways but mixed with them to show them what God was really like!
Points to Ponder:
Do you follow conservative church ways?
Will you open yourself up to doing something new with God?
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February 18: Psalm 1:1-6
Key Verse: Psalm 1:6
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Devotion:
I love the closeness of the Psalmist with God – being able to talk about God as being someone who is constantly looking out for him and loving and supporting him in everything he does with God. Note, though, it is talking about someone who is sticking close to God by listening to Him, obeying Him and giving Him all the glory and not someone who just thinks of God when things go wrong or when they are feeling a bit down!
God wants us to be a constant companion, always praying and always thinking about what God would want us to do in our lives. It is not a ‘once a year friendship’ when it gets close to Easter or Christmas, but a lifelong and everyday relationship as if God was your constant companion. God treats us like a lifelong companion and expects a similar input from our end. That is what true friends do!
The more we look for God, the more we find of Him. The more we live with God, the more He is able to feed us and to protect us. This is a relationship which has to be treated with love and care. If we are going to ignore God, then should we expect Him to continue caring for us? If we are going to walk away from Him, should we expect Him to come running after us?
The thing is, like an awesome friend, God does come running after us when we run away. He tries to bring us back on track and lift us up – because He loves us so much. But for those who go off and do their own thing constantly without thinking of God and without acknowledging Him at all – well, they don’t get the same care and attention... they get the same love, but not the attention because they are rejecting it.
Points to Ponder:
Do you try to do your best all the time?
Are you trying to do your best for God?
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February 17: Matthew 6:1-8
Key Verse: Matthew 6:6
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Devotion:
Devotional... check. Bible reading... check. Pancakes... check. Ready to give up something for lent... mmm... What are you a Christian for? Why do you do the things you do? What is your life all about? These are the important parts and not the outward things you think other people would like to see!
God did not call us to be great actors who can make it all look good and feel great! God called us to make a difference – and if that difference starts by you lifting up your prayers to God, then start there. But don’t invite everyone round to see you do it. Don’t make a video of it and post it online to see how many likes you get. Just do your work for God and allow God to bless those who need to know.
It is not some big popularity contest we are in – this is real life and we have to make sure we are behaving as if this could be the last of our life. We need to make sure we are doing our best for God and not to try and will the accolades of the people around us! We can see those around us who need love and support. We can see those who are doing what it takes. We can see those who are making a big fuss about things for their own promotion and not for God’s glory!
So why should we try to do those things instead of doing what God wants us to do? God is going to give you the reward you deserve whether all your fans get to hear about it or not. God is going to make the difference and not the crowd of onlookers who may pay you some attention! Allow them to get the attention of Christ and to seek Him out and not ourselves. This is God’s race, not ours!
Points to Ponder:
Do you make others see what you are doing all the time?
Why not do something secretly for God today?
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February 16: Psalm 50:1-6
Key Verse: Psalm 50:1
The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
Devotion:
For me, this introduction to this Psalm conjures up images from the Old Testament during the time when God was leading the Israelites out of Egypt. The power of God on display making sure nobody has any reason not to know how powerful God is and how much He cares for those in His charge – but also how He wants those in His charge to follow the rules!
I fear many people don’t realise just how Just God is, or what being Just means! It means we will not get away with anything because He does not overlook anything... So how can we hope to be forgiven if He cannot overlook anything. That is where the power and might of what Jesus did for us comes into view.
Jesus took on the blame for every little, big or bad thing we have done. He took on the blame for all those wrong-doing and separated us from the debt we owe as far as the East is from the West. In other words, God does not have to see any of the things we have done wrong because Christ have separated us from those things. We are presented as pure and innocent before God!
God’s power and might should never be overlooked. This goes for Christ, His Son and the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God too. Just as we see the power and might of God doing so many things in the desert for the Israelites, so too can Jesus and the Holy Spirit work in our lives. We live with the Holy Spirit who has all power just as God the Father has all power... just think on that a while...
Points to Ponder:
Do you keep close to Jesus?
Will you rely more on the power of the Holy Spirit today?
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February 15: John 6:60-66
Key Verse: John 6:66
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
Devotion:
This is one of those sections of scripture where you will either wonder how they can even think like this, or you will totally relate to their feelings at the time. Maybe you are like the disciples who stood by Jesus, or maybe you have been like one of the others who walked away from Jesus. I know both sides because I have been there, walked away, but thankfully have found my way back again...
Jesus was not one to hold back the punches – He let the fly when people tried to trip Him up or tried to justify their own ways instead of upholding God’s ways. And when someone in authority throws a punch, many people turn their backs on them and walk away – we see this happening in many parts of the world right now where people are turning their backs on people in authority because they have been upset in some manner by them.
One way of looking at this is to put yourself in their shoes and try to figure out what you would do; not a “I should do this” but rather “what would I have done in those circumstances”
God continues to uphold the truth and sometimes we are faced with hard decisions because we have chosen our own paths of ease rather than standing with the difficult truth. Sometimes we have to make that hard decision which may well upset us or others around us, but we have to make it because we need to stand up with God’s truth rather than our own desires.
Points to Ponder:
Do you find it hard to keep being a Christian?
Will you hold out your hands and allow God to guide you?
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February 14: Mark 9:2-8
Key Verse: Mark 9:7
Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Devotion:
If there was any doubt about what Jesus had done over the last few days before this happened, then the disciples would have their doubts dispelled and instead have their hearts filled with love. Jesus came to serve and to give His life for us because He loves us so! But this must not detract from the glory Jesus is the Son of God!
The disciples were caught between this world and the next in what they were seeing and experiencing. Jesus wanted them to see a glimmer of the next world; He wanted them to see what was in store for them – a new body and a new way of living. They would be able to put aside the hardships they had been through and start to experience just what God has in store for us.
God wanted them to know this was all because of His love for His Son and for us; hence He declared His love for Jesus in front of them. They were not to be left in any doubt about the love God has for all of us by experiencing the expressed love God has for His Son.
God has something rather special for us after we outlive our physical lives on this earth. He has an enduring love and life which we will be very pleased with. This life will not be limited to earth like our physical lives, but will be shared with Jesus and God in Heaven!
Points to Ponder:
Do you think your life is a bit tough at the moment?
Just imagine the peace and love which awaits us in Heaven!
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February 13: 2 Corinthians 1:8-11
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 1:10
He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us
Devotion:
I wonder how much grief the writer went through so he would write words like these for all to read. I know I have faced so little compared to the hardships the apostles faced, but I have seen a side of people they probably did not know existed before they faced me in their anger.
I find comfort in words like these because I know people hit out at us when they do not understand why we are doing what we do for God. Friends and family change when they see you doing things they have no understanding of; and in ways they don’t understand because they cannot grasp all God means to us or what He can do with and through us.
How can we “count it as joy” when people are turning against us because we are doing something different? Well, when we do something new or different when guided by the Holy Spirit, we will face opposition – after all, nobody likes too much change in their lives! Isaiah promoted the idea Christ was going to come and do something new; and when He did come and do something new, people objected and rose up against Him – even though Jesus knew what He was doing was the right thing to do!
When we face opposition we should not try and fight it alone because the fight we fight is God’s fight and not ours alone; we are working for Him and should be under His command. We are going to continue to face opposition and even dangers in our work for God, but as long as we stay close to Him and rely on Him for love and protection, you will be assured of a great future with Christ!
Points to Ponder:
Do you despair when facing opposition to God’s work?
Will you rely on God for His guidance today?