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October 25: Colossians 1:21-23
Key Verse: Colossian 1:21
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour.
Devotion:
I love the way the writer does not condemn people for what they have done, but reminds us all we are the perceived enemy, not because of what we have done, but because of what is going on in our minds... Once we can get passed the idea of being in conflict with God, we can quickly know how much God wants us to be with Him in everything.
God did not create us to work against Him or to be away from Him; He created us to be with Him! Christ came to earth to show us just how much God wants us to be with Him by giving His life so we can! Jesus’ body stands over us to cleanse us from all sin and present us before God in Heaven as if we had not sinned at all; this is the hope we have through our faith in what has happened and what has been promised.
The words in our bibles are those chosen for us to have; a source of knowledge and wisdom we need in order to have our faith supported enough for us to believe it and sustain it. As long as we continue to uphold this faith, we continue to hold fast to the hope we have in Christ Jesus.
Because of these words and this encouragement, we can share the hope and faith we have with those around us. We don’t have to memorise every single word in exact order but to be able to share what we have with others through the love we gain from Jesus. Enjoy reading and learning more each day and enjoy what God has in store for you!
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel alienated from God?
Have you read His Word lately?
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October 24: 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
Devotion:
How honest do you think you are? How honest do you know you are? We have all done something wrong with our bodies at some stage in our lives, from the stuff which comes out of our mouths, the debatable things running through our minds, the greed and lust of our spirits – the list could be endless for each of us if we brought up every little thing we have done wrong!
God wants us to know He will forgive us for the things we bring to Him. He has promised this to us, and Jesus came to live out that promise. If we want to continue to try and hide stuff from God (which is impossible) then we are harming our own spirits as we fight against an unseen enemy. The harm is not toward God because He already knows what we have done, but toward ourselves as we build up false hope on a foundation which is just not there!
This part of scripture is highlighting sexual immorality because it is probably one of the biggest things which will break down our spiritual and mental health. When we consent to sexual immorality, which we know to be wrong, we are heaping up fuel in the fire which is burning away at our spiritual and mental health. We need to be honest with God and honest with ourselves – that way we may have a better chance at hearing when the Holy Spirit tries to guide us away from such menacing things in our lives.
Think of is as being like a huge bonfire. The more fuel we give the fire, the more we hear the fire and not the voices around us. We may not be being consumed by the actual fire, but the noise it produces consumes our thoughts and we are quickly lost in the noise of the flames instead of the communion with the people next to us. Don’t feed the fire...
Points to Ponder:
What do you throw into the fire every day?
Will you give it to God instead of feeding the fire?
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October 23: Matthew 25:1-13
Key Verse: Matthew 25:10
But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
Devotion:
This story has always fascinated me because it just seems so far from what I think of Heaven being like. It’s not about the fact these were virgins but half of them were described as being foolish, not because they did not come prepared, but because they were not fully prepared.
If we bring this into a more modern setting, we won’t talk of virgins coming to a bridegroom but of people coming to meet a long missing friend who is flying in to meet them; the problem being they are at an airport in the middle of Africa where there are no lights other than torches and battery lamps carried by people (we’ll ignore the fact there must be lights on the runway for the plane to land!)
Now each friend brought a torch with them which worked. But half of them did not have spare batteries. The plane was delayed... like really delayed... So they all took a nap while they waited. When they heard the plane arriving, the torches had run out of battery power. The half who had spare batteries simply swapped out the batteries and carried on. Now, we can’t share batteries between torches, so some had to run off to the local shop to try and buy a new set of batteries... but when they returned, they were too late to meet their friend...
God wants us to be prepared to try and cope with many circumstances we will encounter while we wait for Jesus to return. If we do not have the wherewithal to cope in some way with what we face, we may well to too tied up in the world to notice when Christ does return. God wants us to be ready – which means being prepared for as much as we can be.
Points to Ponder:
Do you wait till you run out of batteries before you get more?
Are you running short in spirit because you are not being charged by God’s Word?
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October 22: Ephesians 2:8-10
Key Verse: Ephesian 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Devotion:
Every day we should be getting up and remembering we are saved by God’s Grace. It is nothing we can do to earn this position other than having faith God will allow us to attain it because we trust in Him and believe His promises. God has created us and assigned us to be saved by what Jesus has already done for us – this is what He has done before we even got to know Him – because He knew us first!
I love knowing there is nothing in the way of me being able to be with Jesus in Heaven for all eternity other than the choice I make. Jesus came to save the world and has given us this gift; yet, if we do not open this gift, we have nothing.
So, when we, as Christians, say there is nothing we can do to obtain this gift, there is the choice we each must make which has to be done so we can open the gift! Other than that, there is nothing we can do to earn our way to Heaven. Jesus has laid down the path by which we get to Heaven and we simply must walk that path. It does not matter if we fall off and must climb back on, it does not matter if we can’t find it until someone shows it to us... The path is always there.
I know many Christians like to shout about how wonderful life is with God, and it is! Shout we must! But we also should remember it is because of this gift Jesus wrapped up for us which we simply need to unwrap. We can boast all we like about the gift after we have opened it, but boasting about how you earned the gift is not the truth...
Points to Ponder:
Do you tell others you are a Christian?
Do you boast for Christ or for yourself?
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October 21: 1 Peter 2:7-10
Key Verse: 1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Devotion:
After talking about Jesus being the cornerstone the writer opens up on how the world views this cornerstone we know as Christ our Saviour. The world does not see a precious and chosen cornerstone, but some random stone picked up and used as a building block which in their minds does not have a place in the building! The world cannot see the value of God’s chosen cornerstone!
Because of the vast difference between how the world views Christ and how we see Him, this cornerstone is a stumbling block for many; they cannot reconcile the importance of this cornerstone. They know how important any cornerstone is, but they cannot see why Christ has been chosen when in their eyes they need to see something (or someone) much more spectacular!
The cornerstone may well be on show and may well command a special place in many people’s eyes, but for the person who is filling the house with stuff they want, the cornerstone simply doesn’t matter to them; they are leaving the importance of the building and the foundation out of their lives.
God has chosen us as a special race; special people who are going to take good care of the whole building, acknowledging the importance of the foundation and the cornerstone. God wants us to shout and sing the praises of our cornerstone, Christ Jesus, to the world, to shine as bright lights in the darkness of this world, to season the tasteless communities with salt and allow people to know our cornerstone!
Points to Ponder:
Are you hiding the cornerstone or displaying it proudly?
Will you live up to the name Christ gives you, “a royal priesthood”?
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October 20: 1 Corinthians 3:10-17
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 3:16
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives among you?
Devotion:
What do you build your Christian life on? Do you advertise the fact you go to a huge mega-church as if it means something special or do you hide the fact you are not attending any church because you cannot cope with the people in church? We all have our differences as Christians just as all people are different in ‘normal’ life; we each have our own personal needs.
But, as the writer reminds us in these verses, we have to build our Christianity on a true and solid foundation – and that foundation is Christ Jesus! If we build our lives on anything other than Christ at the centre, we are living a life in this world instead of living a life with Christ.
Even though the Holy Spirit lives within each of us, if we are not going to allow the Spirit to work in us, then we are ignoring God’s constant calls. We need to take heed of what God says to us, not just from the words written down in our bibles, or the words recorded by others which Jesus spoke, but every step of this relationship with Christ through the Spirit.
Take time to stop and listen to what God says in your life. Take time to think about what God has in store for you. If you blindly rush into things because it could be what God is saying, you are living your own life and not what God wants in your life. Listen careful and prayerfully to all of what God is saying to you in all ways. If we are depending on Christ, we are all working toward the same goal – just in very different ways to what churches expect!
Points to Ponder:
Do you live with Christ at the centre of your life?
Do you listen carefully and prayerfully to the Holy Spirit?
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October 19: Joshua 1:7-9
Key Verse: Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’
Devotion:
How many times do you have to be told something before you believe it? How many more times do you have to be told before you have the courage to do it! If truth be told, we often have to be persuaded a lot more time to actually do something rather than just saying yes to it. I know I have been asked to do things before and have been too scared to follow them through!
We should only have to be asked once or told once for us to do God’s will – but our human emotions, faith and many other things get in the way of what should be done and what ends up happening. Don’t worry, you are not alone either! We are not told how many times Joshua had to be told, but I find it very interesting the request for him to be strong and courageous is listed three times in the first few verses of the book of Joshua.
What we need to remember is echoed in the words of this verse I have chosen... “for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go!” God is not going to say something and just expect us to run off and do it. God is going to be with us every step of the way. The Holy Spirit is with and within us. Jesus made sure of that for us.
When we do finally put our fears behind us and our faith in order, we find just how much God is with us and how much more we can do than we realise. I love it when a plan comes together – but I love it even more when I see just how much God does to make sure His plans do come together!
Points to Ponder:
How many times do you get told before you listen?
How many times do you get told before you DO?
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October 18: Jeremiah 29:4-14
Key Verse: Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Devotion:
As we go back into a partial lock-down once again in London, things do not look as rosy as they used to be; something which prays on the hearts and minds of many people who have tried doing all they can to build up communities. As a member of an Eden team in London, we continue to do all we can to support and love our community in all ways we can – part of that is just living here!
When the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon, Jeremiah gave them the words from God to stay where they were and to try and prosper in all ways. God wanted the people to thrive despite their circumstances and to continue to show others there was still hope because God was on their side!
Just because we are being physically separated from our friends and neighbours does not mean we should have to spiritually or emotionally separate ourselves from our communities. Far from it. Now is the time to thrive. Now is the time to make a difference where we can!
God wants us to continue to be the people who others look to. He wants us to be the salt and the light in our communities. We can do this because we have God on our side! God did not say we would have an easy life as Christians, but He does say He has plans for us to prosper and not for us to go down the plug...
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel a bit daunted by this pandemic?
Will you stop and listen out for God’s instructions?
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October 17: 2 Corinthians 9:6-11
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Devotion:
How many times have you started to read a verse or passage in the bible and just stopped because it was all a bit too much? There are going to be times when we do find things all a bit too much and we have to stop for a season just so we can get back on level ground. It is very hard to play a game of football on a slope because the ball will always run away from you... having level ground helps you to feel like there is some reason for trying something!
The thing is, unless we try to do something, we are not going to know if it is possible or not. If we try and we fail, then we will have a new knowledge of things which do not work. If we try but we succeed, then we know a way forward. But it is hard when you continue trying and failing – that is when your strength and resolve start to be tested.
When a sower tosses seeds into the field, they know not every seed is going to produce something; but they sow because they know some will succeed. There is a limit to how much you can sow and through practise we get to know just how much we have to sow. If we sow too little, then we find the harvest will not be as much as we expect. If we sow too much, we find we have a good harvest, but we have also spent too much on seeds to have a good return on our investment.
When we show we are willing to try, people notice, and some are willing to help. When we show we are trying, others are more willing to step forward and give good advice, so we are more likely to succeed. Just as there may be more opposition, there will also be more support and God will be at the centre of that support!
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel like giving up?
Will you try something slightly different today if it has not worked?
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October 16: Philippians 4:10-13
Key Verse: Philippians 4:11
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
Devotion:
As much as we may think we can give all the time, there will come a time when you must receive instead of giving. How you go about this will show a lot about your true personality to others. I love the way Paul seems to get a bit tongue tied here and especially in the following verses. Each thank you which comes out of his mouth seems to be the wrong words and he adds a few more... If we are honest, we will admit to being much the same!
It seems a lot easier to give than receive because you can make some great statement about giving or how much the person deserves or needs what you are giving – but when it comes to receiving, we often don’t know what to say. We may want to say, ‘Yes Please, can I have some more!’ or we may want to say, ‘Just what I needed!’ but we end up apologising in some way instead.
God wants each of us to be honest and open about our circumstances – which can be, and often is, very difficult to do. We don’t want others to worry about our circumstances or to worry about what we need... but as Christians we need to be honest and open as much as possible. Being content with what we do receive is always going to be the best approach for our own wellbeing.
If we set our hearts on desiring more, the more we receive, the more we want; and the cycle continues until our greed takes over our lives. If we set our hearts on wants instead of needs, we end up having lots of stuff, but not all we need. God can supply us with so much more than we need but being content with what He gives us is all we really need.
Points to Ponder:
How much do you receive, honestly?
How much do you want instead of need?