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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?
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January 23: Mark 3:31-34
Key Verse: Mark 3:34
Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.
Devotion:
This is an interesting one which worries many people but shouldn’t. Jesus was inside talking with His disciples and others when someone came in to tell Him His birth mother and brothers were outside looking for Him. His response will make some people feel ecstatic whilst others will feel distraught; and, I may say, both side may well be Christians.
As we grow as Christians we begin to understand more about Jesus and the ways of God. As we learn more our understanding of the ways of man and the ways of God expand as well. Sometimes some things are very hard to accept in our lives because we have lived with many ways all of our lives. The older we get the more resistant we are to change in any form!
This must not be taken out of context and in any form be taken as Jesus turning His back on His mother, Mary, or His brothers. But it is a statement from Him to show something more important. Once we become Christians we have a much wider family to take care of and to share things with.
Our birth families remain just that, our birth families. And depending on your own feeling you birth family may be the most important thing in your life. I am now at the age where I no longer have a birth mother or father because both have passed on; but I have a step mother who is as important to me as a birth mother. I also have an extended family who are all as important. But I also have a wider church family who are important as well. God is the one who gives me the love and strength to take on such a family!
Points to Ponder:
What does family mean to you?
What does God’s family mean to you?
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January 22: Mark 3:22-30
Key Verse: Mark 3:24
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
Devotion:
One of the things Jesus was very good at was remaining calm when under pressure from the teachers of the law or Scribes or Pharisees. Nothing they said could phase Jesus, just like nothing the demons He faced could say could phase Him either. I’m afraid I do get quite upset when people talk me down or say things against me: I may not show it at the time but my insides are turning over!
When the teachers of the law said Jesus was possessed by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, He calmly went into a discussion with them. If you have an enemy, then how can you enemy fight against you enemy to accomplish something for you? That just does not make any sense. Jesus used this argument against His accusers knowing full well that if your enemy is no longer fighting as one, they are divided and are falling apart already!
Just as you would probably not go up against someone whom you knew could beat you up. Jesus knew they were in the wrong and He was not going to allow them to gain and advantage or followers by saying what they wanted.
We know the truth comes out and Jesus was and always will stand for the truth. God wants us to continue standing for the truth too, keeping Jesus as our example and our guide. We have His words written down for us by the disciples and people at that time. All we need do is to believe in what Jesus said and He will continue to back us up with the truth.
Points to Ponder:
How often have you been persuaded by someone doing wrong?
How often have you believed Jesus instead of the people living lies?
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January 21: Genesis 14:17-20
Key Verse: Genesis 14:20
And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.’ Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Devotion:
When Abram returned from defeating the four kings who had dared to steal good and kidnap his relative Lot, Melchizedek, the priest of God Most High came out to celebrate the successful return. He blessed Abram with the name of the God Most High. Abram’s response was to give the priest a tenth of everything!
Abram knew it was God who was responsible for him getting to catch up with the kings and defeat them so he could return with all the goods and his relative Lot. When offered all the goods to keep, Abram rejected the offer saying he had already made a promise to God to not accept anything from the king of Sodom, only the food given to him.
When you make promises to God, how well do you keep those promises? Do you get swayed by the things offered you after things have gone your way? Do you accept all the praise and continue to demand praise? Or are you ready to humble yourself before God and allow God to get all of the praise for allowing things to go your way?
We must always remember God, the Creator of everything, the most Holy, the One who deserves all of the praise for everything He allows into our lives and for the guidance He continues to give us all the time. When we succeed because we listened to God, we must surely praise Him for the guidance, strength and stamina given to us in the first place!
Points to Ponder:
Do you always give praise where it is due?
Or do you accept praise for things done by others?
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January 20: 2 Samuel 1:1-15
Key Verse: 2 Samuel 1:14
David asked him, ‘Why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?’
Devotion:
The Lord had previously led Saul alone into a cave where David and his men were hiding. The Lord had said to David to do whatever he pleased with Saul; David could not harm him because he knew that Saul was chosen by God to lead Israel. Here we see what happened when David learned of the death of Saul and Jonathan; his first reaction was to mourn for them.
The next step was to confront the man who brought the news of Saul’s death to find out what had happened. When the Amalekite admitted he had killed Saul, David asked him what gave him the right to kill one of God’s anointed? David then called on one of the guards to lay hands on the Amalekite, and the man died!
David knew he had been chosen to be the next king, just as this Amalekite seemed to know as well, but he certainly was not going to be responsible for going against God’s wishes – for it was God who had send Samuel to anoint Saul to lead the people of Israel. Saul had done many things right and a few things wrong, but David knew it was up to God when Saul’s life would be taken – so not any human should have done this deed in his eyes.
When we come up against people we know have been chosen by God, we should not come up against them. If we see they have turned their backs on God we should remind them they are God’s chosen and leave it up to God to convict or judge them. We do not know how we will act if we are placed in their position, so we have no right to judge!
Points to Ponder:
How do you look at you priest or pastor?
Will you allow God to be the judge instead?
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January 19: Mark 3:13-19
Key Verse: Mark 3:15
and to have authority to drive out demons.
Devotion:
Jesus chose those twelve disciples carefully so they would do what was required for the kingdom of heaven. He gave these twelve disciples the task to preach to others and the authority to drive out demons! The more the disciples learned from Jesus, the more prepared they were to go out and do what Jesus wanted them to do.
It is that learning we should all be aware of. We could just stick to ourselves and children of God and live a life and get to heaven when we die on earth, or we could change the world we live in by learning more about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit so we can pass on that knowledge to others. The more we guide people to Christ, the greater the kingdom of heaven will be!
Jesus gave others the change to go out and teach others and even to drive our demons. This authority came from Jesus – so we know when we ask God to do something in Jesus name it is not a small thing. This is our God who gave the twelve disciples the authority to drive out demon!
The key here is to learn as much as we can so we can give that knowledge and love to others just as it was given to us. Allow God to clean them and Jesus to take away their sin debt. We just have to bring them to Christ through what we have learned!
Thank you Dad for teaching me how to behave with others as well!
Points to Ponder:
Have you learned how your sins can be forgiven?
Will you pass on that knowledge to others?