- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 1185
April 18: Galatians 1:1-5
Key Verse: Galatians 1:1
Paul, an apostle - sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead -
Devotion:
I love the introduction to the letter to the church at Galatia. When we think of how missionaries are sent out, typically we think of it in terms of a sending church where they have a responsibility to report back to and a collection of supporting people and churches from which they get their funds. But this is not what Paul wanted the church to dwell on. He wanted them to remember just who was doing the sending – God!
Jesus was the one who persuaded Paul he had a task to do which would involve getting to reach out to all the churches around the Mediterranean Sea. It was Jesus who prompted him to reach out to the gentiles rather than to the Israelites or God’s chosen people. God was now reminding us all He includes every one of us in the call to become one church under Jesus Christ. God had chosen Paul to be the apostle who would make the difference all around!
God had put everything in place for Jesus to accomplish all which was previously written down by the prophets. God made sure the church was going to survive and that we would have no more reason to have to try and make atonements for the sin which we have done, do and will continue to do! Jesus gave Himself up for our sins even though He had not done anything wrong. He was wrongfully taken, wrongfully hung but died willingly just so God’s Word would be accomplished and we would be given a permanent and absolute saviour!
How many of us can turn round and say we are following a path which God has chosen for us? How many of us can say we are willing to give up everything in our lives just so God will get the glory and the gospel will get to more people? How many of us put our lives on hold so Jesus can get the rightful glory and uphold the position He fought as a human to be in just for our sakes. Look around you and see how you can help people immediately around you!
Points to Ponder:
Who really chose the life you lead?
Are you willing to give full control to Christ?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 1178
April 17: 2 Corinthians 1:1-2
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:
Devotion:
A very similar introduction to this letter as to the first letter to Corinth, but the writer now acknowledges himself as an apostle – I title I think he did not take lightly! What sort of recognition do you have as a Christian in your community? Do they have a good name for you, as opposed to any derogatory term! When people started calling me names because I was different, I started to realise just how much of an influence I had even without preaching to them!
When Jesus said we should go out into the world, I like to think of it as a ‘coming out’ rather than a ‘going out.’ From that moment onward we are a representative of Jesus Christ! We carry His name and His reputation with us. People are going to study us as Christians to see what we do… Does this make you kinda scared? Well, we don’t all live on the front line, so we don’t all get the exposure some Christian leaders do, but we still have a circle of people who look to us for clues as to how we should be living.
Paul had sent Timothy to the church at Corinth and through that he knew the people would be getting a good education and follow a good example. He chose Timothy because he knew he had a good reputation as a true follower of Christ. But it was not just a choice he made alone – God had chosen Timothy before Paul chose him. God is the one who makes the choices and it is us who should be following His instructions to make sure we live the life He wants us to!
Who knew there was so much we could get out of a single sentence! But there is more… God knew which people to choose to go and make a difference in the community there. He chose people who would work together and not fight each other for attention or notoriety! The last thing we should be doing is promoting ourselves! We need to simply continue promoting Christ and allow God to work out the rest. When we join in with the community and work as a team, God can do so much more!
Points to Ponder:
Do you try to do it all yourself?
Will you try to choose a team to work with you?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 1348
April 16: 1 Corinthians 1:1-3
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 1:2
To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ - their Lord and ours:
Devotion:
In this, the first letter recorded to the church at Corinth, Paul is writing via the leader of the synagogue who had accepted the truth Jesus was the Messiah and our Saviour; presumably he lost his position as the chief ruler of the synagogue after being converted. Now, Sosthenes if heading up the Christian church in Corinth and addresses this letter to all people who believe in the Lord and those who pray to Christ. Does this mean there were still people who did not want to admit they were Christians just yet?
When I first accepted Christ into my life, I was willing to allow everyone to know I was a Christian, even to the extent of meeting for prayers together during our morning break period in school. There were some people who would ridicule us, but on the whole we were respected for what we were doing. What do you think people think of you and your position in the church today? Do people know you as a Christian? Do people know your life was changed by this Jesus character?
Paul knew the Christians would have a hard time – they were the ones who said they believed in a single God whereas the Greeks as a whole had many gods and prayed to a god who fitted into what they wanted. This is probably why he opens in extending prayer for grace and peace to all the people whom God had chosen to stand up for what they believed.
As Christians we need to stand up and allow people to be encouraged to stand up for themselves too. God has chosen us to be the bringers of the message to others. God has chosen us because He knows we are able to stand up and be counted – we may doubt that at times and we may doubt ourselves too, but God knows what we are made of and knows we are the ones to make a difference. Believe in Him and know He has made the right choice in choosing us!
Points to Ponder:
Do you have doubts you can do things for God?
Have you tried stepping forward and asking God for the strength?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 1221
April 15: Romans 1:1-6
Key Verse: Romans 1:2
the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures
Devotion:
So I decided it would be a good time to go through the beginnings of some of the letters to see what introductions we can gain from them. I say, gain from them, because we often think of spreading the gospel as going to each and every person or gathering and teaching others about what God has to say for and to us and what He has already done and said for us in the past. But this was not possible back then for Paul to do at the drop of a hat – just like it is not possible for us to do things at the drop of a hat any more!
They did not have a pandemic preventing them from leaving their homes, but the threat was almost as real. Many people were banned from teaching about Christ because the governors thought it would undermine society – not real society as we know it in the free world, but an oppressive society. It really does feel like that at times now, but we still have so much freedom in reality. The Internet has become our outsource and our library and our way of communicating!
Paul could not be all over the Mediterranean as he would have liked to have been – can you imagine the storm he would have made if he was given the freedom of flights all around the world and not just boat trips here and there! Paul was ready to go anywhere but was limited by what was available at the time. So he took to writing letters to the various churches. I’m pretty sure he would have written far more than the few letters we have left with us now, but none as significant as those which God made sure were kept safe for future generations.
This has all been promised to us through what the prophets had been telling us for so long before Christ came to visit us in person. This was already written down and shared amongst the people as significant truths they need to hear and know. That is why these letters by the apostles are so important to us as well – they tell us of the outcome of many of the saying of the prophets, outcomes which prove to us how God keeps His promises throughout time and the world!
Points to Ponder:
How do you keep in touch in isolation?
Are you keeping the gospel message going out?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 1312
April 14: Acts 1:1-5
Key Verse: Acts 1:3
After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
Devotion:
These first verses are quite important but are often overlooked as in many of the letters written by the Apostles. Why are they important? Because they give a consistent link between different letters written and gives us more of a chance at getting the timeline recognised and understood. The languages used have changed so much over the ages the original scripts have to be read by scholars who do understand the ancient ways of talking. Much like this generation looking at Shakespeare's writings – the words may be beautiful and full of meaning, but it takes study to get to the true meanings behind the words.
Luke was very well educated and I find his writings fascinating to read because they are so factual and matter of fact at times, unlike John’s writings which are so full of love, compassion and feelings. For Luke to write saying Jesus had given them many convincing proofs must mean they were very convincing even though we do not hear about all of them in our bibles. Sometimes we just have to take someone else’s words and believe them for what they are!
So many people try to argue about how Jesus was simply a prophet or a priest and yet the words written by the Apostles and corroborated by others prove otherwise; we have a Saviour in Jesus Christ who came down to earth to live amongst us as a human being so He could take on the punishment for the sins of the world once and for all – a fact which was not fully understood until after it had happened and after it was explained once again to the disciples.
God then sent the Holy Spirit to be amongst us and in us so we could further understand what He wants in our lives. The only thing is we have to listen! Something which does has proved to be a ‘difficult’ thing for humans to do – the past few weeks has shown us how many people think they know better and want to do things their own way instead of following what is right!
Points to Ponder:
Are you a good listener?
Do you obey what you hear?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 1344
April 13: Matthew 28:11-15
Key Verse: Matthew 28:12
When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money
Devotion:
As we rest up after all the rush of the Easter celebrations, with a big difference this year with us all being isolated, we can begin to reflect on what was happening behind the scenes. But we have to be very aware there are going to be people who are not telling us the truth and it is our own task to find out what is the truth and what is not.
Was the death, burial and resurrection of Christ really true? Well, if we take a look at our legal system and how we do manage to get to the truth after a while, we can take great comfort in knowing society is doing its best to make sure the truth is what comes out in the end. There have been enough scandals around the world where governments and powerful people have tried to cover up a lie – only to be found out and the truth exposed; all because mankind is quite tenacious in our endeavour to find the truth!
The story of Jesus death is recorded in history, both Christian history and Non-Christian history. So it happened! What about the resurrection? All the disciples and followers of Christ gave an account of what happened and they all were in agreement (within normal human differences.) These people could have all got together secretly and agreed to tell the same story – this is something which happens all the time in society. But they were faced with ridicule, punishment, imprisonment and even death; throughout this all, their story did not waver or change – a very different picture to what happens when people try to cover up the truth!
So I am persuaded this is all true and has been recorded in manuscripts all over the place for us to remember what actually happened. I’m sure we are going to hear all sorts of stories about what caused this virus – we have had a lot of strange stories already – but we will have to sift through all the stories to find the truth in the longer term. Right now, believe what you know is true and keep on going!
Points to Ponder:
What is the most ridiculous story you have heard about the virus?
Will you read over the Easter story again in your bible and find the truth?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 1237
April 12: Matthew 28:1-10
Key Verse: Matthew 28:6
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
Devotion:
Have you ever wanted to take the punishment for someone else’s misgivings? Have you ever wanted to take on their sickness so they can live? These are feelings we have for people we love, or at least they are the feelings I have for people I love! But let us remember something – these are the type of feelings Jesus had for you and me, just because He loves us so much!
When I was pondering on what verses to use for this devotion, I came across a scribble in my old bible (now over 20 years old) and it struck me; I don’t have to choose anything other than the obvious, but the words I put together around these verses are what can make a difference to you! I can imagine the joy Jesus had when He was able to break free from the tomb and rise up in His new glorious form to accomplish what we thought was not possible – just because He loves us.
Can you imagine the joy the two Mary’s had when they saw Jesus was alive! How much more joy did Jesus have to be able to make this happen? How much more joy we get from something we are able to do which brings joy to someone else! No, it’s not selfish when you focus on the joy you are given them and the joy it spreads to all around you; it’s only selfish if you are doing something just so you can get a kick out of it and not for the joy of the other people involved – it’s hard for me to imagine people can be like that, but they are…
Jesus wanted to spread the joy to all the disciples! I’m sure He could feel how sad they had become because they thought it had all come to an end – but it was only the beginning! This was what God had been waiting for so people would not have to feel like they had to do things just to be safe. I really want others to realise just how important this love is…
So what were the scribbles in my bible!?!?!
Lord, it should be me…
“No it can’t be… I love you...”
Points to Ponder:
What have you done for love?
Are you willing to spread the Good News today?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 1287
April 11: Matthew 27:45-46
Key Verse: Matthew 27:45
From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.
Devotion:
I hear many people asking the questions: “where is God?”, “why is He doing nothing?”, “how can He just sit and watch?”… I do struggle to find the right answers to tell people because each of us think of things in different ways – but the question needs to be answered, not by us but by God through the Holy Spirit. Don’t try to figure things out in your own mind because we cannot! Our minds are not strong enough to figure out things like this and certainly not strong enough to carry the burden which come along with this all!
When Jesus was on the cross and was about to die, a darkness spread all over the land. This was not God closing His eyes so He would not have to watch His Son die on the cross – God the Father never left His side during all of this! I believe it was so the world would not have to watch this moment – a moment we could not comprehend or come to terms with. Jesus’ reaction was to call out and ask God why He had forsaken Him. This was the human side of Jesus calling out to God because He physically felt so left out of everything at that point.
We do feel like we are left alone to struggle by ourselves. We do feel like we are going mad indoors by ourselves. We do feel like God has forsaken us too at times! But one thing I learned when I was in hospital last year was that God never leaves your side. Even when friends and family are not there by your side, even when you do feel so very isolated, God is there with you. Maybe He does not want the world to see each other at their lowest points. Maybe He wants us to think seriously about why Jesus went to the cross!
It really is beyond our comprehension how this can all be happening – but remember this. No matter how bad things get according to you, God is always going to be with you every step of the way and in every moment of our isolation! The lights may go out, the cities may grow eerily quiet, but God is right there by your side and wrapping His arms around you – we just cannot see it because of our grief we are going through!
Points to Ponder:
How are you doing. No, really, how are you doing?
Please remember God is with you every moment of every day!
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 1267
April 10: Romans 12:9-13
Key Verse: Romans 12:13
Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Devotion:
When someone lays down a list of thing you should be doing, we find it hard to agree to them without question… just because it is a list in writing! At least that is how I run! But I’m sure I’m not alone in my weird thinking like this – we just have to look deeper into what is right, righteous and proper to do. We can go overboard and uphold everything righteous and say we should never mix with others because they are not righteous etc., but that is totally wrong! We do not have the right to judge anyone and hence should only look into what we are doing wrong when compared to Christ’s will in our lives.
I say Christ’s will and not His law because each of us has a different path to follow – God has designed us different from our neighbours and different from our family members. Each of us is unique in the way we are and so we need different ways to follow to get the best out of us. But these are the common goals we should all be looking forward to doing in our lives.
If we start to think about others more than ourselves, we will soon lose site of the failing we think we have and try to uphold and build up those around us; we lose focus on our shortcomings and focus on the light Christ is bringing into the world around us. In times of lock-down and physical restrictions we need to think of new ways in which we can accomplish these goals. Somehow they seemed a whole lot easier when we were able to move around!
The last verse in our passage ends in “Practice hospitality.” Well, we can do this in new ways, we can reach out to others and we can invite them in – it does not have to be physical locations! Think about the disciple Paul. He went out all over the place to reach out to people – but he could not be in different places at the same time. So he wrote letters to people and to churches so they could feel more involved with what he was doing. We now have the Internet (with all its failings) which can be used for good and can be used to reach out to people. I have been writing these devotions for about 15 years and using the Internet to share them. Spread the love!
Points to Ponder:
How do you use the Internet?
Will you reach out to someone in a different way today?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 1250
April 9: 1 John 3:17-18
Key Verse: 1 John 3:18
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
Devotion:
I know I have used these verses in a devotional recently – but how much more they mean in this time of lock-down in our communities; not just here in the UK, but all over the world where we are being faced by an enemy which is unseen, a virus. The more we can learn about this virus, the more we can protect ourselves from it, but also the more we feel confident enough to help other people.
I have tried not to shy away from helping others, but I know I have done so over the past few weeks – it is human nature and probably common sense too in my mind. But God tells us to look out for the people who are in need and to reach out and help them in ways we can. This does not mean we have to go round and visit people because we may well be taking the virus into their homes for all we know – but it does mean reaching out to them with words, prayers and any other ways we can help them!
God has taught us enough times how we need to love Him with all our hearts and minds – He has also taught us this love extends to all His creation, which means loving the people around you with all your heart and mind too! How does that look in real life nowadays. If you are still in work and have a bit of money to spare, how about buying something for someone online and getting it delivered directly to them. How about helping to pay a bill for someone who is in need.
It may surprise you to know that many of the people who do run places like foodbanks and food-halls are people who are in need themselves, people who have had it rough and now are giving to others who still have it rough. Don’t wait until you experience everything falling down around you before you realise you can step forward and help someone in need. Love them with your heart and mind and share your possessions with them!
Points to Ponder:
Who do you call out to when you need something?
Are you willing to answer someone else’s call for help?