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March 8: Psalms 45:6-7
Key Verse: Psalms 45:7
You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.
Devotion:
When Jesus came to earth to be our King of Kings, He did not come to be a temporary king who would be forgotten once his life was over. Jesus came to be King over us all forever and accomplished this through what He did for us on that cross in the name of God, His Father in Heaven. There is no end to Heaven and there is no time limit on it; this comes down to Jesus being our King without end and without limit.
What is meant by the sceptre of the kingdom could be debated – but lets imagine a king or queen on a throne. They have some sort of sceptre which is a symbol of the power they have and is therefore of great importance. What could be of more importance to us than the Gospel, or have more power than the gospel? Jesus wanted to make sure people knew just how important the gospel is and how powerful it can be when it is used to introduce others to the kingdom of God.
We know God loves righteousness and hates wickedness of any kind; the love for us goes beyond our understanding of righteousness and wickedness because of the mercy He shows to us and the grace we are given to be able to live in this world. He has anointed each of us with this love so we can share that love with those around us. But imagine the amount of love God the Father shared with Jesus so He could accept the way we are and help us toward a loving and lasting relationship with Him.
God set Jesus above everyone and everything to show us what can be achieved when we place our faith firmly and totally in His hands. We still struggle with this and we struggle to keep our heads when everything seems to be in chaos; we see so many things we cannot cope with or cannot hope for. In doing so we sink into a pit of despair and that traps us into worrying more about the things we have no control over. What we should be doing is lifting up our situations to God before we fall into that pit so He can show us how to avoid it in the beginning.
Points to Ponder:
How much do you actually trust God?
Are you willing to entrust more to God today?
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March 8: Acts 2:36-39
Key Verse: Acts 2:38
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Devotion:
How many times have you got yourself into trouble? How many of those times was the punishment for you actions harsh in your eyes? … and yet you still did it … We have laws and rules about how we should behave and when we break those rules and laws, we have to face the punishment which has been described for breaking them.
We have a problem in how we live and how we behave; it is not according to God’s ways and His wishes. He has also given us rules about how we should live our lives and has laid down the punishment we should face if we choose to break those rules! Just the same as we have our rules and regulations in our earthly lives, we have rules and regulation about our lives with God. The problem being we don’t really have a hope of not breaking God’s rules and regulations; not because they are too strict but because we have a nature which is against those rules and regulations!
Now imagine being a person who has to face a judge who declares how you have been an accomplice to a murder and we have to face the punishment for that murder. We may not have been the ones who killed the person in question, we may have just stood by while it happened because we were too scared to do anything else – but the fact remains, we are still accomplices!
The Jews were faced with this decision with Peter telling them how they were accomplices to the murder of Jesus and now they were being faced with the punishment which was written down for that. The punishment was death! When they realised what they had done, they thought there was no way out and wanted to know what they could do to try and get out of paying the due punishment. Peter’s answer may well have surprised them – all they would have to do was to admit to what they had done, say they were sorry and show others how sorry they were by being baptised. The same is open for us as well – we just have to say we are sorry and mean it. We don’t have to be baptised, but it can be seen as a public acknowledgement of our admission of guilt.
Points to Ponder:
Do you know what punishment you face?
Are you willing to go public and say sorry to God?
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March 7: Zechariah 9:9-11
Key Verse: Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Devotion:
It really is amazing to look back at the things which were written down for/by the prophets hundreds of years before Jesus came to live amongst us; each one of them ringing true and surprisingly detailed in cases! This is because these prophets really did listen to God and tried to make sure what they heard was given out to the people as accurately as they could remember. We all do have our limits on what we can remember and this is why some of the stories in the bible seem to be different…
First and foremost Jesus came to be King! This was going to upset all the kings and people in authority because a mere man was going to come forward as the new King without all the celebrations and things society was used to. He was going to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey instead of a white stallion as royalty was used to. But what was setting Him apart from the rest of the kings was the fact He was going to be righteous and nothing was going to stop Him!
He was not going to come in with a great army to overthrow the local forces because He is coming in as a Priest who is going to speak the truth and remind people about God. He was going to give hope to those who had no hope at the time; the poor underclass who had no say in what happened in society. They were the ones who would get the greatest gift of all, and the ones for whom Jesus was going to pay the price with His own blood!
This all happened and yet people still do not want to believe this could be true. They do not want to believe God could come down to our level, offer Himself up as a servant for all, and ensure He was our Saviour and our King! They probably wanted a grander instance, one where a great army of angels came in to beat up the rulers, one where a new king would arrive in a huge golden carriage pulled by white horses and riches beyond measure on display. God chose a human form to show us how much is possible through Him!
Points to Ponder:
Do you wonder why God chooses the little things in life to make a difference?
Are you watching for the small changes God makes in your life?
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March 6: Acts 3:11-16
Key Verse: Acts 3:14
You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.
Devotion:
People often ask what the difference is between being religious, going to church and this relationship we say we have with Christ. This was prophesied before Jesus came to live amongst man as a human, was lived out when He did come and continues to be a reminder of how mankind turned their back on Him despite seeing what happened in front of their eyes! Jesus wanted people to focus more on having a healthy relationship with God through Him rather than continuing to focus on the religious acts they were used to doing.
Once again the disciples honed in on the fact the people of Israel were more concerned with following the Torah than following the will of God. They had focused too much on doing the acts rather than maintaining their relationship with God. Once Jesus paid the ultimate price on the cross, all the sacrificing and acts of man became useless in comparison to what Christ did! Why then did they continue to focus on their acts? The answer is surprisingly simple in my view – we like to keep things the same and not introduce too much change into our lives… and something like this is a big change for us to cater with!
Imagine being reminded about how you, as a society or personally, contributed to the horrible death faced by Jesus on the cross! Imagine being blamed for someone else’s death in such a terrible way! That is exactly what Peter and John were reminding the people about – how their acts had contributed to the death of an innocent man on the cross!
But the amazing thing they closed off this bit of the passage with was the fact Jesus is willing to give us eternal life after forgiving us – even though we contributed to that death on the cross! It is because of His faith this is possible. It is through your faith you can depend on this being so. It is no longer a requirement to do all the religious acts people have done in the past because Jesus paid for everything with His death on the cross. Have faith He will deliver you from the punishment you deserve...
Points to Ponder:
Do you go to church to prove something?
Or do you go to church to expand your relationship with God?
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March 5: Mark 14:1-9
Key Verse: Mark 14:5
It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
Devotion:
Can you name a big step you have made in your life for Christ? Can you pinpoint a single act which others have questioned? I can name a few cases where people around me have questioned what I am doing because they have looked at the worldly cost of my act rather than what it is doing for God – and some of those were Christians! We all look at the acts we do as very different from each other. Each year there is now a campaign run during lent called 40Acts where people are challenged to do an act of generosity each day for 40 days.
Jesus supported anyone who was willing to carry out an act of generosity in God’s name; anyone who was willing to promote God through an act which may well seem counter intuitive by the rest of the world! In this case when a woman came forward with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume and committed to use the jar on Jesus despite the physical cost of the perfume. Jesus supported her and her act. He did not focus on the worldly cost of the perfume but on the heart-felt meaning of the act.
We need to follow Jesus’ example and look for the spiritual and heart-felt meanings behind what people do rather than focusing on the worldly view of said tasks. Too often we do look at the physical cost rather than what it means to God and to giving God the glory. Jesus knew what lay ahead of Him and He was willing to accept this act as a very special act toward Him.
If we are able to put aside our earthly views and focus on what things mean to God, we will not only go further with what we do but we will promoted the gospel more than we can imagine. Our selfless acts are seen by worldly people as acts which go above and beyond what is reasonable or common sense. These acts will stick in their minds and allow God to break through to their hearts when the time is right!
Points to Ponder:
Do you put a cost on everything you do?
How much are you willing to do for God?
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March 4: Romans 11:7-10
Key Verse: Romans 11:8
as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”
Devotion:
No matter how hard we try to share the gospel with people, there are always going to be some who just don’t want to accept it – not because they have not been introduced to it, or understood it, but because they have fooled themselves into believing what they want rather than accepting the truth.
To be honest, we are all like this at some point in our lives when we would rather say no than accept something we don’t want to believe or something which will make us change our lives. We are all creatures of habit to a certain extent and we all like to think we know the right answer even when everyone else has changed their minds! It is something about the human psyche that overrides common sense and makes us do things which are just wrong!
I had a weird dream last night where I was trying to provide help for people who were staying over at the house, but for some reason my mind had been totally blocked as to where the kitchen door had gone! I walked up to where it should be but I could not see or feel it – yet I knew it must be there. After breaking down a bit I was able to find the door and hence help feed the people who were staying over! Sometimes we just cannot see the wood from the trees (a good English saying!)
God wants us to have an open mind and open heart at all times so we can accept the things He wants us to have and follow the ways He lays out before us. Our habits and our former lives may well work against us and even prevent us from doing the right thing – but God does not give up on us and continues to try and guide us. He knows how many of us have taken our own paths and He knows how many of us continue to trust and obey His commandments. Which side of the fence are you on?
Points to Ponder:
Are you afraid of following God’s wishes?
Or are you afraid of going against your friends and family?
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March 3: 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11
Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:7
For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
Devotion:
How many people do you know who openly do things wrong in the sight of people of authority? I guess we all do know someone who has done something wrong and who has been caught and even punished, but I don’t think many of us know people who continually go out of their way to do things wrong in plain sight. I would hope we are not the one’s who do this!
If we are going to do wrong, we will probably choose a time and place where we will not be seen, heard and caught! When thieves go out to steal stuff, they normally choose a time when they will not be seen; either choosing night time or a time when people are not at home. They don’t want to be caught! We do not know when people are going to try and break into our houses or into our places of work because they do not advertise the fact they are going to break in!
We don’t have to be caught up in that sort of lifestyle. We have the choice of not joining in. We have the choice of staying in the light and being protected by that light! We choose to sleep at night because it is normally more productive to work during the day time and you are held accountable by your actions because people can see you in the light of day. Yes, people such as hospital staff do work night shifts such and I take my hat off to them for doing so and looking out for me last year too! But as a rule, we prefer to work during the day time.
God has not chosen us to be thieves in the night. He has not chosen us to be drunkards during the night hours. He has chosen us to be careful of what we do and how we live so we can be an example to others. He has chosen us to put on the protection offered to us by His light. He has chosen us to put on the armour of God in all its parts, remembering how Christ died for us to keep us safe and so we can live together in relative peace and safety. The evil one has other plans and continues to throw a spanner in the works whenever he can – but if we uphold God’s ways and His will in our lives, we should be a lot better off!
Points to Ponder:
Do you hide in the shadows?
Or do you bring forth God’s light?
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March 2: Luke 12:35-40
Key Verse: Luke 12:38
It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.
Devotion:
Working from home has its ups and downs… it is nice not to be disturbed by people in an office, but not so good being cut off from people every day! It is nice to have peace and quiet to work in, but not so good not being able to call on a work mate to answer questions without having to do it over the phone (I don’t like phones for some reason!) When working in an office, you are typically ready for most things work wise, but working from home you have to be disciplined to make sure you stay ahead of the game and be ready for anything!
When you are employed to do a job of some description, you should be willing and ready to perform tasks related to that job when called to do so. You should be ready to even go out of your way to try and pre-empt certain tasks. This all seems like the normal thing to do for work and to keep your job… but what about your life with God? Are you willing to step up and do things all the time? Are you ready to do things as soon as you are asked?
Jesus told many parables as a means of getting people to understand the ways of the Lord through seeing life from a slightly different perspective. The more we see how we have to do things in our ‘normal lives’ the more we should be seeing how we should be doing things in our spiritual lives and our relationship with God.
We don’t know when Christ will return – but that should not cause us concern, because if we are prepare for His return, then it will be a matter of course when He does come. It may be a surprise, but we should be able to handle it because we are ready and waiting.
But be aware the evil one is also waiting in the side lines trying to trip you up and stop you from living your life fully with God. He wants to disrupt your life so you have doubts. He wants you to stop working for and with God because that is just what he is like; and we certainly do not know when he will attack – but we have to be ready for that too!
Points to Ponder:
Do you act good just to say you are ready?
Are you really ready for good or bad to come into your life?
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March 1: Psalms 90:10-12
Key Verse: Psalms 90:12
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Devotion:
Considering the age of the world and the solar system (it’s very old no matter how you look at it) we do not live for very long! Our lives depend on our health, attitude and even our wealth to a certain extent; any which of these could take years away from our lives. The uncertainty of our lives drives some people to despair and troubles many people, even Christians. God has promised us eternal life and we can look forward to an eternity with Him in Heaven, but the uncertainty of our lives on earth can wear us down!
We need to continue asking God for guidance so we can get the most out of our lives on earth – but also so we can make the most of them. The subtle difference being what we get from God and what we are willing to give back to God. I learned last year to not just trust God had my life in His control, but also that I should come back fighting so I could do more for Him after my illness. I continue to gain strength and enjoy better health than last year, but have got far to go before I can relax!
God has impressed on me I have a lot of things to offer Him through our community work and our church outreach. I love the fact I have been given a second chance and want to succeed in doing my best for Him. That does not stop at just doing work for community and church – it also extends to living life according to God’s plan and living it with my friends and family (something I have not done too well on in the past!)
God wants us to be proficient, prolific and professional. Hows that for a few P’s! But doing this all according to God’s plan takes time and courage. We are going to be asked to step out of our comfort zones at times. We are going to be asked to do more than we have done before. We are going to be asked all manner of things – how are we going to fit it all in our busy lifestyles! God has a plan for that and listening out for His plan must become central to our lives so we can get the most our of life and do the most we can too.
Points to Ponder:
Do you live for yourself or for God?
Are you willing to spend more time listening out for God?
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February 29: Psalms 86:14-17
Key Verse: Psalms 86:16
Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant; save me, because I serve you just as my mother did.
Devotion:
Just when you thought the month was over and we could move on into another one, along comes the exception to the rule and we have another day to go! No matter what or whom we are surrounded by, we always have our God watching over us. God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness and this Psalm serves to remind us of that fact. With that in mind we can call out to God in whatever situation we are in and ask Him to be there for us and with us.
When we call out to God, we should not be asking Him to change time, roll back the years or allow us to win the lottery – we should be asking for strength, fortitude and guidance to serve Him better and to face what we have before us, even if it is a whole extra day to the end of the month!
Joking aside, we have an awesome God who really does care for us and knows what is best for us. Sometimes we get carried away and think we do know better we try to make sure we get our own way instead of relying on God to give us what we need and when we need it. When we are faced with odds against which we think there is no answer and no hope, relying on God and following His guidance is the best answer we can hope for. When we do that we will be able to see these things as positive points rather than the negative as we see them!
So, now that you have been given and extra day in February, what are you going to do with it? Don’t look on the negative side and wonder how you will make it through the day. Look on the positive side and wonder how many things you can do with God in a single day!
Points to Ponder:
Are you feeling low?
Christ was at His lowest when He won the war!