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July 24: Exodus 14:5-18
Key Verse: Exodus 14:14
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
Devotion:
This is one of those stories I remember from my days before I knew what being a Christian was all about: the pictures of Moses holding up the staff and the seas parting. You see, I remember the after effects rather than the bit in between where the people of Israel were horrified Pharaoh was marching after them because they did not want to die in the desert where nobody would remember them! They were a proud people who made a point of remembering their ancestors.
There they were as a ‘complete nation’ facing 600 of the best chariots Pharaoh had; probably akin to a city of office workers facing an army of tanks and planes nowadays. Not really a fair fight at all. But God wanted them to know just how powerful He was and how He alone could defeat their opponents without having an army Himself!
Too often when we are faced with impossible odds we fall apart and invite the bad things back into our lives to try and fight evil with evil; this is not what God was asking of them and certainly not what God was going to demonstrate to them. But He had to make Moses convince the people they should put their absolute faith in Him! That is the hard part for us sometimes – putting our faith in the unseen God when we see so many obstacles in our ways.
If we look at what Jesus went through when being faced with 40 days and nights being tempted by the evil one, we see a man who knew he should trust in God his Father but not to call God’s bluff by jumping off the high point to see if God would save him. We need to listen to what God instructs us to do rather than expecting God to do what we think He should do. When we do stop and listen, He directs us and we will be safe once again – don’t leave it until it is too late!
Points to Ponder:
How much faith do you have in God?
How much faith do you take away from God because you think you can do better?
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July 23: Romans 8:12-15
Key Verse: Romans 8:15
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.
Devotion:
I wonder if you are like me and see the different societies in the bible through the Gospels and Letters of the New Testament. I know the name “New Testament” may be modern in terms of the age of the Bible, but we can draw parallels with many modern societies because people may all different but we have roots in the people described in our Bibles.
The Romans needed someone to give them some stern words because they were living under the law of the Romans Empire. They had clear definitions of many things and so the Apostle needed to reach them through said ways of life linking them to what Jesus wanted them to hear. They knew all too well what slaves were, and like many places around the world, slaves are not treated as normal human beings but rather a something lower than normal people; I am so glad slavery has been abolished in most of the world!
We may talk of ourselves as being slaves to Christ, but this is not the same as the ‘sub normal’ position slaves had back then. The apostle wanted them to know the difference between the word they used for slave and the way we look at ourselves as being slaves to Christ. I think the gist of the difference being described here is slaves for Romans were the lowest of the low, yet we look at it as being ‘willing participants’ because we feel like we are children of God instead of ‘unwilling slaves!’
If we were unwilling slaves we certainly would not call out to God as Father (Abba Father) and would not want to do the things He asks of us. That is another difference because God is asking things of us and not demanding we do things. We have been given free choice and God sticks to supporting that free choice. Our choices will govern our relationship with Him!
Points to Ponder:
Are you a willing child of God?
Are you willing to listen to your Heavenly Father?
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July 22: Song of Solomon 3:1-5
Key Verse: Song of Solomon 3:5
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.
Devotion:
I have caught myself thinking about past loves a few times over the past month or so, so when I read these verses I began to think more about our modern world and the relationships we hold in it. So many films and stories we hear and see are about people falling in love, out of love, splitting up, and obviously all the wars – but is our world so different to the past?
There obviously were people who split up and argued in the past, lots of wars too and some of those stories got into our bibles because God wants us to think about what we are doing. God gave us stewardship of this planet and we have not done a very good job in my mind; we are all guilty of breaking it in one form or another. Is this the way to treat the gift God has given us?
Jesus came and reminded us the at the centre of everything is love. Without love we cannot hope to care for each other or the world. If we treat love like a disposable asset, then we are treating the whole world as a disposable asset… but with love we can gather together the overcome the things which separate ourselves from others.
God wants us to seek out love in all aspects in life and to not jump at desires and wants, but to seek out the love which can last upon which we can build better communities and a better society as a whole. When we see the love Christ showed us we should aim to reach as close to that love as we can in our lives.
Points to Ponder:
How many times have you been ‘in love’?
Will you allow God to guide you in your life?
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July 21: Psalm 116:10-19
Key Verse: Psalm 116:12
What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?
Devotion:
These verses are a simple insight into the psalmists thoughts on a few things they could do because of all God has done for them. Note how they start off this section of verses: “I kept my faith…” That is the starting point for everything – do you keep your faith? This could be the first answer of how to repay God for everything He has done for you – simply keep your faith – keep on believing in Him and what He can do for and with you!
After that, things then open up in a big way. Many people struggle to think what they can do for God knowing God has done so much for them. They get to know how great God is and so struggle to think what they could possibly do to repay God for all He does in their lives. Don’t overlook the obvious things which we take for granted all the time! God wants to have a relationship with you. Remember that.
What is the key to any relationship – there are two in the relationship which means both have got to work at keeping the relationship fresh and right. This means trusting each other and even relying on each other for many things… So you can probably see how you can rely on God for so much in your life, but how can He rely on you?
How much do you lift up what God has done for us all through going to the cross? How many people know you are a committed Christian? How many people have you supported through bad things or times? How often do you say “here I am, use me” when God is looking for people? Are you willing to give up on anything to support God’s work? How often do you meet with God’s people and worship Him? Think on the answers to these things.
Points to Ponder:
Have you recognised all God does for you?
Will you increase your giving of your time to God?
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July 20: Matthew 11:28-30
Key Verse: Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Devotion:
When was the last time you just wanted to stop and talk with someone and offload the troubles you are having in your life? Did you manage to find someone who was willing to listen and how did you feel after you had talked? There are many times when we need to express ourselves, not to spread gossip or to tell lies, but to undo the pent up frustration and ill feelings we harbour when we try not to burden others with our worries!
God knows we need to talk and He is always willing and able to listen to whatever you have to say to Him. If you want to complain about things, bring it to The Lord. If you want to vent your frustrations over what is happening, or what is not happening, bring it to God. If you need to shout, bring it to God!
When we bring our worries and troubles to other people, they then shoulder some of that burden – and we don’t like doing that to others! They then may have to take those worries to others and so the chain continues. We may end up with a lot of people with a small amount of worry, but that may play more on our minds than the original worry to begin with! No so with God because He is more than capable to consume our worries without passing them on to anyone else!
We need to stop worrying about our worries and simply hand them over to God knowing He will work out a way forward for us. We have to stop and listen to what he has to say to us because we may have to do things in order for Him to help us; if we are not willing to listen to instruction, we may end up not having our worries taken care of...
Points to Ponder:
Do you worry about your worries?
Will you try to offload them to God and listen for answers?
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July 19: Exodus 3:9-12
Key Verse: Exodus 3:11
But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’
Devotion:
One of the things which I found unbelievable in the beginning was how God can use anyone to do His will. I was divorced and trying to raise a teenager, keep a demanding job, attend church and keep out of trouble… then He called me to step forward and to take on Christian youth work – so that’s not just looking after a bunch of rowdy teenagers, but giving them the spiritual guidance and food they needed!
I admit, I was petrified the first time I had to stand up and try to guide that lively group of young people. Who was I to do this when I had seemingly failed at my own relationship and was having trouble with my teenager! But I found out, if I was willing to listen to God and to wait on His for guidance, then I could do many things!
Moses was probably still thinking about what he had done to the Egyptian who was abusing his fellow countryman – how could he now stand up and go to Pharaoh and say they wanted to leave! The Egyptians had enslaved the Hebrew people and were even trying to control the population through what was essentially selective breeding!
But God knew Moses was the right person to step forward at that time and knew what would happen. God knew Pharaoh would say one thing and do another thing over and over again. God knew the Hebrew people would have to leave under drastic circumstances in order to survive. God knew He could not use the ‘best political leader’ to negotiate the terms of release. God chose Moses.
Points to Ponder:
Do you think you are not good enough to be used by God?
If God can use a murderer, why can’t He use you?
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July 18: Exodus 2:1-10
Key Verse: Exodus 2:6
She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. ‘This is one of the Hebrew babies,’ she said.
Devotion:
What do you do when you are faced with an impossible situation? Do you give up and accept what is going to happen or do you call out to God who can do anything? This is a side of Christians which people try to attack us with saying we do not face up to dangers and so call on an invisible God so we don’t have to face the consequences...
Let’s get something straight from the start – God does not say we will not have to endure consequences just because we are Christians or because we call out to Him. He does not say we are going to be protected from everything just because we call out to Him; but He does say He will hear every prayer and answer them.
In this story we see the plight of the Levite family who gave birth to a boy at a time when all baby boys were being killed by the Egyptians, a seemingly impossible situation. The family called out for God and placed their son’s life in His hands. The Pharaoh’s daughter saw the baby and had compassion on him had him weaned and brought to her to raise as her own son. This is how God made sure a man would be able to bring the Hebrews out of the grasp of the Egyptians. God was answering many prayers in the best way forward.
We do not have to give in to the world and accept whatever it throws at us, we are allowed to call out to God and ask for help in whatever situation we find ourselves in. But if we ask God to do things in spite or pride, we maybe should not expect Him to answer as we think He should. God is always going to be just and answer in a way which glorifies Him and is best for our lives with Him; keep that in mind and keep on asking!
Points to Ponder:
Do you give up on prayer because it seems too hard?
Will you trust God to answer in the best way?
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July 17: Exodus 1:8-14
Key Verse: Exodus 1:14
They made their lives bitter with harsh labour in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labour, the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.
Devotion:
What do you do when you life gets heavy with oppression or you know you are being judged unfairly? Do you accept it and continue to hope someone will change things, or do you call out to the One who can make a difference? Too many times we sit back and accept our ‘fate’ by accepting the things which are being done to us; either thinking we deserve what is happening or hoping for someone else to fix things for us.
How long did the Israelites continue to accept their ‘fate’ and how soon did they call out to God. As we go through some parts of this story again we will get to hear what happened and how God came to their rescue – though we may think God waited too long or the people waited too long or even the tyrannical rule of the Egyptians was too much…
No matter what predicament you may find yourself in, you should be calling out to God for help. When things seem to go awry, then is the time to make a call to God. Don’t leave it until you cannot cope any more because your mind and body may not last as long as you think they can – call out to God when you need Him!
Not all people will follow God or listen to Him. Not all people stick by Christians rules or morals. Not all people care about others or love their neighbours. We need to stand up and show we are different and that we do rely on God for our lives. Only when people see there is a different and more wholesome way of living will they think about change – be the change!
Points to Ponder:
How much do you take before you call out for help?
Are you complaining or call for help?
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July 16: Isaiah 55:10-13
Key Verse: Isaiah 55:12
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Devotion:
The more I read the Bible the more I am amazed at how God has made sure His Word has continued to be an open book for all to read despite what the rulers of the world would want to happen. Yes there are places all round the world where the Bible is no longer an acceptable book to read and most of those places are ruled by people who are scared at what the Word of God can do – because they lose control if God gains it!
The Word of God opens up a new world to all who are able to read it; it opens up hope, freedom and peace where rulers and leaders try to subdue, restrict and bring fear. When a leader loses the grip of fear they have over the people, the people feel free to oppose them and bring about real freedom.
Sadly there are church institutions which restrict the Word of God to what they wish people to hear so they can lead through subduing, restricting and bringing fear to the people. This is not God’s way and it will not lead to people knowing the Joy and freedom Christ brings to all. The early church in the UK restricted the Word of God by having a bible authorised by the King chained to places of worship and only the licensed priest could use those books.
God continues to make sure the bible is brought to as many people as possible in an increasingly free world. We are able to take God’s Word with us in devices which fit in the palm of our hands; no longer do the rulers have authoritarian control over The Word. The purpose of the Gospel is to reach all people with the truth and allow them to have free choice to follow God.
Points to Ponder:
Do you help to share God’s Word?
Or are you restricting what people get to hear?
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July 15: Matthew 10:24-33
Key Verse: Matthew 10:29
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.
Devotion:
No matter how much you tell people God is going to watch over them, they will have doubts and fears until the day when Christ steps forward and helps them out of a difficult situation… We can show people how God has looked after people throughout the bible and they may get scared of what God can do. We can tell people all God has done for us and they will have doubts. Even when Jesus told the disciples they would be looked after they had doubts – hence these words being spoken to them.
It is our nature not to trust what people say because of the amount of lies we face in this world we live in; the lies come from people we are told to trust and believe and even a few church leaders! But, no matter what goes on in the world around us, God never changes and will always be there for us. I love the words Jesus used here in describing the birds as being looked after by God.
We see birds as a symbol of freedom because they can fly high above the dangers we face on the ground. They can fly away when danger approaches. These birds are worth so little in our eyes and yet God looks after them all the time. A tiny young bird flew into my house the other week and I helped it to gain some energy and fly off back to the parents who could feed it properly.
God wants us to be like that fledgling, trusting in Him to protect us and to give us the right people and the right time to sustain us in our everyday lives. God can and does use many people to fulfil His will; and if we are willing He is able to use us for so much more too!
Points to Ponder:
Do you doubt your worth sometimes?
Do you know God is by your side right now?