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June 14: Psalm 78:1-4
Key Verse: Psalm 78:2
I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old
Devotion:
Have you ever wondered how you could convince someone God is real? When I started out in ministry I think that was my biggest fear – how do I convince these young people God is real when they are so materialistic and cannot seem to separate themselves from the world and all its scientific wonders! I think the best way I can answer this question is by asking another question of you: what made you change your mind about God?
Sometimes we look in all the wrong places when we want to get something done, none more so that when we want to be able to tell people about God, you know, that unseen being who made everything and is made up of three parts which are the same, but different…
Jesus spent much of His ministry telling parables. He did not stand there and try to justify God or convince people unless called upon to do so – most of the time He was telling stories so the people could relate to the idea God is real. Those parables allowed people to see the difference between the world and God and allowed people to want to find out more. You see, our task is not to convince people God is real but to open their hearts to the idea He is real.
Once people start asking within themselves, God through the Holy Spirit will be able to convince them of the truth. Just like in a court of law, the attorney tries to open the jurors minds that there are possibilities they have not heard of yet. They then expand on those ideas and give witness accounts to allow the jurors to make up their own minds about the innocence of the accused.
Points to Ponder:
What allowed you to see God is real?
What parable do you think you could tell people to open their minds to God being real?
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June 13: 2 Corinthians 1:18-22
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 1:20
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.
Devotion:
How many times have you asked someone for a definitive answer and they give you “well yes and now?” When we ask a question we do expect to have a definitive answer – i.e. it is going to be a firm “yes” or a firm “no” and not something which is a mixture of those answers. I come from a part of the world where it was common to hear the answer as being “yes but no” because that had become a part of our lives...
When you are asking a serious question the last thing you want to hear is an answer which is going to immediately contradict itself! Fortunately we don’t get those sorts of answers from God; we may not always like the answer He gives us because it may go against what we think we want to hear from Him, but we will always get an honest and truthful answer!
When people asked Jesus questions He answered them with the truth. When people were trying to trick Him into breaking the laws they had created, He either questioned them on their stance or He gave an honest answer which brought their law into question. When people tried to make a witch-hunt out of looking for Jesus, He would often turn the other way and leave them to fight amongst themselves rather than giving in to man's laws.
We should be aiming to be more like Christ and to give honest and truthful answers to everything. When we see people trying to entrap us by asking difficult questions we should not tell a ‘white lie’ to get out of it but to give an honest answer or question them on why they need to know. If they are expecting an honest answer should we not expect an honest answer from them too?
Points to Ponder:
Do you often give in with a white lie or two?
Will you try to give honest and open answers?
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June 12: Matthew 5:1-12
Key Verse: Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Devotion:
When Jesus was teaching the disciples it was to prepare they to be the next disciple makers and not just to get them to teach people the gospel – the two must go hand in hand for without the actions the words may seem to be empty! Jesus wanted them to know how important it is to do the work on top of talking the talk...
The way Jesus described the blessed people should speak volumes to us and make us want to go out and bless others in the same way as Jesus wanted to bless others. This is the core of loving our neighbours. The people who need to be blessed are the people who are having the most difficult lives. Those who are rich and comfortable probably do not need as much support as those who are poor and in need. We need to be the people who stand up and offer our help because we are the children of God being spoken of here!
Jesus called people to take action and help the people who need it the most. The people who are not sick do not need to go to hospital, but the people who are sick may well need the help of the right people to make them better again. This is the same philosophy Jesus is teaching them here. The people who need to know about Christ the most are the people who are being hurt the most through the lives they are living.
Jesus wants us to have good lives which must entail others stepping up and helping when they can. Without the people who can help, we get stuck in ruts and go downhill, but with the people who can help we manage to get out of trouble and live a better life. The best we can hope for is to live a life with Christ at the centre where He will be able to give us the love and support at first hand!
Points to Ponder:
Who are the people who have helped you the most?
Are you willing to step forward and help someone in the name of Christ?
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June 11: Job 29:11-16
Key Verse: Job 29:16
I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger.
Devotion:
What does it mean to love your neighbour? Well, Job had a rough time as the evil one tried to get him to turn against God, but he never forgot what it was all about in his heart. Yes we give in to things in our lives and when the going gets too tough we ask for help or even give in, but that does not change our core beliefs; and this is what I see when I read Job’s final defence against the aggravation he was receiving on all fronts.
He turned back to examine himself to make sure he had not missed anything and in doing so remembered what he was doing for all of his neighbours. Those who knew him or met him would talk fondly of him and would commend him for the work he did, something I’m sure he took in his stride and played down. But it was to the people whom were directly affected by what he did his memories turned here.
The poor who cried out for help would be the ones he would target for help and support. Those orphans and families who had lost parents would be there on the list to help. Those who were reaching their end of life would praise him – so he must have been doing something for them too! The widows who were shunned by others would be helped by him. The disadvantaged would be supported wherever he could help…
It did not have to be friends or friends of friends before he would step forward and help, he stepped out and helped before people came to him asking for help. This is the righteousness he was talking about – the righteousness according to God’s standards and not to man’s standards. He chose to actively be active for the needy rather than waiting to see who falls before he stepped forward to help!
Points to Ponder:
Do you count yourself as a good person?
How often do you help the needy before they ask for help?
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June 10: Mark 12:38-44
Key Verse: Mark 12:38
As he taught, Jesus said, ‘Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the market-places,
Devotion:
One of the things which stood out to Jesus during His ministry on earth was the way the teachers of the law did more than they were supposed to do, and not in a good way! As a church warden for our local church in the village I can be called on to do many things which people don’t normally think about, and there is more which we do over and above the things we are asked to do, but we aim to do it with the same love Jesus did things for His disciples and the people He came into contact with.
There are, unfortunately, some who take on positions in the church and abuse their position of authority. Jesus saw this happening and was teaching the disciples this may look like the right thing according to the law, but not according to God’s wishes. If we impose rules and regulations on the people we come into contact with which are not in line with Christ’s teachings, then we are no batter off that the teachers of the law Jesus is talking about here!
Jesus went out of His way to love and support those around Him. If we are not doing the same then we may be seen as falling short in God’s estimation! God wanted us to see what real love is about and taught us through what Jesus did during His ministry. The love we show through what we do for God is a measure which seems to have grey lines in our world!
We see people who make a show of putting money in the offering or make a show of doing things for the church and yet turn away from doing things to support the local community. On the other hand we see people who do everything they can to support others in the community but cannot afford to put much in the offering… Just as Jesus saw the true love they show, God sees what is in our hearts...
Points to Ponder:
Do you make a show of doing things for ‘God’?
Will you do more for Him in secret?
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June 9: 1 Peter 4:7-11
Key Verse: 1 Peter 4:10
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Devotion:
None of us know the appointed time when Christ will return to take us home. None of us know when a natural disaster will strike. We have a fantastic scientific community around the world who work hard to try and predict various natural disasters and many have come close to or actually succeed in warning people something is about to happen. Christians around the world have been trying to warn people Christ is going to return; and we admit we do not know the time, which may lessen the impact of what we warn people about.
If we could know the time then we could give people a definite warning of a date and time which would make a big difference to how people see us… So what are we supposed to do instead of giving the exact date and time of Christ’s return to warn people of the impending event?
Christ’s command is quite clear. We have to love one another. One of the best ways to show love to others is through doing things for them. God has created each of us different from others, so each of us may have skills others do not have. If we can use our skills to show people we care about them – that is fulfilling Christ’s wishes!
When we speak to others we should be speaking in ways which support God’s Word. We should not be speaking against God and not upholding things which work against God’s Word. We need to do whatever we can up promote the bible and its content because it is God’s Word which has the best chance of convincing others of Christ’s return!
Points to Ponder:
How do you like to persuade people you know what you are talking about?
Will you support God’s Word?
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June 8: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 11:26
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Devotion:
I think we often forget about the timing and the immense roller-coaster of feelings Jesus would have been going through on the day He chose to share bread and wine with the disciples. Jesus was with the disciples but He also knew what was about to happen – from this moment on there was no turning back! He chose to share the last meal with the disciples knowing full well one of them would betray Him and He would no longer share a meal with them in this state.
Jesus chose to thank God for everything, including what was about to happen before He broke the bread. Then He broke the bread and offered it to each disciple telling them they should do this in the future to remember what was going to happen – His body would be broken for them as the perfect sacrifice.
Then He took the cup of wine and offered it to the disciples so they would remember how His blood would be shed for them. This must have been a confusing time for them because they did not fully understand what was happening and being told their master’s body would be broken and He would bleed for their sakes must have shaken them up a bit. But the focus here was to do these things to remember what Jesus was about to do.
When we share bread and wine in our churches, do you ever think about what Jesus must have gone through in His heart and mind as He chose to share the bread and wine with the disciples at this their last supper together. Do you realise the sacrifice Jesus has made for us in giving up His earthly life for our sakes – knowing we are sinners!
Points to Ponder:
When you offer to do something, do you offer whatever it takes?
Jesus did what was necessary for our salvation – because He loves us!
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June 7: 1 Peter 1:18-25
Key Verse: 1 Peter 1:25
but the word of the Lord endures for ever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you.
Devotion:
When it comes down to sacrifices and the Old Testament there were different innocent animals which would be sacrificed for various things not withstanding how much you could afford as well. But the sacrifice which has paid for our sins once and for all is greater than any sacrifice ever made or what ever will be made. The Son of God sacrificed Himself, pure and innocent, living flesh, Holy and one of a kind never to be matched.
Everything which was sacrificed up to that point was perishable. Even the human body which was Christ Jesus was perishable, but His spirit and soul are eternal just as our spirit and souls are eternal. That is the love Jesus has for us, that He willingly laid down His body as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, now and forever.
No matter what wealth and titles we accumulate over the years as we live on earth, none of that is going to stay with us forever. Yes it will stay with us while we are alive and living on earth, but after that they remain as we move on. The things which stand out as being permanent like Jesus’ sacrifice are the Word of God and everything He stands for.
We can and will join Him in Heaven for eternity if we are willing to believe Jesus did this all for us and ask Him to take on the burden of our sin debt so we can be set free once and for all.
Points to Ponder:
Do you look at the bible as another book?
Or do you look at it as the Living Word of God?
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June 6: Mark 12:13-17
Key Verse: Mark 12:17
Then Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.’ And they were amazed at him.
Devotion:
When a new Christian asks me about the laws of the world or when someone tries to object to the work I do, this story always comes to mind. Have you ever thought about how you would approach the subject when someone tries to make you choose between following the local law or following what they think God says? Note how I word the question: how they think God says!
After years of working in a company where the majority of people were not Christians and seeing the growing difference between their lifestyles and the life I was looking to live, I grew to depend more of Christ and what I believe He is asking of me rather then what the world or the people of the world ask of me. When I am asked about why I do things the way I do I like to try and open up about my life as a Christian and one of the biggest hurdles some have is how I want to support the church and other people all the time!
Just because I am a Christian who does things differently from the rest of the world does not mean that I can ignore the laws of the world; instead I strive to live within the law and to be a better example for others. This is what Jesus was saying here to the Pharisees and Herodians who were trying to see if Jesus would break the local laws. We do things differently because of what God has asked of us, but we still have to obey the local laws of the places we live.
There are few places in the world where local laws will demand you do not obey Christ’s teaching; when that happens you make the choice yourself as to what you are willing to do. God calls us to be disciples who are willing to go out and spread the gospel. If we can do that without upsetting the locals then we have an easier task to be able to tell them about the truth as we know it.
Points to Ponder:
Do you struggle with non-Christians?
Do they see you as a law-abiding person?
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June 5: Mark 12:1-12
Key Verse: Mark 12:7
But the tenants said to one another, “This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.”
Devotion:
This is one of those stories I find very disturbing in the bible; realising this is the way human society and some cultures have gone or are heading is not a comforting thought! This was written so many years ago as a parable and yet it continues to happen for real nowadays. The greed of mankind knows no bounds!
Although this was probably not meant to be a prophecy about our modern times, it is sad to see it so. There are, fortunately, still many cultures where people do look out for each other and do actively care for people. Thankfully I live in a village where some people do care for others even though there are a few who seem to go against everything Jesus stood for.
I’m not going to harp on about how Jesus will return in person and rid the world of these types of evil people; instead I am going to say we should be the ones trying to make a difference in our communities. Where we see injustice or uncaring we should be willing to step forward and find justice for those in need and care for the poor.
This is not a vigilante world, even though it may seem so at times, but a world where God made disciples who need to go out and make more disciples. That is the only way we will be able to change the views of the people to allow them to see there is hope even when there seems to be none. That hope is only through introducing Jesus Christ into the lives of others.
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel like you live in a place where people conspire against you?
Have you tried asking Christ the way forward to help others?