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April 16: John 20:24-29
Key Verse: John 20:27
Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’
Devotion:
When was the last time you were absolutely sure of something in your mind but when you had to face it you started to doubt? No matter how hard we try to hide our doubts, they will always show at some stage, normally at the most inappropriate moments!
Even though the disciples had been with Jesus all the time and had been taught as much as they needed to know, they still did not fully grasp the importance of the resurrection and when they were faced with it face to face, they had doubts it was real! This gospel tells us all who were present when Jesus appeared in their midst were overjoyed – but you can imagine the shock of Jesus suddenly appearing there! Thomas was not there and so doubted his fellow disciples were telling the truth…
A few days later Jesus again appeared in their locked house and Thomas was given the option to touch Him because Jesus could see the doubt in his soul: how could this be true when he saw Jesus die! Jesus knew how important it was for these chosen disciples to believe and have no doubts, this is why He came to visit them on more than one occasion after His resurrection. Thomas would travel far and wide for the rest of his life spreading the gospel as far as he could.
It is alright to have doubts in life, but if you have doubts about God then take those doubts to Him and He will give you a way of dispelling those doubts. For Thomas it was the invitation to touch Him after he appeared before him. For me it was hearing how other people had been affected by my prayers in ways which could not be explained by earthly means!
Points to Ponder:
Do you have doubts about God?
Have you admitted those doubts to Him yet?
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April 15: Acts 4:13-21
Key Verse: Acts 4:19
But Peter and John replied, ‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!
Devotion:
This is one of those contentious issues where things get taken out of context all the time and people start arguing with one another! You will get people in the church hierarchy calling for people to fall in line and obey the rules and you will get the eager rebellious folk storing up feelings within the church. What it should always come down to is “listen to God!”
The Sanhedrin were gathered together to stop Peter and John from causing crowds to gather and preaching and doing things in the name of Jesus Christ. Why, because they were too used to being in charge of the church and they did not want to let the people get control of things instead of them. They believed they were listening to God because of the law laid down by Moses so many years ago. They had changed a few things along the way to fit in with they lives, but they largely were following the scriptures.
The issue came when they would have to admit to Jesus being the Messiah. In their minds they had not seen enough proof He was the Messiah. Peter and John healed people who stood before them, but they did not want to believe this was because of Jesus; that would put the control of the church into Jesus’ hands and into the hands of the disciples in people’s eyes.
This still goes on today. Someone stands up and does something in the name of Christ and church leaders play it down or reject it because it did not come from someone who has trained for many years to be a priest or other leader. Whatever happens in the life of the church needs to be grounded in Christ’s teachings and following Christ’s ways – that is just one reason why God sent Jesus down, to teach us what is righteous.
Points to Ponder:
Do you stick to the religious rules?
Will you try listening closer to Jesus?
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April 14: John 21:7-14
Key Verse: John 21:11
So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.
Devotion:
I wonder if you have ever done silly things just because you loved someone… There is something about the love we share with others which will allow you to act out of characters and do things which you otherwise would not have thought of! Those disciples which were fishermen had gathered together and went to try and get some fish again – what else were they going to do no Jesus was dead!
They already knew the answer to that – they should go out and make disciples! But they chose to go and fish instead. Nothing was caught initially until Jesus told them to try the other side of the boat; where they caught more fish than they had before. So what’s odd about that? First, Peter launched himself off the boat into the water to get to Jesus as quickly as possible just like a child would do when they saw their parents. Next, when the boat came in they dragged the net to shore, which seemed too full to be true! Professional fishermen would not put their net in jeopardy to bring in the fish, some would probably have been let out so the net would certainly not break… instead they dragged the whole net in.
This shows the two sides of people whom God has called to serve. The one side being where the people put it off because they are not sure and go back to the old life because they know that. The second being obeying – they listened to what Jesus said and fished on the other side of the boat. The third is being joyful in Christ and showing the rest of the world you are joyful. The forth is trusting; they trusted Jesus knew the answer and pulled in the net when it was too full.
Jesus calls us when He knows the answer already. He is not going to call someone whom He knows will always fail; He calls those whom He knows are ready on the inside – they just have to put the world aside, obey God, be joyful in the work and trust Jesus does indeed know...
Points to Ponder:
Do you carry on going back to your everyday life?
Is it time for you to listen to God?
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April 13: Acts 3:17-26
Key Verse: Acts 3:21
Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
Devotion:
How many times do you look back on the things you were told as a young child and see how they come true when you are an adult? Some of the things which used to confuse you as a child suddenly start to make sense… What you do with those things will start to define you from this moment onward. If you continue to reject them you will grow to not trust in much. If you accept them and live with them you will grow to accept the truth and hold on to it. Choices we make change our lives!
I would have loved to be a fly-on-the-wall during times like these where a disciple tears into the Jews for what has happened and tells them plainly of the truth they ignored. But Peter does not reject the Israelites because of what they have done; he reminds them of the truth of the scriptures which they have followed all their lives. That truth being they need to have faith in the scriptures, faith in God and now that Jesus has lived out the story of their Messiah, faith in Christ!
This is not the end of the story because this is just another step in the scriptures being fulfilled. Jesus was raised from the dead and He must return to Heaven, just as He said. That time of Jesus being in heaven is a time span through which we need to show faith. We do not know the time span, how long, how far, how good, how bad… but we do know Christ will return one day when at the time God has appointed!
We have had all the warning we are going to get. We have had the Messiah come and be with us. We have crucified the Messiah. God raised Him up from the dead. Now we wait. Now is the appointed time to wait, with faith...
Points to Ponder:
How do you define your faith?
Will you wait patiently for Christ to return?
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April 12: Luke 24:28-32
Key Verse: Luke 24:31
Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him, and he disappeared from their sight.
Devotion:
Have you tried to meet up with an acquaintance after years of being separated and found you do not recognise them at all physically because you have both changed so much? It may only be after a while of being together when you start recognising the things they used to say and do which bring all the memories flooding back...
This story was only a short time after Jesus had been hung on the cross, had died and had disappeared, or at least that is what it may have looked like to them. They were certainly not expecting their Messiah to casually walk with them along the road to Emmaus! They simply did not look for Jesus and so their minds were closed off from seeing Him for who He was. But as soon as He broke bread in the same manner as He had done previously, their memories came flooding back!
There are going to be times in our lives when we are walking with God but do not recognise it because of all the distractions of the world and our own clouded minds and hearts. But as soon as He does something for us we recognise it was Him and are filled with joy.
The distractions of this world may not seem like anything now, or when you are being distracted by them, but the longer we endure the distractions, the more they detract us from our walk with God. He is still there. We are still with Him… but we seem a bit disconnected and don’t recognise all he is doing for us. We need to watch and pray always because it is during the quiet times God is doing the work and changing the world. We need to be awake and aware of Him as much as possible...
Points to Ponder:
What things distract you in life?
Will you try and listen out for what God is doing today?
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April 11: Psalm 33:16-19
Key Verse: Psalm 33:17
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.
Devotion:
There are many things in life which we think are safe but turn out to have flaws which let us down. In the UK people regard their houses as being the safe haven away from the world, but so many places do get burgled because of a fault or destroyed because something was wrong. Whilst we may be able to rely on many things most of the time, there is only One who we can rely on all of the time!
Kings, rulers and leaders have all been brought to their knees because people came up against them – no matter how big the army is, if enough people take a stance, the leader will be brought down; all it takes is for the truth to come out and people will rather stand for the truth than continue to live a lie. So the only safe place is with the One who does not lie!
We have a lot of technical marvels in this world, from the biggest tunnel boring machines which cut through mountains to the tiniest instruments used in the most delicate surgery; but all of those instruments are only as good as the people wielding them or driving them. You get the picture? There is only One for which anything is possible!
For every person who is willing to say God is in charge of their lives and to trust Him with and for everything, the Lord will continue to be there and continue to love and support them through all things in life. Yes we will still have to face the thieves, murderers, tyrants, rotten leaders, mistakes of others; because we still live in this world in which they try to thrive. Ask God to be a bigger part in your life and give Him the control He needs to keep you safer and stronger!
Points to Ponder:
Do you really trust God?
Will you give Him more control?
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April 10: Psalm 16:5-8
Key Verse: Psalm 16:2
I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.’
Devotion:
When was the last time you had one of those days where everything seemed to go well and you found yourself enjoying every moment of it? I hope it has not been a long time for you! As we move into the new Christian year, we put behind us all the thoughts about what Christ had to go through on the cross and we start to look for new life, maybe new beginnings and generally start to enjoy things like spring (at least in the Northern hemisphere we move into spring!)
For the eagle eyed of you, you will have noticed the key verse is not in the list of verses to read… The first few verses of this psalm remind us David always took refuge in God: in the bad times, the good times and everything in between. Yes he did go astray sometimes, but he always knew in his heart that God was there and looking after him. When things were rough, he knew he could count on God!
But what happens when everything goes according to plan? What happens when everything seems to fall into place? Do you still look to God? Or do you take a breather and rest in your comfort? The middle part of this Psalm talks about the security David found in God, not just when things were bad but when everything was good too. It is those times when everything is good when the evil one will try to trip us up because that is when we are actually most vulnerable.
When the world seem good to live in, we tend to gravitate towards the things of the world. We tend to live in the world instead of living in God’s arms as we do when it is not so good. Christ died for everyone, for the good times and the bad times, but we do need to know that and remember that!
Points to Ponder:
Do you live in the world?
Will you try stand a bit closer to God today?
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April 9: Matthew 28:1-7
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:
One of the biggest comforts I get from being a Christian is I do not have to face death in the same way as the rest of the world! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like the idea of having to die physically, but I know in my heart that is not the end of everything but the beginning of something very special.
Seeing the pain and anguish some people face when they know they are coming to the end of their physical life should be enough to put anyone off; and seeing the demeanour of someone who knows Christ is quite different when they face their physical death. Jesus had to face so much more than we could imagine for our deaths because He was taking on a lot more than just physical death.
But today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the reason why He was not fearful of the physical death which faced Him a short while before. Many people look for ways in which they can live a few more years or stay looking younger as they get older, but what they lose sight of is the reason for living! Jesus example to us should change everyone's minds, but sadly many people close their minds off from the hope we have through Jesus.
Jesus death and resurrection gives us the hope of eternal life after our physical death and gives us a comfort which goes far beyond the anguish we may have to face when we near our physical death. Each person who went to look for Jesus in the tomb was looking to physical evidence and a reason to mourn. What they found was evidence Jesus had come back to life and a reason to celebrate!
Points to Ponder:
Do you get caught up in the anguish of death?
Will you look forward to the joy of eternal life instead?
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April 8: 1 Peter 4:1-6
Key Verse: 1 Peter 4:2
As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.
Devotion:
Jesus did not keep it a secret how we would have to face sufferings of various kinds just because we follow Him. The more we reflect Christ through our lives the more we will face opposition for simply doing what Christ asks of us. Nobody likes to be shown up for the things they do wrong, and living a Christ-like life will show up people around you just because people will see His ways through what you are doing.
People will try to tempt you into following earthly ways and will wonder why you do not join them in their wicked ways; the answer should be made clear to them so they understand why you choose to live the way you do. It is not your task to judge others or to shame them into doing or not doing something. It is your job to live more like Christ so others can see the difference and make decisions for themselves.
If we look into our lives we will see all sorts of things we have done wrong in our pasts and many of those things could well be worse than what others are doing – not because of the act itself but because of the intent behind the act. God wants us to continue to do what is right, but aiming to do what is righteous in all ways is a better aim in our lives.
Do not allow the world to convince you there is no sin when everyone else is doing it too – that just means everyone is sinning! Jesus gave His life for the things we have done wrong. If you have time today, spend a bit of time thinking of the times you chose to do wrong and what that did for Jesus. Spend a bit more time thinking of the things you do before you jump in and do it anyway!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you think before you act?
Will you spend a bit more time thinking?
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April 7: John 18:15-18
Key Verse: John 18:17
‘You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?’ she asked Peter. He replied, ‘I am not.’
Devotion:
What do you do when people mock you about knowing Jesus? What do you do when people mock Jesus around you? We all like to think we would stand up for Jesus and not allow anything bad to be said about Him, but we may well fail in the same manner as Peter did here. The failure is not because we do not know Jesus or that we do not love Him, but because we fear for our own lives instead.
Jesus has taught us we are to deny ourselves and follow Him; but this is a very big ask of many people because they have so much to lose in the world. When a certain rich man asked Jesus how to be saved he was told he would have to sell everything first – this was the centre of this rich man's life! When we cling on to worldly things our bond with Jesus is not as strong as it could be and certainly not as strong as we think it is! The world and it’s temptations goes much deeper than all the bad things we can think of!
We are going to face many things in our lives which will tempt us away from Jesus just as Jesus Himself had to face temptation from the evil one! The temptations will sound much better than anything we have in our lives; that is what makes them temptations! Jesus knows we are going to face them and He tries to give us the strength to reject them – but it is our choice as to what we do in the end.
Peter chose the easy way out because he saw what was happening to Jesus. He did not want to get taken away by the Romans and probably could not see why this should happen to Jesus. He may have been thinking: how is Jesus not saving Himself? But Jesus made the choice to do this for us. He willingly gave His life for us.
Points to Ponder:
Who were Jesus disciples at this time?
Do you realise Jesus did this for you too?