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March 26: John 11:1-16
Key Verse: John 11:15
and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.
Devotion:
This is one of those stories we need to remind us God can and does do anything. Jesus knew Lazarus was dead, but He also knew he would be brought back to life, not so much for his own sake but for the sake of the disciples so they would believe without question!
We tend to question so many things in our lives we get lost in all the thoughts and the wonderings; if we were able to put those feelings of hopelessness and being lost aside and fully rely on God, we too would be able to see the value in trusting Christ in everything. It is not our task to question if God can do something but to rely on Him when we know we cannot do anything, believing He is willing and able to do what we request.
Can you imagine what the scene was like with all the people mourning the death of the man Lazarus, asking why Jesus had not come to ‘fix’ him earlier and wondering what was going to happen now. Did some begin to have doubts? Did some of the disciples have doubts in the backs of their minds? Was Jesus doing thins just to make a point?
It is not our task to question God and take control in everything in life/ It is our job to simply trust Christ and to obey Him in everything! When we do that we are going to see the changes He can do in our lives and see just how much He loves us. It is when we see what He does for us we begin to have our eyes opened to greater things – that is where our faith and trust begins from...
Points to Ponder:
Do you seek physical proof before you trust and believe?
Will you trust and obey before casting doubt?
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March 25: Isaiah 7:10-14
Key Verse: Isaiah 7:12
But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.’
Devotion:
If you were to read this verse by itself you may well conclude Ahaz is being good and not putting God to the test… but we need to know who is doing the asking! If someone is asking you to get the Lord to do something just to prove He is real or more powerful than earthly things, then we should ignore such requests and stick to what we know – nothing is impossible with God!
But what happens when God does the asking? What should we do? Do we ask for a sign and make it look like we don’t have faith in God? Or do we ignore the request and show God we don’t trust what He is saying to us! It’s a difficult choice when we look at it from different angles, but one thing is sure: when God asks us to do something we should be willing to say “Here I am, use me!”
God may ask some strange things of us from time to time, but we need to know it is God talking and not our foolish pride or arrogance. We get to know who is doing the asking by making sure we obey Him whenever He asks of us. Sometimes that will put us in difficult positions with our friends and neighbours, but God is the one who knows what the outcome will be and we need to have the faith He does know.
We are the ones who need to get used to listening to God and obeying. If we always turn a deaf ear to what God says, we will find it difficult to listen when He really is asking something very important of us. The more we get used to listening to God and answering Him when He calls, the more we get to understand how He already knows the future and knows what we need...
Points to Ponder:
Do you draw away from God when He asks something you don’t agree with?
Will you trust God no matter what?
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March 24: Jeremiah 26:8-11
Key Verse: Jeremiah 26:11
Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, ‘This man should be sentenced to death because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!’
Devotion:
One of the warnings Jesus gave to the disciples was they would have to face persecution when they went out to teach people the gospel. This stands true for each one of us who pick up the Lord’s mantle and try to spread the truth, His truth. The more we try to do so the more upset the evil one becomes and the more he will try to break things for us; but God will always be looking out for us!
When Jeremiah obeyed God I’m sure he could see how the crowds were against him and how it would eventually lead to conflict with the authorities. This may have been something which worried him more than we can pick up through the things which are written down in the Bible. I guess we get to find out the truth when we meet up with him and all the other prophets in Heaven one day!
The people were eager to find out the truth and they crowded round Jeremiah whilst he was teaching others. They were beginning to see the tyranny which they were living under – a tyranny which was in part built up by the very people who said they were standing for God. We tend to get this in our modern society and even in the modern churches – people get a bit too involved with earthly means of trying to improve church gatherings…
God wants us to live with Him and raise up more disciples who will be willing to continue on the work we are trying to do, disciples who are willing to go out and make more disciples. When we target earthly rewards in our churches, the people will be pointed towards earthly gains and not spiritual gains or heavenly gains! Think about what God wants and not what you think He should have!
Points to Ponder:
What do you think is important in church?
How could anything be more important than God’s children?
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March 23: John 5:31-35
Key Verse: John 5:34
Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved.
Devotion:
Have you ever wondered whether you are being called to teach others about God? The answer is yes! We are all called to pass on the Gospel to other people, how much we do and where we do it is another question we face and one which you have to find out from Christ. You may think you are not worthy or you cannot ever hope to be able to teach others like you vicar or priest can, but the way in which God uses you is going to be unique to you and nobody else.
When the disciples were learning things from Jesus, they came across many situations which were new to them and had no precedent in their lives. Each of them were individuals and each would continue to live very different lives, even though they had one common teacher. This is because God has created each of us as an individual, unique in our own ways – because the world needs unique people, and some part of this world needs your individual uniqueness!
John was born in unique circumstances and lived a life which would revolve around teaching people about the Christ who was to come after him. God made sure John was born in these circumstances and made sure he gave his testimony to all who were willing to listen. This was all part of God’s plan; and that plan includes you at this very moment!
Jesus did not need to learn things from humans in order to be able to do anything He did, but He chose to listen and share what He could and when He could. He became part of the community of people who follow God so they would be able to know more about God together. This is just one way in which we can share Christ: by being together with others and talking about our experiences and our lives.
Points to Ponder:
Do you have trouble thinking how to share Christ with others?
Have you tried just being you and talking about what Christ means to you?
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March 22: John 5:24-30
Key Verse: John 5:27
And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
Devotion:
One of the things the religious people found hardest to accept was that Jesus was and is the Son of God. No amount of words at the time would convince the people who did not want to believe. The disciples had little problem believing Him because they continued to see the miracles He did every day and knew what they were hearing was lining up with the scriptures they had heard their whole lives.
This is the great thing, Jesus continued to tell people the truth and continued to try and convince those who had issues how He was telling them the truth. Through their own pride in their religion the people disregarded what Jesus was saying because they were upholding their religion more than the truth. When we get caught up in things which we gain from, we too may overlook the truth because we lose what we think we had already gained – but what use is it to gain the worldly things and lose our eternal lives!
Jesus tried to make it simple for them by telling them exactly what they had to do – to believe on Him as being the Son of God because God had given Him authority over judging the people. Nothing like someone who disagrees with you to make you look for your own way out! That is not the way of truth but the way of self gain.
Jesus wants us to be humble, honest and gracious amongst other things and in order for that to happen we need to know the truth, believe that truth and promote that truth. This is just one step of being a disciple. The people here were forcing their own rules on the people instead of lifting up God’s truth and ways. This gave them earthly power, but lined them up to be judged by Christ and lose their right to eternal life.
Points to Ponder:
Do you seek the truth?
Do you follow the truth?
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March 21: Ezekiel 47:1-9
Key Verse: Ezekiel 47:7
When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river.
Devotion:
The dimensions of the city, the temple and everything talked about in this description given to Ezekiel in his visions are quite staggering in many ways considering this was so many years ago. But the most important part to me is the depiction of this life giving water which is going to flow freely through the city, temple and out into the sea. The amount of water is staggering.
We know the the Jordan River area as a fertile place nowadays and it would have been quite a different place from the desert area Israel had been living through during the exodus times. I can’t help but see the hand of God reaching out and giving the people of Israel bucket-loads of water in a time when they needed Him most of all. But the real Living Water came from God and not from the rains or rivers…
Jesus proclaimed Himself as the Living Water to the Samaritan woman at the well showing her there was more to life than the water she could get with a bucket from the well. No matter how much we see the fertile lands which are around rivers, we should always remember the real goodness we get from Jesus which means more to us than any amount of water in the desert!
Nature will always allow plants to grow where there is water, be it on a mountain side or running through a desert, water always gives life to the earth. The same applies to the living water we gain from Jesus – no matter how bad the people are, no matter how far they are from God, all it takes is one person to know Jesus and the place begins to change, as long as they are willing to allow others to see the difference...
Points to Ponder:
What are you doing with Christ’s Living Water?
Are you sharing your living water, or hiding it from people?
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March 20: Psalm 89:26-36
Key Verse: Psalm 89:28
I will maintain my love to him for ever, and my covenant with him will never fail.
Devotion:
One of the biggest put-offs in life is a lie. When we place our trust in someone and they lie to us it is hard to accept things they tell us as the truth again. But we have a God who has never lied and who will always uphold the truth at all times!
I despair at the news most of the time as we continue to hear governments and world leaders fabricating the truth, telling lies and covering up misdoings just so they can remain in power or have power over someone else. It is not our task to judge those who do lie to us, but we can tell them we know the truth. Christ has asked us to try and forgive people time and time again – but in order to do that, they have to know we know the truth…
God has given us a promise He will never turn His back on any person who calls Him their father – not just mumbling the words or saying them out loud, but meaning then in their hearts. When we do so, He reciprocates with a promise to love and cherish us forever as a child of His! This is a very personal thing between God and you, not between God and your vicar or church leader, but between you and God with nobody else between!
It does not matter your brother or sister has rejected God. It does not matter your children do not see God as Father. It does not matter if your parents do not acknowledge God as Father – it is just you and God. Having said that I think I am lucky to know most of my family continues to love and cherish God; which makes all the difference in the world!
Points to Ponder:
Do you acknowledge God as Father?
How do you show Him and others?
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March 19: Exodus 2:1-10
Key Verse: Exodus 2:8
‘Yes, go,’ she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother.
Devotion:
One of the things which still surprises me is the amount of stories I hear about how God is looking after people in extraordinary ways. The story of Moses birth is just one of those moments where God used the soft heart of the Pharaoh’s daughter to make sure Moses would survive even when the Egyptian king was trying everything to make sure no baby boys were born to the Hebrew people.
If this were in more modern times the king would have an arrest warrant out on them for crimes against humanity; but this was a very different time back then. The people ruled with iron fists and would make sure they did everything and anything to ensure their survival. But, like always, there was a chink in his armour, the soft heart of his own daughter who felt sorry for the child crying in the basket.
As if that was not enough, God continues to make sure things get even more extraordinary. The servants of Pharaoh's daughter went to find a woman suitable for nursing the child and they chose the child’s real mother! And then… she gets paid for raising her own child, a child which should never have survived according to the law of the land!
God continues to do many miraculous things in our world today, just as He did back then. We may not get to hear of many of them because people are afraid to talk out when something has happened which just doesn’t seem to make sense! The press and peer pressure has made sure people do not step out of line and cause doubt within the system! But God continues to work! And He uses extraordinary mothers to do that every day!
Points to Ponder:
Do you know how extraordinary your mother is/was?
A blessed Happy Mothering Sunday to all God’s wonderful daughters!
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March 18: Luke 18:9-14
Key Verse: Luke 18:12
I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.
Devotion:
There is a fine line between being a proud Christian and being proud… I have always tried to play down my role in any church and have tried to live a low profile life, both in church and outside of church. I know there are many out there who will tell me how I need to be more assertive, take pride in my work, and advertise myself more, but none of those sit right with me in my heart.
I do enjoy doing what I do and do take pride in what I do; I will always try to do my best and don’t back down until I know I have done what I can. I believe God does watch over me and He knows what is in my heart and knows what I do – that is more than good enough for me. I really do know God watches over me because of all the answered prayers and the protection He gives me in everything I do.
To all those who say we should take more pride etc I ask: “who is the target or recipient of your pride?” I don’t know if that makes for good English, but I hope you get where I am coming from. If we are looking for recognition from the world, then the only rewards we get are going to be from this world. But if we look for recognition from God, then surely we will be rewarded by God. The problem comes with knowing how much pride to take and how much to give…
If we limit our giving to just get enough recognition, then we are not loving the Lord our God with our whole soul and heart. If we do things so other people will notice us doing things, then we are not working for God but for the people of this world. As a disciples of Christ we should be giving all we can and knowing God is going to reward us for what we give without the world having to get involved with our rewards at all!
Points to Ponder:
Who do you seek recognition from?
Will you give your all to Christ?
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March 17: Hosea 14:1-9
Key Verse: Hosea 14:1
Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall!
Devotion:
Have you ever noticed once you do something you are more willing to do it again – the same goes for good and bad things. Sometimes we have to muster up the courage to do something, like climb a mountain, and after we have done it once we realise it was not as bad as we thought. Or maybe we are tempted to do something wrong and we keep on putting it off until nobody is watching and then we give it a try, find it was not as bad as we thought and carry on doing it!
The good part is that when we do good things we are more likely to continue doing good things. The bad part is when we do bad things we are more likely to do bad things! The more bad things we do and get involved with, the more we drift away from God because we walk off in the other direction. He has been trying to tell us all along it is bad, but we ignored Him and we did it anyway!
We can see this pattern all throughout history where someone tries something bad and gets away with it at first so they continue one. Countries have been brought down. Governments have fallen, just because someone stepped out of line…
God continues to watch us and continues to try and convince us we are doing wrong. He uses the people around us, events and all manner of things to try and get us to see the righteous ways, but we are still given free choice and we continue to chhose what we like...
Points to Ponder:
How often do you try something new?
Will you try something new today which is good?