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January 14: Psalm 19:7-14
Key Verse: Psalm 19:14
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Devotion:
When a lawyer has to go to court to defend a client, they want the best possible witnesses behind them and the best possible advice for their clients based on past court cases and events… If they are very good lawyers, they will search high and low to make sure they have as much data behind them to defend their clients to the best of their abilities. They will be standing up in front of a judge and jury to present their case and so they need all of this data behind them. They are the witness for their client...
When we try to witness to others about Christ, we need to know as much as possible so we can witness to the best of our abilities. This does not mean we need to know everything. Just like a new lawyer, we are still learning and we have to discover things before we can present them before others. We effectively need to study the law.
So what is the law we need to study? Is it the cases presented by the teachers of the law during the time of Jesus life on earth? No! Jesus was not impressed by them either. We should take on board what Jesus stood for and the law He used as His example. That law is the scriptures, or our bibles.
There is nothing more precious than God’s Word for us because it is the truth we need in order to be witnesses to others. This is the law we should try to study to be the most effective witnesses we can be. This is the law being talked about in these verses where the writer describes it as being the most precious thing we have. God’s Word!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you study the law?
How often do you read your bible?
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January 13: Mark 2:1-12
Key Verse: Mark 2:9
Which is easier: to say to this paralysed man, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up, take your mat and walk”?
Devotion:
I love this story about how Jesus was able to release this man from his past, not just spiritually but physically too. Jesus first reaction was to help the man with what they were struggling with; in this case the man must have been really struggling with the fact he was paralysed and was probably blaming his physical condition on what he had done in the past.
So many of us will blame ourselves for the spiritual and mental positions we are in by looking at the things we have done wrong in the past. This is not how Christ works! Jesus first healed the man of his spiritual problems by forgiving him – this was unheard of and the teachers immediately said Jesus was blaspheming! How could he forgive the man when it should only be God who does such things!
This was the teachers first fault, overlooking the fact Jesus was their Messiah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Nothing they could do would have released this man from his problems, but what Jesus said released him immediately!
Sensing what they were thinking Jesus turned to the teachers and asked them which would be more difficult, to simply say the man's sins were forgiven, or to physically heal the man just by telling him to get up and walk! As soon as Jesus told the man to get up and walk, he did! This should have put an end to any doubt those teachers had about Jesus; but it probably didn’t!
Points to Ponder:
What do you look to Jesus to do in your life?
Will you accept what He does for you in faith?
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January 12: Hebrews 3:7-14
Key Verse: Hebrews 3:10
That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, “Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.”
Devotion:
How many times have you said something horrible in anger after being provoked a bit too far? I’m sure we have all said things we don’t want to say or even repeat because they were out of character for us; that alter character being born from anger and provocation from people who were not thinking about your feelings...
Now think of that feeling a short while and see if you could have changed your ways at the time? The answer would probably be that you would very much like to change your actions at the time, but your were not in your normal state of mind because of the things which had probably been done and said to you just before that!
God had to put up with the people of Israel doing and saying horrible things time and time again. Eventually He got so angry with the people He made an oath which He looked back on and knew it was harsh – but if truth be told and we look back on the actions of the people of Israel at the time, those reactions may well have been deserved… but out of character for God. This is why we know God as a wrathful God. You continue rubbing Him up the wrong way and it may be inevitable He does something out of character!
This is where Christ comes in. He willingly paid the ultimate price for us so we could be forgiven for the things we do; you know, the time when we have provoked God so much we just know He is going to do something to us! That is the amazing love God has for us; He enabled His own Son to step up and take the blame when we deserved it!
Points to Ponder:
Have you provoked God recently?
Will you seek Jesus to forgive you?
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January 11: Mark 1:35-39
Key Verse: Mark 1:35
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Devotion:
Have you ever got caught up in work and forgotten something you had promised someone close to you? I know I do get carried away with work and have been known to forget things – on more than a few occasions! Jesus knew how important it was to make sure He made time to pray to His Father in Heaven. Just when things were getting busy and the disciples were getting excited about all the healing miracles and things, Jesus would try to calm things down a bit...
We often get far to busy with life and the world around us, forgetting how important it is to talk with God. This is what prayer is about – us making time to commune with God over everything, the mundane and the important! God wants to hear from all in all aspects of our lives and not just when we panic and need Him to fix things!
The disciples would get caught up in the world many times whilst they were following Christ. It is not that they lost faith or that they stopped doing things for God, they just got a bit busy and got caught up in worldly things instead of spiritual things!
God wants us to remember the spiritual aspects of our lives all the time. Jesus was well aware of this and made sure He spent time communing with God. Jesus would take Himself away from the business of life to make sure He could not just talk to God, but stop to listen properly as well. It is the listening part which we overlook when we are busy...
Points to Ponder:
How often do you pray?
How often do you stop and listen?
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January 10: Hebrews 2:5-12
Key Verse: Hebrews 2:9
But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
Devotion:
When I read these verses I am reminded of the marked differences between people from around the world. We often try to call people as being from the East or West, and we have seen how the Magi came from the East – but differences come in all shapes and sizes and not just cultural differences!
Just yesterday I was in a church attending a funeral where the majority of the people were Baptists with a few Church of England people, and I supposes a few others. The differences between the way they greeted each other were surprising even though the majority (if not all) were Christians. The way they spoke was different again being from different places in the UK. But we were all there to remember the life of a friend.
When Jesus came to be amongst us He was born as a Human baby, introduced as the Messiah and King of Kings. Brought up in Nazareth as part of a loving family and then a minister and teacher to many who would listen. The church leaders rejected Him because they felt insecure in the world they had built up around themselves. The country lowered Him to be amongst murderers and thieves. But God raised Him up into glory to sit by His side once again!
This is our Saviour in whom we believe. Our shepherd who willingly leads us. Our rock who gives us refuge and strength. This is Jesus Christ and we can make of Him what we choose – but He is still recognised as the King of Kings by our Father in Heaven!
It is by His grace we can be lifted up to join Him in Heaven!
Points to Ponder:
Do you lift Jesus up to His rightful position?
Are you looking forward to joining Him in Heaven?
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January 9: Hebrews 1:1-6
Key Verse: Hebrews 1:5
For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father’? Or again, ‘I will be his Father, and he will be my Son’?
Devotion:
Have you ever really thought about what it means to be called a child of God? During the Old Testament days God spoke to the people via a select few prophets whose task it was to tell the people what God was saying and wanting. But then God chose to bring His own Son to live amongst us and to teach mankind directly… who do you think has listened more intently, the people of the Old Testament, The people of the New Testament or people nowadays?
It is a sad thing people continue to be stubborn and not listen to God. It is also a sad thing people do not believe others who are trying to tell them the truth about God! How many of the prophets were talked ill of, judged by others or set upon by the crowds? We see and read the words of the major prophets because we have those words written down for us in our Bibles – but we don’t always listen to all of Gods people…
God spoke audibly to make sure people knew that Jesus was His Son; and yet many of the leaders of the church at that time rejected Him because they did not personally hear those words spoken in front of others. It was their choice to not believe in Jesus and theirs alone.
We have the same choice for ourselves. We can believe the Old Testament Scriptures. We can believe the New Testament Gospels and letters. We can believe other people of God as they speak to us. Or we can reject these things and so reject God. It is our choice and we need to make it, one way or the other.
Points to Ponder:
Have you made your choices?
Will you believe in Jesus the Son of God?
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January 8: Act 10:34-43
Key Verse: Acts 10:41
He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen – by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
Devotion:
When was the last time you won a raffle or other prize? Was it because you bought up all the tickets, or because you just bought one? Most of the time when someone wins a prize, it is because they bought a ticket, not a whole bunch of tickets! Whilst we can improve our odds of winning a prize by buying more and more tickets, it is not a guarantee because there is always a portion of chance in the raffles.
This is not how things work with God and certainly not how God sees it! Despite God choosing the people of Israel as His own, they were not always seen in a great light; often they would go off and do worldly things and ended up having to face the wrath of God rather than His love. When Jesus came to share the Gospel with them, they are the ones (talking about the majority here) who got Jesus placed on the cross for something He had not done!
We are not entering a lottery with Christ. When we accept Him as our Saviour, it is a sure thing; there is no chance involved, no matter what we have done in the past! Jesus did not skirt round the rough places in town. He did not avoid the sinners. He did not focus solely on the best synagogues or temples. Jesus met with anyone who was searching in their hearts!
This is the God we follow and the one who I accepted as my Saviour – Jesus Christ. He is the one who worked in my heart so I could see the error of my own ways, not the errors of the people around me or even my parents, but my own issues. He is the one who forgave me, personally!
Points to Ponder:
Do you seek to find a way out?
Have you asked God where to go yet?
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January 7: 1 John 3:19-24
Key Verse: 1 John 3:23
And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
Devotion:
How many times have you used the excuse “but I didn’t know it…” or something similar, blaming what has gone wrong on nothing more than ignorance along the line! God has given us the wherewithal to differentiate between right and wrong; He has buried this deep in our souls so we will always know. As we grow and live our lives we change and we take on new thoughts and new ways of doing stuff. You could say we change the rules as we go along.
This can be seen when we read through the bible as we see how the people of Israel started out getting to know God and trying their best to please God. As time went by they grew tired of having to do things for God because they grew spiritually lazy. This spiritual laziness encourage them to change the rules so they would not have to continue doing the things which they knew they ought to do…
God knows we grow weary and He know we will try change the rules, but he still loves us and He continues to try and support us because of this great love. That same love is what He wants each of us to expand on. That same love is what will allow us to keep doing the right things instead of giving in to the ways of the world.
At the centre of this God simply asks us to love one another just as Christ came to love each one of us. He was willing to lay down His life for us to demonstrate that love. We should be willing to go the extra mile to show our love for one another because we are all God’s children and sharing that love means sharing love with God’s family!
Points to Ponder:
Do you believe Jesus loves you?
Will you try to show someone you can love them?
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January 6: Psalm 72:10-14
Key Verse: Psalm 72:11
May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.
Devotion:
Today we celebrate the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ, the feast of Epiphany. Traditionally this is when the Magi arrived to visit the baby born in a stable and laid in a manger. God had already shown the Messiah to the shepherds and now it was time for a bit of pomp and ceremony.
Often we get tied up in making Christianity a solemn string of events and services and we neglect the remember the great feasts which were initiated so long ago and which have very deep meanings. Epiphany if the time when the Magi came into town to find the Messiah having been guided by a star and persuaded to bring the gifts of Gold, frankincense and myrrh. These were the special gifts brought to a new family who were in need; a need only met by God and not by man.
Far too often it is God who steps forward to care for the needy and spare the afflicted when mankind is the one who is here and now. We need to remember what God has done and apply these things into our lives. Just talking about them is not good enough; God wants us to do things!
Christ has shown us the example to follow, how to care for the needy who cry out, how to take pity on the weak, how to make the difference which will save them from death, how to rescue those from oppression and violence. We are all precious in Gods sight. We are here with our fellow humans. We can take care of them here and now.
Points to Ponder:
How often do you step up to help?
Will you step forward to help someone new today?
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January 5: 1 John 3:16-21
Key Verse: 1 John 3:17
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?
Devotion:
When was the last time you really sat down and meditated on God’s Word? I would like us to just read the words of these verses over a few times and think about what they say to us...
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
This is a measure of the love Christ has for us; He was willing to lay down His own life just for us even though we have done things wrong in our lives and even worked against Him!
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?
How often do you give to people in need? I’m not talking about the weekly or monthly bank draft for a charity but for the time when you stopped what you were doing just to go and help someone in need…
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
And then there is the stepping forward and actually doing something instead of just talking about it or saying you will do it…. Just when….
Points to Ponder:
How often do you display your love for others?
Will you stop and show love to someone today?