- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 697
January 4: John 2:1-5
Key Verse: John 2:4
‘Woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My hour has not yet come.’
Devotion:
I wonder if you have asked God to do something for you which is not quite right? Mary asked Jesus to perform a miracle here – I’m sure she knew full well He was able to do anything and I wonder whether this had happened before, but in private… With all the people around, the disciples and all the wedding guests, Jesus could not really make this one go unnoticed...
But, at the same time, Mary knew it was not what she was able to do but what Jesus was able to do because God was supporting everything around Jesus the man. Because of the way her life had panned out, Mary knew God was with them every step of the way. She knew God always answered prayers and knew Jesus was in a special place to get them answered quickly.
Jesus’ reaction was to say it should not have been the time to show everyone what miracles God was able to do through prayer, but He also knew of the special relationship between God and Mary. He continued to answer prayers, even when it meant coming out!
Mary’s reaction was to tell the servants to listen very carefully to what Jesus would tell them to do and to do it no matter how silly it may sound. She knew God would be able to do anything with the most mundane physical things around them – in this case the empty jars and the water were going to become the choicest wine of the evening.
Points to Ponder:
Do you back down from prayers because you think God will not answer?
Will you go ahead and ask Him what is on your heart?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 740
January 3: John 1:43-51
Key Verse: John 1:46
‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked. ‘Come and see,’ said Philip.
Devotion:
These days around Jesus’ baptism mark the beginning of His ministry to so many people and the fulfilling of the scriptures – and yet so many people chose to not believe, and many still choose to not believe. Nathanael was sitting under a fig tree doing whatever he used to do when Philip came up to him and said about finding the Messiah emphasizing it was Jesus of Nazareth.
Whether Nathanael was bias or because of how he was brought up, he did not want to believe any Nazarite could be good, let alone be the Messiah! It only took a few words with Jesus for him to become a believer… he must have know the scriptures and known what the Messiah would be capable of. For Jesus to acknowledge him despite the words he had said about Jesus, must have made all the difference!
What did Jesus do? He invited Philip to come and follow Him, to join in the teachings and learning and to be a disciple. What did Philip do? He did what a disciple should do and approached someone else with the truth to get them to come and discover Jesus for himself.
Our task as disciples of Christ is not to go round converting the whole world because if we think we can do that, we have made a very bold and invalid assumption to start with. Philip was correct in telling Nathanael the truth and inviting him to come and meet with Jesus for himself. It is Jesus who does the converting!
Points to Ponder:
Do you think you would make a good disciple?
Will you invite someone to meet with Jesus?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 737
January 2: John 1:19-23
Key Verse: John 1:23
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Make straight the way for the Lord.”’
Devotion:
How many times have you been told to do something and you have followed the instructions exactly as told? If you are like me then you find it hard to blindly follow instructions because you want to be able to do what is good for more people and not just for a single person asking things of you. Things were a bit different for John because He knew he had been asked by God to do something special!
We may look back on things and wonder why John was out in the dessert talking to people about God and baptising them in the river. We may look at his like and wonder what possessed him to live a life where he was dressed in a shabby manner and eating strange foods when he may have been able to choose a better career instead.
God has a plan for each of us but it is not always easy to follow the plan He has for us. We may think we know better and go off and do something similar to what He is asking only to find out it was not right and you end up having to restart things. I have tried to listen to God in my life for the past twenty years and have found it hard… life keeps on getting in the way!
It is sometimes hard to focus on the little things He is asking when we have big, loud things surrounding us and taking all our attention! John’s task was simply to open the way for Jesus to do His ministry. Sometimes we get too involved with what we think we can do, get sidetracked and go off doing some pretty good things – but is it what God asked of you in the beginning?
Points to Ponder:
Do you think you are listening to God?
Have you tried to make things better by yourself?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 750
January 1: Luke 2:8-21
Key Verse: Luke 2:15
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’
Devotion:
Have you ever wondered why God chose the shepherds to be the ones who heard the news first? I believe it was because they had the noble profession of looking after others. This is top of the list in God’s eyes and reflected by what Jesus told us during His ministry too!
God did not choose the Kings and Queens of the land; they heard the news via other people and through watching the stars. Instead, God sent angels to the shepherds who were patiently and faithfully watching over the animals. These people were probably not the wealthy owners of the sheep but the hired hands who were tasked with looking after the flock.
This is what God has tasked of us too – to look after the flock. Wherever God has sent you, be it to the richest neighbourhood of the land or to the poorest places on earth, He has sent you there to reach out to the people there and allow them to know of the hope we have through what Christ has done for all of us!
The shepherds were not high society people but people who were passionate about their jobs – looking after others. They spent their days and nights away from home to make sure others were kept safe and well.
Points to Ponder:
Where are you?
Happy New Year!
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 626
December 31: John 1:29-34
Key Verse: John 1:33
And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.”
Devotion:
How well do you try to listen to God? Notice I said how well do you TRY to listen to God… None of us is perfect, each of us has our own unique faults which we live with, some of which we try to keep in check and others which we just accept as being the way we are… If you are at the stage where you have not yet started to accept you are different and you have faults, then maybe now is the time to start trying to accept this fact!
God tries to speak to us in many ways in our lives, through what others say and do with us, through His Word, the Bible and sometimes we even hear from Him in our dreams or visions. How we react to these events is how we are listening to God. We could say we are very scientific and need proof of everything in our lives. We could say we are like lawyers and need written testimony.
Let’s face it, we could come up with a whole lot of excuses to not listen to God – and some of those may simply be because we are scared to listen! What if He asks us to do something different? What if He wants us to go and tell others about Him? We get worried when we hear things which are different to our normal lives!
John was told, through a vision, the Messiah would come to him and he would be able to identify Jesus by seeing the Spirit Descend on Him! This was also the one who would baptise people through the Spirit and not just with water! John listened, waited and then obeyed!
Points to Ponder:
Are you listening? Are you waiting?
Will you obey?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 684
December 30: Luke 2:36-38
Key Verse: Luke 2:38
Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Devotion:
But it doesn’t stop with just Simeon being there at the right time and place… Anna was a prophet who was also guided by God. She had been widowed after just seven years of married life but continued to trust in God. Now, at the age of eighty-four she was worshipping at the temple as she had continued to and was now blessed by being able to meet the Messiah before other people got to know the truth!
The more I read the whole Christmas message, the more I get to love God for showing me how special I am. He has done all of this for me and for you. This is His personal gift to you to show you how much you mean to Him. Read through the Christmas story and see how so many things came together at the right time and place to show the world just who He is… yet the world turned Him down.
We now have the choice as to whether we continue to trust in and believe in Him, or to do what the world has done and turn our backs on God. I want to do the former and continue to trust in Him, always. He has shown me so many special moments which go beyond simple coincidence to make me believe He is my Lord and Saviour.
I want you to be able to feel the same about God as I do. Yes, you will make mistakes just as I do, but He has set in motion the whole world just to show you how much you mean to Him. Follow His word and allow Him to open your heart to the true meaning of love.
Points to Ponder:
Do you find life difficult at times?
Will you remember the Christmas story next time you feel down?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 685
December 29: Luke 2:25-35
Key Verse: Luke 2:32
a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.
Devotion:
Simeon was a man who listened to God, obeyed Him and allowed his own life to be in accordance with God’s wishes. If only we could all say such a thing! The truth is we all get side-tracked and run off at a tangent when we get distracted by the world. It is during those times when we are most at danger and during those times we get things wrong in our lives. Who is to blame?
A lot of us will blame God for allowing things into our lives. Or we will blame other people for the things they do around us. Too few of us will stand up and take the blame squarely on the shoulders! We all have choices to make in life and those choices are what defines our lives…
Simeon waited patiently for God to open the right doors at the right time knowing God would keep His promises to him. This promise was how he would be able to see the Messiah before he died. Can you imagine the thoughts he would have had spinning round his head – what age would the Messiah be? Who would He be? What situation would make it possible for this to happen? Maybe that is why he always made sure he was around the temple…
If we continue to allow God to guide us in our lives we are assured of the best possible circumstances for our lives to be lived the way God wants them to be lived. We can also be assured the evil one will do whatever he can to trip us up so we doubt God and doubt His promises. If we can see past that, we should be able to see God more clearly!
Points to Ponder:
What things distract you in life?
Will you try to listen closer to God today?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 650
December 28: 1 Corinthians 1:26-29
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 1:27
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
Devotion:
Have you ever wondered why someone loves you? I’m not talking about being attracted to someone but that true lasting love which will continue with you all throughout your life… What is it which makes you love someone like that, or makes someone love you like that?
This all starts from God’s love for us. He created everything around us first just so we would have the perfect place to be created in. Everything about creation is perfect and useful; sometimes we struggle to see the usefulness of certain things in our lives, but everything has its use. We may look at animals and think they act on instinct rather than thinking about what they do – but many things in our lives are also done through instinct rather than thinking about things. Love is one of those things…
If we try to think about love and what makes us love, we soon get lost in all manner of thoughts and pretty soon we end up with nothing but stress to show for our wanderings! God doesn’t want us to understand the minutia of love and human feelings, but He does want us to exercise those feelings! As I was watching a series on Netflix (Korean because so many Western series are so crass) I began thinking of the feelings God allows us to have.
Feelings are not something to boast about, not something to raise Jealousy about, but something to exercise so our feelings become stronger and deeper. God wants us to be able to truly love people, not in a physical way but in a way where our feelings are exercised and expanded beyond our normal understanding. This is the beginning of the love He has for us!
Points to Ponder:
How do you react to love?
Will you allow God to expand your love for others?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 632
December 26: Psalm 119:161-168
Key Verse: Psalm 119:165
Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
Devotion:
… and breath ...
I’m sure many of you have had a rough day as you tried to make sure everything went according to plan, trying to please the whole family, trying to keep everyone smiling… whatever the chores and trials you may have had to face over the past few days, things just may be able to slow down a bit now after the Christmas rush is over!
As Christian we are going to have to face up to many trials in our lives, most of them because we live in a world where not everyone is a Christian and not everyone is going to “stick to the rules!” As we go out into the world we will face people who fight against us just because we say we are Christians. We are going to have to face wars and things we could never have imagined just because we are supposed to be the “good guys!”
Though the world will be against us and we may face seemingly insurmountable mountains, we can always find peace in Christ’s arms. It may sound a bit lame as you face something you could not have imagined, but trusting in Christ’s Word and keeping Him in the middle of your life will allow you to find comfort when everyone else is falling apart. I learned this when I was in hospital on a few occasions, most of all when a man on a bed opposite me was falling apart mentally and all I could do was pray because I was too ill to get up from bed. God can give you strength when you are at your weakest. God can give you peace when you are at wars with your own mind...
Points to Ponder:
Do you have trouble finding a quiet place?
Will you invite Christ to join you where you are to fill your place with quiet?
- Details
- Written by: DJ Dave
- Hits: 735
December 25: Isaiah 9:2-7
Key Verse: Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Devotion:
Hind-sight is always the best sight to have… but what about the people who lived during the times of the Old Testament, couldn’t they see their Messiah was going to come, be born to a virgin and be the Saviour of the world? It’s easy to look back and see the truth but when you are living during the times you get side-tracked by so many things in life!
This happens in all walks in life and we can rabbit on about how they should have known, but if we accept the truth and realise we are in the same boat now, we could move forward instead of being left behind!
My prayers and thoughts go out to all those people who are living in troubled areas or troubled times because they are the ones who will not be able to see the joy of Christmas because of all the things in their lives which are bashing at the door! We were in the same boat a couple of years back when my Dad passed away before Christmas – the only thing which kept us going was God’s Word and His great love for us. No matter what happened we could always see what God was doing in our lives…
I pray all are able to see God’s great love and rich blessings, especially during rough times. I pray God will continue to open people’s hearts to those who are in need or just need a shoulder to cry on. God is always with us and it is surprising how much we can gain from trusting Him during rough times.
Points to Ponder:
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, prince of peace...
I pray you do see God’s love and have a love-filled Christmas x