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December 3: Matthew 10:1-8
Key Verse: Matthew 10:1
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and illness.
Devotion:
When the time came for Jesus to tell the disciples what they should be doing, He gave them far-reaching instructions. To start with He gave them the authority to drive out spirit and the heal people. This does not mean He gave them the power to drive out spirits or heal people; He gave them the authority to do so. When Jesus drove out spirits or healed people He did so knowing it came from God and without God He knew He could do nothing as a mere human being. The same goes for us!
Jesus gives us the authority to go forward and do things through His name. He is the Son of God and God gave Him authority to do so much more. Jesus in turn gives us the authority to go forward and do things. Never walk into the world thinking you can take over the world or do things without God – that is not what Jesus did. Jesus, being the Son of God, had the power to do all of those things but only did them through the authority given to Him by His Father.
Jesus also told the disciples to go forward without taking the world and its treasures with them. They were to leave the treasures and trappings of the world behind and do things as He gave them the authority to do so. They were obedient to Christ!
Jesus does not want us to hold back but to go forward as disciples. A disciple is not someone who just tells other people about God. A disciple will move forward with people to invite them into the kingdom of God and give them the authority to go forward to do things for Christ too. A disciples job is to make disciples!
Points to Ponder:
Do you get scared of doing things for God?
Have you ever thought of it as inviting people to be your closest friends?
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December 2: Matthew 9:27-31
Key Verse: Matthew 9:30
and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, ‘See that no one knows about this.’
Devotion:
This story draws many pictures in my mind; firstly the fact the two men were blind and yet continued to follow Jesus around. They could not see Jesus and yet they were able to follow the crowd and work out where He was according to the commotion and other people – a selection of people who may or may not have believed in Jesus, but nonetheless they were unknowingly guiding the two blind men toward Jesus! This should speak volumes to all of us – no matter how much we tell others what we believe, as long as we continue to show people the way toward Christ through what we do and say, it is for His ultimate glory!
The second is that the men did not give up. They continued to follow Jesus and when He went indoors, they went indoors too knowing they would be able to get a bit closer! What the other people around them must have thought about these two is a whole different story! Sometimes we are too scared to admit to the world we love and follow Jesus; when we do that our faith is almost diluted in other people’s eyes. But if we are willing to continue reminding people we love Jesus, then He is going to take notice of us!
Which brings us to the final point for today. Jesus takes notice of what we do. If we are going to avoid Him, then that is our choice. But if we continue to try to get closer to Him, He will answer us and find out what we need in our lives. Yes He already knows, but by us asking Him we are reminding ourselves just who He is and how much we do depend on Him!
Points to Ponder:
Are you actively following Jesus?
What picture do other people get of your relationship with Christ?
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December 1: Psalm 118:22-24
Key Verse: Psalm 118:22
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
Devotion:
Do you ever think you are not good enough for God to use you in spreading the gospel? The more I get to share the gospel the more I realise every single one of us has a way we can share the gospel; if we all did it the same way we would probably have a very limited demographic of people hearing about Christ, but because we all have our own ways of sharing the love we have for Christ, more and more people get to hear the truth!
When we look back on the Old Testament we see so many references to Jesus being rejected by the people God actually chose as His people; now we can look back on the life of Jesus and compare all the prophetic words with what happened – including these words. Jesus was the ‘stone they rejected.’ The Israelites chose to follow their own teachings instead of God. I believe they were probably doing it out of a combination of ignorance and self pride; they could not get their heads round the fact their Messiah was actually here and they did not want to let go of the important positions they had made for themselves.
Christ, on the other hand, laid Himself down to be the cornerstone of the church. Can you imagine putting everything your life stood for aside just so you could do things for other people? This is what Christ has done for us!
God’s love for us stands for so much He was willing to lay down everything to serve us and to be our advocate to ensure we can join Him in Heaven for eternity. This means He must want us to be with Him so much! Can you imagine being with someone for longer than your whole life? Rejoice and be glad!
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel you are not good enough for God?
Do you realise what He did just for you?
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November 30: Romans 10:16-18
Key Verse: Romans 10:17
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Devotion:
God does not force any of us to believe in Him or to follow what He says; He has given us the choice. Our choices have consequences! Jesus came to demonstrate the fullness of our reward if we choose to believe in Him and trust His words. He gives this same choice to everyone in the world, whether we are of His chosen race or otherwise...
How did you get to hear about Jesus and what He had done for you? I can remember going to Sunday School at a very early age, but none of that made much sense to me at the time; my parents attended a church which was fairly set in their ways – all I remember from that side is people dressing up and acting polite to one another. When I was in high school I started to attend a church which put me forward for confirmation after I attended classes… again, not much of that stuck because it all seemed like school at the time.
But when one of the seniors in school sat down and explained what Jesus had done and why He did it, I chose to follow Christ! I was finally given the choice to follow Christ and to believe what I wanted to believe given the truth; it was no longer just a scholastic lesson I had to complete!
We get to hear God’s Word from many different angles in our lives and we get to choose what we do with those truths. If they are not fully explained to us, we fall short in our understanding of the situation and we may not make the right choices. This is why God calls each one of us to come forward and retell the story in our own words – that is what will make others choose to follow Christ or not. It makes all the difference!
Points to Ponder:
Do you understand what Christ has done for you?
Have you chosen to believe He did it for you?
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November 29: Isaiah 11:1-5
Key Verse: Isaiah 11:2
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord
Devotion:
I love reading parts of the Old Testament like these where the prophets were told of what was going to happen – maybe in words which they did not fully grasp or understand – but they faithfully scribed what they were told! We now look back, knowing what happened during the time Jesus was here on earth, and see just what these words meant and how accurate they were too!
God wanted us to know what was going to happen, but many people did not want to know the truth. The truth would force them to evaluate what they were doing in their lives. Just like today, people don’t want to hear the truth when it shows them up in any way!
These words predicted a person who was related to king David’s father, Jesse, would come to live amongst us in a very special way. This person would not be like any other person of the times. Their lives would be firmly anchored in the Word of God. The Spirit would be with them and they would show us signs of great wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord!
While we can attribute some of these attributes to people who lived, none could say they covered all bases! This was going to be our Messiah, Jesus Christ who would fulfil all of the above and more. He would show us what could be achieved through following and obeying God in everything we do and say. This should be our aim!
Points to Ponder:
Do you feint at the thought of having to fulfil all of this?
Will you allow the Holy Spirit to bring you closer?
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November 28: Matthew 8:5-11
Key Verse: Matthew 8:8
The centurion replied, ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
Devotion:
There are some parables in our bibles which are both simple and short but offer a very deep insight into faith and belief. This is one of them and is told in a few places by the disciples. I like Matthews account because he records the Lord as asking the centurion if he wants Him to come and visit the servant (knowing full well what the answer is going to be anyway.)
I have shown how we often have to ask multiple times in prayer, not so God will eventually hear us, but so we understand it is our asking which God answers – asking which is in earnest, humble and repetitive. God wants us to understand it is our faith which will move mountains and not just a single prayer thrown up to get something we want at the time!
This is along the same lines because Jesus is showing the centurion it is his own faith which is going to get the servant healed and not the fact he is a centurion, Jew or whatever! This prayer is being answered because the centurion showed absolute faith in Christ. He knew whatever Jesus commanded would get done because that is what he was used to as well – being a centurion in the Roman army!
Don’t base your faith on what people have said before you. Don’t base it on what others tell you to do. Base your faith squarely on Christ being the cornerstone of your life; the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the “I am” and with whom nothing is impossible. Trust Christ to do what He has said He would do!
Points to Ponder:
Do you give Christ the authority?
Will you show more faith by giving Christ authority?
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November 27: Romans 13:11-14
Key Verse: Romans 13:12
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.
Devotion:
How many times have you got tired of waiting for someone to show up after they told you they would? How many times have you been surprised when someone showed up earlier than you thought they would? Have you had a sleepless night, tossed and turned because you were thinking of something, and then finally dropped off to sleep maybe an hour before the alarm goes off? All of these happen because we don’t know the exact time everything is going to happen – people let you down, things happen which let you down… this is what life is all about, coping with unexpected things.
We have been told many times that Jesus will return. We have also been told we will not know when He is going to return. We have also been told we should make our lives ready so we are ready for His return. One day that time will be here… will you be ready?
We can look at the world around us and think how easy it would be to get involved with the things happening close to us. We can think along the lines of “it won’t really matter if I do this one thing wrong because I’ll do it right again tomorrow.” But what happens if the Lord returns today just after you have made the decision to go off and be worldly in your life – what happens if He returns on the day you turn your back on Him?
This is why Jesus tried to make sure the Disciples understood how important it was to be ready at all times. Jesus told parables which reminded the disciples of the importance of being ready. He warned them to their faces He would return at an undetermined time… but people still think it is ok to go off and do something today because He might not return today...
Points to Ponder:
How ready are you to go off and try something worldly?
How ready are you for Christ’s return?
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November 26: Luke 21:34-36
Key Verse: Luke 21:34
Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.
Devotion:
Have you noticed how easy it is to give in to the world and all the things going on around you? Even when you think you are strong enough to avoid the temptations you find yourself in the middle of things before you know it! The world around us is full of people who want to do their own thing and not want to have to listen to authorities, and seeing them go their own way and do their own thing makes you think it is safe to follow them...
God warned the people of Israel about getting involved with the locals because He knew they would be tempted to follow the ways the locals were going – and those ways were not following Gods ways! Jesus warned the disciples of similar things because He too could see the disciples giving in to the local ways.
We now have these words written in our bibles to continue to remind us of the temptations which we don’t see coming. Jesus wants us to follow His ways and the most simple way of starting out on that path is to read your bibles and commune with God every day – that means stopping doing what the world around you is doing and having a good and honest talk with God!
The way is described here as being vigilant by watching what is actually going on – comparing it with Gods ways so you don’t run off in the wrong direction. Praying all the time – talking with God and listening too! If you feel overwhelmed at all then its way past time you had a chat with God!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you commune with God?
How often do you commune with the world?
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November 25: Matthew 11:7-15
Key Verse: Matthew 11:8
If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces.
Devotion:
Where do you go to get your spiritual food? Do you go to the biggest and best church buildings? Do you go to the one which is publicised the most or talk about the most? Do you try to find out which one has the biggest number of people being saved or added to the church? Or do you try to seek out a person who is willing and able to tell you the truth about Jesus?
I can remember going to a big church with a friend when I was in high school, and being horrified at what was happening during the service. People used to speak about this church as being alive and where many people were being saved. They used to talk about the people who talked in tongues and the many things which happened each week. What I felt when I went to the church for the first time made me question whether the people there were worshipping God or making a scene to promoted themselves!
Jesus was talking to the crowd about why they wanted to go to where John the Baptist was teaching and baptising people. Looking into their hearts He recognised they did not go there to see the beauty of nature, nor to see men dressed in impressive clothes; He saw they went to meet with a very special prophet who was teaching the truth and preparing the way for the Messiah!
Jesus is not going to be found because the church is big, popular, glamorous, loud, light up like a Christmas tree… Jesus is going to be where the people meet to find out more about Him and where they share the truth with love and respect. He is going to be where the people are giving Him the glory and not taking it for themselves!
Points to Ponder:
Do you go to church for the right reasons?
What are your reasons for going to church?
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November 24: Isaiah 41:11-13
Key Verse: Isaiah 41:12
Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.
Devotion:
If you had asked me “what is the hardest thing to do as a Christian” when I first became a Christian, I would have answered it is to fully trust God and rely on Him for everything. Nowadays I do find it a whole lot easier to do after having to do exactly that over the past few years. God is Good!
It may not seem like these words are coming true when we are faced with an enemy who is getting the better of us… Why do they continue to succeed when our world seems to be falling apart! Again a question which is much easier to ask than to answer. I now answer this question with patience. Often we are too impatient and we expect God to do everything before we get into deep water; sometimes it is the deep water which will teach us to trust in Him more and to devote our lives to His will and His ways.
Sometimes we just want to find out who our enemies are so we can avoid them, or worse, do something to them! This is not God’s way. His way is to allow them to see their own folly but not to judge them. If we judge them, then surely they are allowed to judge us and we know we have done things wrong so we know we are going to get into trouble!
If we are willing and we fully trust in Christ our King, then we will get to see w whole new side of life where justice does prevail. God may want us to wait for the justice because our vision is clogged with ill feelings and judgement. God may want us to see how bad things can get before they get better so we will not be afraid of those things; remember, He is with us!
Points to Ponder:
Do you give in because things are not going your way?
Will you be a bit more patient with God today?