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July 31: Luke 12:13-21
Key Verse: Luke 12:15
Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’
Devotion:
One of the biggest things whilst growing up was seeing how many people did everything they could to get bigger, better and more stylish things in their lives. I was very fortunate with having parents who did not teach me those ways but rather taught me to be happy with what I have and to share with people who do not have!
This parable was an object lesson to the person in the crowd who was demanding their share of the family inheritance, possibly even before it was due to them! They wanted the riches now and did not want to have to wait for the right time. This shares the same storyline as the young man who demanded his inheritance before his father died and went off spending it all only to be left with nothing in the end.
It is not about having the biggest and the best but having what you need. If you are fortunate enough to have what you need, then you are very blessed! So many people around the world do not get what they need and have to continually want for more, even begging when they run out. This should not be happening in a modern society where there is more than enough to go round for everyone – if only it was shared in the right manner.
Our church, along with so many around the country, runs a foodbank for the people who do not have all they need. We continually see many people come in to get the bare essentials so they can feed their families. If you have enough, then maybe you should be offering a bit of what you have to those who are less fortunate than you. This is what Christ meant by saying we should love our neighbours!
Points to Ponder:
How much could you help out those around you?
Will you step forward and offer help to someone today?
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July 30: Luke 22:14-23
Key Verse: Luke 22:21
But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table.
Devotion:
When I was reading this before sitting down to write this devotional my mind was wandering a bit and imagines the disciples all sitting round the table at the passover supper when Jesus said these words – could you imagine what went through their minds on hearing these words… how many of them would have lifted their hands off the table to try and indicate it was not them!
When we get cornered by the truth we find it hard to admit to our faults and support the truth – instead we try to do what we can to hide our faults or short-comings just one more time; as if we do have a choice in the matter! We just don’t like admitting we are wrong!
When Jesus was saying these words, He was not saying them in a accusing manner to try and corner the betrayer and force them to stop, He was simply spelling out the truth and was going to accept that truth no matter what lay ahead! He did not turn His back on the betrayer(s) Yes I say betrayers because Peter would betray Jesus with his denials three times before the cock would crow!
We all have our faults and we all need time to sort things out – even though we may continue to follow those faults or wicked ways for a while yet. Jesus was not banishing them before their final acts of betrayal. Instead He was going to give them opportunity to repent right up until the last possible second. Peter would turn his ways around and be the disciple Jesus wanted, but Judas would take one too many steps forward into the evil ways and be trapper there!
Points to Ponder:
Do you think you don’t have a choice?
Will you make a choice even though you think you don’t have a choice?
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July 29: Luke 22:1-13
Key Verse: Luke 22:8
Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.’
Devotion:
When we look into our Bibles and see the events which happened about 2000 years ago, we may get a bit confused why Jesus was so loving to the disciples… Judas had just gone to the chief priests and the officers of the temple to make plans to turn Jesus in, just for a bit of money! Ok, it may have been a fair amount of money for Judas, but that is all he was getting out of this!
Jesus knew what was going to happen and He continued to work with the disciples as if nothing was going to happen. The disciples had picked up on a change of mood and knew something was different, but they would not have had any idea things were going to be so very different from this time onward.
Jesus did not turn Judas away but continued to include him in everything, the passover feast, the gathering, the private time together and the washing of feet which came at the meal. Judas was included so he would have a final chance to stop what he was planning and admit his sins to Jesus; but the call of the money was too much and he gave in to the temptation!
Jesus knew this was going to happen but continued with everything. By now He would have been praying more to God the Father to make doubly sure this is what had to happen. He knew Judas would be tempted, knew he would betray Jesus and knew what Judas would do to himself after this had all come to pass. That is what Jesus would have had on His heart and what prompted Him to be straightforward and honest to Judas.
Points to Ponder:
Do you think Jesus does not know what you are up to?
Will you change your ways to be more like Jesus’ ways?
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July 28: Matthew 13:47-52
Key Verse: Matthew 13:52
He said to them, ‘Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.’
Devotion:
The first reaction I had from reading these verses today was annoyance at the wasteful way in which some modern fisherman treat their catches. When a large trawler gathers up the nets from trawling the sea, there are all manner of things caught in the nets. For commercial trawlers rules are set which they should be abiding by, one being the size of the fish and another being the type of fish. Anything which does not meet the criteria has to be returned… but how they do the returning is not always good!
It does not make commercial sense to spend too much time sorting out the catch and treating the catch with respect; instead some will toss anything back into the water in varying states of health. Typically you will see a large flock of seagulls gathered around the boats which are simply throwing fish back without regard to them… I wonder how people are going to be treated in the last days when the angels will be required to turn the unbelievers away from Heaven!
We should be examples by which others can learn from or look up to. God wants us to be shining lights – this means doing things how He would wants us to and showing people we do so with love, humility and pride. God wants others to see something special in us and be encouraged to find out what it is all about. That is what being a disciple is about, not just talking about Jesus but showing people a new way of hope and life!
Points to Ponder:
How do people see you?
Will you try to be more like Jesus today?
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July 27: Matthew 13:44-46
Key Verse: Matthew 13:44
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Devotion:
I could imagine a person getting caught up in a treasure hunt, finding a treasure and then buying out a whole field just to make sure they can have claim to the treasure; worldly riches do strange things to people and it is a temptation we may all fall into at some stage in our lives. I’m pretty sure modern law and lawyers would have something to say about this treasure being found before the sale of the land – but then most of them are focused on worldly treasure instead of life!
I know I have lost riches by being persuaded by people who wanted what I had more than our friendship; finding out the truth about them wanting treasure more than friendship can be heartbreaking! This is something all of us have to face at some stage in our lives – the choice between what the world has to offer and what God has to offer…
Yes, it does come down to that in the end. God wants us to focus on love and friendships more than wealth and power. Wealth and power will only last as long as our earthly lives because once we lose our lives, we leave everything behind. Jesus reminded us of the greatest commandment being to love God and the second to love our neighbours as ourselves.
Once we see how great love is we can then get to see how great the relationship with God can be when we base it on love too. Jesus based His whole earthly life on love and showed us His love by giving His life for us. God showed us His love for us by bringing Jesus back to life so He could defeat death once and for all. That love is eternal and will never fade or die!
Points to Ponder:
What is your focus on, love or money?
Will you try to share a bit more love instead of trying to build up treasures?
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July 26: Matthew 13:36-43
Key Verse: Matthew 13:41
The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.
Devotion:
When the disciples eventually asked Jesus what the parable of the sower actually meant, the answer is different from what I talked about a few days earlier when I was reminded of how we do need to rely on God more in our lives so we don’t get the wrong ideas and go off doing things He does not want us to do.
What Jesus was talking about through the parable was the end times when He was going to return once again to the world. Jesus was talking of how He was trying to tell people the gospel and remind them of all the things God wanted them to remember – this was the sower sowing the seeds.
The field or parts there of was the world which we know is made up of all manner of people, communities and ways of living, each being very different in the ways they would accept or reject the word of God. But the devil comes along and sows weeds in amongst the people who are listening to God’s Word. Because the devil is given space to do things, some people are persuaded to follow his ways instead of God’s ways! God does not wipe out the devils work because we all have free choice as to what we want to do with our lives…
When the time comes for Jesus to return (this is the harvest time in the parable) the angels will be the ones sorting out who has followed Jesus and who has rejected Him. All those who followed the evil one will be like the weeds being pulled out and sent for burning – not a nice thought! Those who chose to listen to the gospel and obey Christ will be harvested and taken to be with Christ in Heaven.
Points to Ponder:
Have you listened to the gospel Christ has being trying to teach you?
Which harvest would you rather be, weeds or Christians?
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July 25: Acts 11:27-30
Key Verse: Acts 11:29
The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea.
Devotion:
These were unsettling times for much of the world where empires had grown but were not sustainable, droughts would come and cause turmoil in much of the world. Today we see severe weather patterns, wars and general uncertainty leading us directly to times of hardship and famine too. Famine through mismanagement of funds, lack of infrastructure, floods, droughts and other causes. What was the church doing?
It is written the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch, and this is the label we continue to carry today: Christians, servants of God. Let us step forward and be like those first Christians many years ago; let us be the ones to give hope, love, support and respite to the people who are experiencing the hardships. Let us be the lights shining in the darkness which shows God’s light to the rest of the world.
We cannot hope to change the hearts of all the people in trouble, but we can shine a light on God’s light so He can change the hearts of all the people in trouble! We can do this in our own communities as well as abroad. We can do this with simple gestures of support and aid going into the places where people think there is no hope.
When I was in London serving the local communities, we always did what we could to give people hope where they could see none. That hope would blossom as they found God and started to share that hope with the people around them. Giving people hope so they can see how much hope there is in Christ is a very special gift which keeps on giving.
Points to Ponder:
Are you trying too hard to help people?
Will you give them hope to start with?
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July 24: Luke 11:9-13
Key Verse: Luke 11:11
Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?
Devotion:
One of the big doubts to get over is asking things of God in your prayers! Too many of us think we are either not worthy enough for God to answer our prayers, or doubt God will answer them because… well, why should he!
This is NOT the right attitude! Jesus reminded the disciples and others how we need to ask God for support all the time; Jesus was always calling us children of God and always spoke to God the Father. We should be taking a leaf from His book and reminding ourselves daily we are children of God and He is our Father in Heaven!
This section of text reminds us God looks at us as His children and wants us to ask things of Him all the time. My Dad would always remind me to ask him anything even though he spent many a time coming to me and asking me computer related questions! Your get to know how much your family loves you when you ask things of them; they tend to answer because they are family and it reminds us all how we should love each other!
The things which is highlighted here is Jesus is reminding people they can ask anything from Him but also how He will be willing to give us the Holy Spirit! Jesus promised us this before He left to go back to Heaven and be with God the Father. The Holy Spirit is available, willing and faithful to come to us and help us in whatever issues we find ourselves in. Stop what you are doing and ask the Holy Spirit to be closer to you today and see the difference He makes!
Points to Ponder:
What do you ask of God?
Will you ask Him to be an active part of your life?
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July 23: Matthew 13:24-30
Key Verse: Matthew 13:30
Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: first collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.
Devotion:
When things go wrong in our lives we often jump in “with all guns blazing” and do something rash and probably foolish just because we are upset with what has happened. We don’t like to admit we have allowed anything to go wrong especially if we happen to be in charge at the time; but we do have to recognise when things have gone wrong and step back to make changes when the time is right. Making those changes when we find out what has gone wrong may well be too early and may well end up harming things more than if we wait.
Conversely, if we leave things too long, we will end up in a bigger mess and have a harder time sorting out the issues! What we need is a mentor who is willing to offer us the right advice at the right time – when we recognise there is a problem. God is always there for us and will always offer the best advice we can hope for – but we do have to listen to Him!
Jesus told this parable to show the disciples what God is going to do when Christ is going to return; we know this now because we have seen and heard about enough of what Jesus did and will do to recognise what it means. To the people at the time it must have seemed a bit odd talking about leaving weeds in the crops until the end! Those whom were farmers may have had different opinions, but Jesus was telling them there is a right time to do everything.
When you think you have gone too far and cannot find a way out, this is the last moment you should choose to ask God for help! You should have asked for that help way before this, but God is never going to turn you away when you turn to Him to ask for help! Ask and listen, wait for the answer and continue listening. Make sure you are hearing from God and not just your over-reacting mind or heart...
Points to Ponder:
Who do you turn to when you need advice?
Will you include God in that advice tree?
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July 22: 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 5:16
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
Devotion:
Once we take on the belief Jesus died for us we should be able to reconcile we have all effectively paid for our sins through death. He gave His life once for all of us so we would not have to pay with our own lives. Yes, we still face a physical death at the end of our earthly lives, but after that we join Jesus in Heaven for our eternal lives!
So once we get our heads round this and accept we no longer have to fear our physical deaths we are no longer bound by that death. We no longer have to judge ourselves or anyone else by what they have done in the past – only Christ can be the judge because He has given His life in our stead – He paid for our lives with His own death.
If we can accept Christ has paid for our lives, then we should be able to accept He has paid for our fellow Christians lives; and if He has paid for our lives, then we no longer are bound by the sins we have done in the past because they have been paid for once and for all by our perfect Sacrifice!
Put aside your old lives and live a new life with Christ. No longer do you have to be bound by anything the world has against us or anything we owe the world; once we die physically, we will be with Christ in Heaven eternally. So why not change your own life so it can be closer to the life Jesus led here on earth; why not put aside the sins of the old life and take on the mantle of this new life with Christ...
Points to Ponder:
Have you accepted Christ gave His life for you?
Will you stop holding other people’s lives against them?