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July 11: Luke 17:26-36
Key Verse: Luke 17:28
It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.
Devotion:
These descriptions of the time when Christ will return should make us stop and think about what we are doing with our lives. Each time when God has appointed a time, many people did not see those times coming because they were too busy living their lives – be it in a good way or a bad way, they were focused on their lives instead of God’s warning or pending time limit.
When it was time for Noah to save the few people the rest of the world was busy enjoying their lives and continuing without listening to God’s warnings. When Lot had warned the people about God’s pending judgement, the people ignored Lot and continued on in their own ways. When Christ comes again the same will be happening – many people will be ignoring what God has promised and the warnings we have had and they will be too busy focusing on themselves to notice Christ’s return!
Believers and non believers will be separated in an instant because the non believers will be focused on themselves whilst the believers should be focused on God. The moment Christ return will separate the people who are obeying God and those who are not! Friends and families will be split up. Co-workers will be separated. People will not see it coming unless they are looking to God and watching and waiting.
We need to remember warning words like these so that we are ready for the time when Christ does return. It will be in an instant where we could quite easily miss it if we are focused on the world instead of on God.
Points to Ponder:
Do you prepare for events in your future?
How well have you prepared for Christ’s return?
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July 10: Psalm 82:1-8
Key Verse: Psalm 82:5
The “gods” know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
Devotion:
God is God of everything; we cannot hope to understand His thoughts because they are so far and above anything we can think or imagine… but we still talk to Him as if we do understand and complain about the things we think are unjust! We cannot understand how God seems to allow wicked and evil people to not just survive but thrive in many places around the world!
Rather than trying to second guess God or to impose our own judgements on how He does things in this world, let’s just look at the things we can all agree upon in these verses! God is God over everything. No matter how many gods mankind invents or tries to worship, God is God over all of them, made up or otherwise!
The gods are in the same boat as God Himself in that we like to judge whether they are doing things right instead of trusting Him to do what is actually right for all mankind. With all the gods who have been created and worshipped over the years, we see a trail of death and destruction because they cannot and do not control this world!
The gods we create come and go over time just like habits and fads, they are not here to stay forever like God is. God remains unchanging and yet when we look at he history of created gods, we see so much change over time! There can only be one judge over all and that is God Almighty Himself because He has created everything and sees and knows everything...
Points to Ponder:
How much do you understand of this universe?
Will you trust God with the rest of the universe?
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July 9: Romans 14:1-9
Key Verse: Romans 14:3
The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.
Devotion:
Each time I get to read verses like these I am reminded of the feud some have between vegetarians and carnivores! Why do so many people take offence at the little things in life like our diets, where we live, how we live or even our skin colour! When Jesus told us to love one another it was to put aside these things in our lives and learn to accept we are all different – but we can live together!
At the moment I am on a diet of mostly softer fruits. I struggled in the beginning because I wanted so much to have a pizza or a steak, but my health has dictated otherwise for the time being. I must say I am enjoying having so much fruit and things like smoothies and milkshakes made with real fruit!
God wants all of us to be able to live the lives which are best for us – but this does not mean we can immediately judge one another and say we should all be eating fruit and drinking smoothies. God has given this world for us and asked us to take proper care of it. This has meant taking care of animals and fish as well for our food, but those choices as to what we finally get to eat should be made by us and not forced on by others.
As long as we remember who has given us the food in the beginning and thank Him for the blessing of being able to enjoy the food we have, then we are doing what is right by God. If we don’t take care of our environment, then we will pay the price by not having the best food available to us. God will get us to listen when we go off the rails; but we really do need to listen to Him and obey His guidance in our lives!
Points to Ponder:
Do you frown at people who are vegan or carnivores?
Have you thanked God for allowing you to have the food you had today?
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July 8: Matthew 10:16-20
Key Verse: Matthew 10:16
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Devotion:
When Jesus sent the disciples out to be disciples, He did not tell them they were going to have a wonderful time telling people about Him and thousands would flock to find out the truth – He told them they were about to start on a very difficult journey which could end up with them being arrested or worse! They would be taking off in the deep end, or jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire (to quote a couple of English sayings which indicate the going is about to get tough!)
The disciples would have to be on their guard as the people around them would be the ones who trip them up and get them in prison. These are the very people they were being told to go and tell the gospel to! But all through this they were told not to worry about what they should be saying to the people!
Have you ever gone off into the unknown without being prepared? It is quite nerve-wracking knowing you are going to face issues never mind having to face being arrested or even flogged in the synagogues! Let that sink in for a moment… they were going to face flogging in the synagogues – the ‘safe places’ they were used to going into to find what people were saying about God!
Jesus was turning their worlds upside down and telling them nothing was going to be easy from this point on. The same warning should be said to us when we volunteer to go out and be the disciples Christ says we need to be. The world around us is a very scary place where there are a lot of people working against God and doing strange and terrible things. We may well have to face up to them because Christ may want us to talk to them!
Points to Ponder:
Do you get tongue tied when you try to talk about Jesus?
Will you try trusting the Holy Spirit to tell you what to say?
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July 7: Luke 16:19-26
Key Verse: Luke 16:25
But Abraham replied, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
Devotion:
With all the uproar and strange happening in politics and governmental circles in the UK, I am surprised there are not a lot more people around the world pointing fingers at the government here. It is so sad to see the politicians looking after themselves and no longer serving the people as they had promised to do so when they were elected! One thing we do not get with Jesus is a bunch of empty promises which stand to be broken!
As a community, rather extended community of this country, we should be pulling together and working toward the good of the whole country and not a privileged few who have taken power. I see their actions in much the same light as this rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen ignoring the poor and needy people at his gate. It was only after the rich man lost everything by dying he saw the futility of what he had done all his life – to no reward!
Yet the beggar who had spent much of his life being looked down upon and being disregarded in all ways, was now enjoying a much better life by Abraham’s side in heaven. He had stayed true to his self and to God whereas the rich man had rejected God’s ways and followed the riches and cruel ways instead. The rich man was now paying for all his wrong-doings by living in constant torment.
Christ wants us all to be able to join Him in Heaven; but in order to do that we have to make the choice of allowing Christ to be in our lives and following His will and His ways. It is not an onerous task when we compare the short time we live on earth to the eternity we will spend in Heaven...
Points to Ponder:
Do you choose to live with your community or in spite of it?
Do you choose to live with Christ or in spite of Him?
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July 6: Psalm 115:3-8
Key Verse: Psalm 115:8
Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
Devotion:
The hope of the nation of Israel was not in statuettes or other makings of mankind but in The God who lives in Heaven! Even then some turned to silver and gold idols which had been crafted by men – not to speak, not to see, not to hear, smell or feel, not to walk or talk – just to exist as an object people could look at!
Why put your hope and trust in something someone else has made with their hands? I’m not talking about chairs, tables or even cars planes and buildings, but small statues made so people can do something strange like worship them! Putting your faith in a dumb idol is probably akin to putting your faith in “square wheels” being able to roll gently down the hill! They are not real!
The more we live our lives caught up in modern society the more we get drawn into all the things in this world which we trust our lives in. We place our trust in the physical things because we can see them. We place our hope in something we can see rather than what we cannot see. It’s easier that way because we don’t have to think things through… But God wants us to think things through and to put our faith and trust in the truth instead of what someone said in the heat of the moment!
God is our living breathing faithful God. He has done everything for us to get to know Him – but we have to step forward and make that choice to get to know Him. He has done so much already for us so we can be safe – but we have to make that choice to ask Him to protect and guide us. God hasn’t put everything in place so we don’t have a choice, He has put it all here so we do have the choice… Choose life!
Points to Ponder:
Do you choose to follow Christ?
Will you trust Him?
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July 5: Matthew 9:32-34
Key Verse: Matthew 9:34
But the Pharisees said, ‘It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.’
Devotion:
One of the hardest things to accept in life is something you don’t believe in because your mind has already been made up and you don’t want to have to admit to being wrong in any way – so you carry on with the lie you have learned! Christ wants us to stop and look at the lies we have been told and compare them to what is good and righteous – that way we can move away from those lies as we see them for what they are… but it is hard!
The Pharisees saw what Jesus did to the demon-possessed man, freeing him from his life of misery and silence; yet they did not want to believe this could be done because that would mean they were wrong about the man Jesus. They would have to admit they were wrong and turn from their lies toward the truth. Instead, they invented another lie and started saying Jesus was the prince of demons and was controlling the demons!
How many times have you fallen into that sort of pit in your life when you have been telling a lie so much you believe it yourself and when someone confronts you about the lie, you make up a few more lies to cover the facts and carry on living the lie? I know I have been in that circumstance before and have told lies to try and get out of trouble – especially as a child!
But the truth has a habit of finding its way to the surface and everyone gets to hear the real story instead of the lie you have been spreading for so long… Wouldn’t it have been easier to admit to the truth in the beginning and move forward with the truth so you would not be caught out in lies again? Of course! But we don’t think like that when we are caught up in the lies. We need to let go and follow the truth – follow Christ!
Points to Ponder:
Do you spread gossip?
You know it is a lie, don’t you?
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July 4: Matthew 9:18-26
Key Verse: Matthew 9:21
She said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.’
Devotion:
After being ill for quite some time, I think I am getting there and beginning to be able to start up the ‘normal’ parts of my life, like writing these devotionals! I has taken some time but all throughout this time I have always been reminded of How God is with me and how He is in control. I probably have to go through a bit or surgery soon to try and alleviate the issues I am having with my digestive system, but seeing how I look at my life and how others look at theirs whilst in hospital, I am truly glad to have Christ in my life!
Can you imagine what the synagogue leader was thinking at the time. His daughter had been ill and had just died – but he did not give up there, he continued to come to Jesus and ask for healing, miraculous healing! I like to think I am strong enough to ask God for everything and rely on Him all the time, but when push comes to shove and you are facing a hard time or immense pain, your mind pleads for what the doctors can do for you instead of asking God for guidance.
The faith of the synagogue leader and the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years stands way and above what many of us aspire to. They were firm in their belief Christ would be able to do something there and then. They were not going to rely on mankind, doctors, physicians or whatever any more… You may say they were desperate and nothing else had worked… but they still stopped and asked Jesus for help!
When we reach the point in our lives where nothing else has worked and we turn to Christ, isn’t it a bit late? Should we not be turning to Him first of all and asking Him to do what He does best. It doesn’t mean He has to be physically here to touch us – it means we should be trusting Him first of all. He may well put the right doctors, surgeons and nurses by your bedside to get you back on your feet; He may be asking you to open their eyes to what faith is all about...
Points to Ponder:
How far do you think your faith goes?
Will you trust Christ a little more today?
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June 29: Acts 12:1-11
Key Verse: Acts 12:9
Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.
Devotion:
I wonder, have you ever had something happen to you which you thought was a dream only to realise afterward it was not? I know the Lord has worked in many different ways around me and with me; through these things which I have seen, I know the Lord is always with me and looking after me. Though we can find it very difficult to explain these happenings, we should do so to encourage each other and others who are seeking something.
King Herod was being his usual tyrannical self and had James killed with a sword. After seeing how the crowds reacted, he thought it good to seize another disciples and put them to death as well. With this he had Peter taken and thrown in prison under very heavy guard. He even had guards sleeping either side of him in case Peter had any ideas of escape.
What God did next went against everything that could be expected. God sent and angel to take Peter out of the prison starting with releasing the chains between him and the guards. After getting dressed and putting on his sandals, Peter was instructed to walk out of the prison! With his cloak wrapped around him, the guards would not have thought much because he did not have chains on; leaving him to walk straight past them all and out into the city!
It was only afterward Peter realised this must have been God’s angel because none of the guards had been aware it was him escaping (until the next day that is!) God does things without explaining them to us, because if we stopped to think about everything, we would have more than enough doubt to stop a train, never mind something small He could be doing for us!
Points to Ponder:
Do you realise how much God does?
Will you look back and see how much He has already done for you?
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June 28: Psalm 5:8-12
Key Verse: Psalm 5:8
Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies – make your way straight before me.
Devotion:
This again is one of the hard things about having any sort of belief – what happens to those people who do not believe in what you believe? And if you believe in something, are those people who do not believe your enemies? Philosophical questions which I tend to avoid!
I believe in God, I believe in Jesus Christ and I believe in the Holy Spirit. So when I read through verses like these I have pity on those people who do not have beliefs like mine; probably one of the reasons I like wearing various forms of “Jesus T-Shirts!” I like to show I have hope in my life, not that I am against anyone else, not that I am an enemy to anyone else, just that I have hope because of what Jesus has done for me!
But, back in the days when these words were recorded, God had told the Israelites not to befriend anyone because of the chance they would be distracted from God and do strange things or follow other gods! Thus, they were looked at as the enemy! Something I still struggle with even though I know it was accepted back then!
Even though they were “the enemy” there was still hope for those who would choose to turn from their ways and turn towards God’s ways like the Israelites did. These verses even ask for protection for anyone who is willing to follow God and take refuge in Him. So don’t turn your back on anyone just because they are different or believe in something different – let them see how much you get out of believing in and following God; it will encourage them to seek the truth too!
Points to Ponder:
How do you treat others?
What if they believe in something different?