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May 19: Acts 15:12-21
Key Verse: Acts 15:17
that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things”
Devotion:
Have you ever wondered if God could ever love you? Have you ever wondered why God should love you because you come from a family of non-Christians? Well, I hope these words encourage you to seek God and to allow Him to open your heart to what He can do in your life...
Peter gave quite a convincing argument why the Gentiles should be allowed to come to God because of all the miracles and things which had happened in and around the Gentile places. This would not have been able to happen if God was not reaching out to them – instead they saw just how much God could reach out to anyone who is willing to listen. Barnabas and Paul joined in to tell of more things which had happened…
Then James stood up and reminded the Jews of the scriptures; those very same scriptures which they upheld to exclude other people from their religion! The prophet Amos had written these words down hundreds of years before Christ came to be amongst us, way before people actively excluded the Gentiles from everything.
God is willing to accept any person who is willing to call themselves a Christian; to say they are a believer and they know why Jesus came to live and die for us. Nobody has been excluded by what Jesus did, rather He opened the doors for everyone to be able to draw closer to Him. With that being said, James declared the Jews should not ascribe the Jewish laws to the Gentiles but to allow them to love God their own way. That being said, he did say even the Gentiles should abstain from food polluted by idols, avoid sexual immorality and a few other things because those laws were for everyone.
Points to Ponder:
Do you try to keep God’s commandments?
Will you allow Christ to guide you through the commandments?
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May 18: Acts 15:1-6
Key Verse: Acts 15:5
Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.’
Devotion:
I wonder, have you ever been in a religious organisation which said you have had to do something physical in order to be saved or forgiven? Maybe you have been told you had to go to a priest and ask to be forgiven? Maybe you have been told you had to be baptised before you could get to heaven. Maybe you have been told you had to change your life before God would forgive you...
If any of the above have ever been told to you, then I would question the motives of the people telling you these things. God does not require any physical thing or event in order for you to be forgiven. I am not talking about you physically asking Christ to forgive you, but rather any third party having to be involved in order for it to be valid. Jesus did not require this; His requirement for us is to believe in what He has done for us – as long as we mean it in our hearts, God will hear us and forgive us.
The Pharisees had a whole string of laws which had to be followed in order for men to be forgiven. This was set down by God to show mankind we would never be able to keep to those laws, we would break one or some of them at some stage. Christ came to set us free from the physical laws; although He would rather we do keep His commandments, we all fall short of the mark.
When the Pharisees came to the apostles and laid down the requirement the Gentiles would have to be circumcised just as the Jews were, they went away to think about it. They did not flatly reject the idea and did what they could to break down the rift which was being built up here. God does not want us to rebel against everything but to listen and discuss things; opening up God’s Word and allowing people to make the choice as to what they want to do is what Jesus was promoting. Jesus did not promote breaking the laws – He kept them!
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel like you are not worthy because you have done something wrong?
Will you simply ask Christ to forgive you in your heart?
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May 17: John 14:27-31
Key Verse: John 14:28
‘You heard me say, “I am going away and I am coming back to you.” If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
Devotion:
Jesus did not explain every step of what was about to happen to the disciples, He simply told them He was going back to Heaven but would return… They had to have faith their Christ would come back to them, and that faith was going to be tested to the ultimate over the next while!
How many times have you said goodbye to a friend or family when they go off to either live somewhere else, or go on a long break? If it was family and they were moving around the world, you may well be upset you will not see them for a while, but you still believe you will see them at some stage again. I have seen my brother go to live and work in various parts of the world, but each time I still knew I was going to see them again – even if it took several years!
Jesus wanted the disciples, and us, to have faith in His return, and after that, to have faith in Him being there for us no matter what – even if He is in Heaven and we are on earth. We still have Him watching over us and being with us in Spirit instead of in body. The Holy Spirit is always with us and always guides us the best way forward. If we listen and obey, we head toward the best solution… if we don’t listen and try to fix things ourselves, we tend to mess us more often than not!
Jesus started these words out with some direct encouragement – to not be afraid or troubled, because He was telling the truth and He knew this is what Father God wanted. When we stick to God’s ways, we will see why He wants us to do what He is asking… we may get worried as we don’t understand, but He has told us it will be OK and wants us to trust and believe. Don’t get trapped by worldly limits and science because God is not bound by either of those!
Points to Ponder:
Do you know Christ will return?
Are you listening to the Holy Spirit?
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May 16: Acts 14:5-7
Key Verse: Acts 14:5
There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to ill-treat them and stone them.
Devotion:
One thing Jesus warned the disciples about was the way they would be treated badly just because they were trying to spread the gospel; the same continues to be true all over the world for Christians and many other religions too. When a religion looks like it is gaining popularity and may start causing instability in the local governing powers, people start to object because they are taught to do so.
It is not normally the case people will object because it is the true way they feel, rather it is the way they have been conditioned to believe by the local powers that be. This could be the local government, or it could be another religion… People always want to be on the winning side and having to face someone who may overthrow the winning side can be dis-concerting for some; especially governing people.
In this case the Jews and the Gentiles were working together because it looked like the disciples were gaining too much ground too quickly. The corrupt leaders from both Jewish people and the Gentiles were supporting each other so they could stay in power and the disciples would not gain support – because any support the disciples gained would shine a light on the corruption within the leaders…
It is OK to withdraw or retreat when we are in danger. We do not have to continue facing danger when we could be loving and supporting another community in the name of Christ… as long as we are not running away for the wrong reasons. The disciples knew they could reach many more people with the truth by side-stepping the current situation!
Points to Ponder:
Do you fear what others will say about you being a Christian?
Do you not know Christ said you will face objections just because you believe in Him?
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May 15: John 13:31-35
Key Verse: John 13:34
A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
Devotion:
When we start getting too comfortable in our lives as Christians, we may not forget about the commandments God has given us, but we may well start to ignore this commandment Jesus gave us. Jesus was speaking to everyone who was around the table, all of the disciples; I sometimes wonder whether He was trying to get them to remember this more because of what was about to happen...
Jesus follows on these verses by telling Peter he would deny Jesus three times before the morning was broken. But He had also just told them there was one who was about to betray Him. But these words between these two acts must always be remembered by us all. Jesus was telling them to love one another no matter what was about to happen!
We do get upset with people when we think they have done something wrong against us and we may well shun them or even try to get even with them. This is the type of act Jesus is warning us about because, if Jesus had got upset with Peter for denying Him three times, imagine what could have happened to Peter. Instead, Peter continues to be loved and, as prophesied by Jesus, was going to be remembered for many good things instead of the denials.
Jesus showed Judas great love and did not stop him from betraying Him to the Roman soldiers. His love continued even though He knew for a fact Judas was guilty! No matter how far we go in our lives, Christ is always willing to forgive us and to invite us to be with Him in Heaven… no matter what!
Points to Ponder:
How easily do you get upset with others?
Will you try to continue to treat all people equally?
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May 14: 1 Corinthians 4:1-7
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 4:6
Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, ‘Do not go beyond what is written.’ Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.
Devotion:
How many times have you tried to build something without using plans, or drive somewhere different without using a map? How many of those times have you been so sure you were doing the right thing or going the right direction and only found out it was wrong at the last minute. God has given us directions for our lives; at least they are partial directions, we do still have to find out a lot by ourselves...
But, sometimes we look at those directions and we read more into the directions than there is actually there. I can remember sitting down for a test in a technical drawing class (engineering drawing or mechanical parts) and coming up with a complex answer only for the professor to tell me I was wrong and to show me the simple answer I should have looked for. I was distraught because I was convinced I was doing it correct… I was seeing more in the picture than there was actually drawn!
Jesus tried to give us simple directions, but because of the complexity we think of in our lives, we often seek out very complex answers for what He asks. We should always be looking for the simple, obvious answers because Jesus was very direct. God does not want us to have to try and decipher cryptic clues so we can live our lives – He wants us to look for the obvious answers and to follow the simple directions!
When we think we are in an important position, or a position of authority, we often look for very complex answers to very simple problems. I think of the extraordinary puzzles, rules and regulations the politicians are coming up with to process refugees from around the world… why can’t they see the simple solutions we all can see? Maybe because we are all a bit like that!
Points to Ponder:
Do you over-think problems in your life?
Will you trust Christ for the simple solutions?
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May 13: Psalm 2:1-3
Key Verse: Psalm 2:3
‘Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.’
Devotion:
After watching various clips of the war in Ukraine and how the leaders seem to have lost the plot with reality, I found these verses quite shocking to read! Why are the nations conspiring against each other in ways we find shocking or dis-concerting? And for those moments when we think what they are doing is justified, people from other countries may well find shocking...
What does this all get us? Nothing but head aches and unhappiness. None of this is doing any of us any good and certainly not the people who live or used to live where the war is taking place! This seems to be rising again as an East vs West fight where in fact it is evil against people filled with pride. Putin has not made any friends in the rest of the world while he is demanding so much from his armies with many asking questions about the validity of the war.
The Western leaders seem to band together, or at least they give the illusion they are; but we also see leaders in each country trying to make political statements instead of looking after their people. We see leaders making decisions which go against what God has asked of us. He wants us to love our neighbours, and yet we are fighting a difficult war against our neighbours.
Putin is shouting out about breaking the chains of the Ukrainian people and freeing them from tyranny… by imposing tyrannical ways upon his own people against a people who don’t want to accept those ways. Yes there is a lot of history around this war, but there are ways leaders should negotiate instead of mowing down innocent people. #PrayforUkraine.
Points to Ponder:
Do you associate your life with the war in any way?
Will you pray for leaders to hear God?
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May 12: John 13:16-20
Key Verse: John 13:20
Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.
Devotion:
Time and time again Jesus warned the Jews they should not take God for granted and they should believe what the scriptures say and not what man says; but I do like the way He ends this piece of text: if people are willing to accept the priests, bishops, leaders or just ordinary people who He sends, then they will be willing to accept Jesus; and if we are willing to accept Jesus, then we should be willing to accept the one who sent Jesus – God!
Jesus starts this passage by reminding us He comes as a servant – He is our servant hearted King. We lift Him up to the position of King of Kings, but He lowers Himself to the position of servant. He came to serve and to save us. He did not lift Himself up to be greater than God, but came as the Messenger delivering the final truth so we could know He came from God.
If we are willing to be more like Him and to lower ourselves to be in the position of servant to the people in our communities, then we are acting like Jesus did and we will be blessed by God for doing exactly this. But, even though we come as servants, there can always be a rotten apple amongst us, one who is acting as a servant but who is working for their own agenda instead of the God’s will.
Back in the book of Psalms, chapter 41, we read how there was one who shared bread with Jesus but ultimately turned against Him. Written hundreds of years before Christ came to be with us and hundreds of years before Judas Iscariot was born – these words were written because God knew what had to happen. But Jesus stepped forward willingly and made this all happen just as God had promised – because He loves us!
Points to Ponder:
Do you willingly step forward as a servant in your church?
Will you stop to help someone today?
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May 11: John 12:44-50
Key Verse: John 12:47
If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.
Devotion:
Jesus spoke quite plainly here saying how God the Father had sent Him and He was just like God the Father because they are one. Jesus came into this world, not as a judge who would go round finding people guilty because they did not follow the law to the tee, but as a Saviour who would come to set us free from this debt we owe because of our sinful lives.
Jesus did not say we have to be pure and righteous in everything we do. He knows we cannot be that. He knows we are going to sin. He accepts this! What He is saying is those who do listen to what He is teaching us will try within their selves to conform to His Word. When we hear the Gospel and we believe it, we do try to change our lives to be more like Jesus. But, even when we go off the rails and do something wrong, Jesus is not going to be there to judge us but He will be there to save us!
What an awesome picture this paints, of a sinless man who came into the world in such a humble manner to live His life and give His life for us; even the ones who put Him on the cross, even the one which sold Him out to the authorities – Jesus was and is here for all of us.
But, just as Jesus is here for us all, so too is the judge waiting behind the scenes. The judge is not waiting for us to trip up, but waiting for those who continually choose to not believe in Jesus, to not believe in what He has done for us. It is the very same Gospel which will condemn those unbelievers as the Gospel who will save us who do believe. These words did not come from Jesus because He was kind or a good Samaritan, these words came from God who cannot lie!
Points to Ponder:
What do you get out of the Gospel?
Will you try to keep the Gospel?
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May 10: John 10:22-30
Key Verse: John 10:25
Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,
Devotion:
I wonder what was going through Jesus’ mind when He was walking in “Solomon’s Colonnade,” part of the great structure which was dedicated to God! The Jews once again took the opportunity to surround Jesus and question Him in the hopes of getting an answer in plain speak (because it wouldn’t have been plain English!)
Were they trying to trick Him into saying something they could say was blasphemy? Were they just trying to understand what and whom they were talking to? I fear it was more along the lines of tricking Jesus into saying something which would break the laws they had set up, then they would not have to keep being on their guard all the time!
Jesus answer can be understood by us, the people who believe He was and is the Son of God. We can put this all together and sort it out in our heads. We still get confused and are in awe of the fact He is God, or God is all three… But as long as we believe, he says, we will receive eternal life through Him. As long as we recognise when it is Him speaking and not the world or any other spirit. As long as we believe in our hearts – we are already saved!
God knows the people who will never accept Him as God, the people who will never accept Jesus as God and the people who will not accept The Holy Spirit as God! But all three are one and that one is God in three parts. If we spend less time trying to get our heads round the science and more time trusting and believing, we will hear more of His voice and understand more about what He wants us to do!
Points to Ponder:
Will you keep on asking Him to explain?
Or will you accept Jesus as your king and saviour?