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December 10: Romans 14:10-12
Key Verse: Romans 14:12
So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
Devotion:
One thing which makes me angry is when people start talking about others in derogatory ways especially when they have their own issues which they admit to having! I had a hard time in boarding school because there was always someone willing to say something bad about someone else – it seemed to be a part of living in boarding schools at that time!
When you see someone who is clearly in need, what is your reaction? Do you run the other way to hide from the truth, or do you step forward and offer a solution to help with the need? Yes, it is difficult when the need you see makes you uncomfortable in some way, and harder still when you think there is no way you can currently help out… but it takes one person to step forward and offer help to allow others to see they can make a difference too – no matter how small that difference is to start with!
In order for a change to begin, someone needs to step forward and start the ball rolling. In order for people to stop taking advantage of others, one person needs to stand up and offer a little hope. We need to be the change in our societies because God wants someone to be brave enough to step forward and say, here I am… even if you think you cannot make a difference!
When Christ comes to judge the world, each person is going to have to give an account for what they have or have not done. If Jesus is not your advocate yet, then you may well be fearful of what lies ahead. But if you have Jesus as your advocate, you have someone who is willing to stand up and give an account on your behalf instead of standing up and describing all the things you have done wrong in your life! Allow Christ to be your advocate today!
Points to Ponder:
Do you have good friends who stand up for you no matter what?
Will you be a good friend to someone today and stand up for them?
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December 9: Psalm 145:9-15
Key Verse: Psalm 145:10
All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you.
Devotion:
Every relationship is a two way thing. When one breaks down, the whole relationship seems to break down; but if that part which is broken can be fixed in some way, the relationship is restored once again. When we fall away from God because of the temptations we follow or because of the things we get up to, God is patient and gracious to wait for us to return.
All around us, people will be brought into action to try and tell us of the wonders which God continues to do. When we fail in any way, God places people around us who can help us and who are able to get us pointed back in the right direction. I can remember being very far away from God (or at least that is how I looked at it) and God sent one person to come an knock on my door to invite me back. The first week I did not accept that invite, but the next time I did!
God has a way of getting His word back into our hearts when we seem to have done everything possible to push it out of our hearts and minds. He will send the smallest spark to light the biggest fire burning in our heart so we come back into this relationship He continues to uphold.
Everyone and everything around us reminds us of the things God has done for us. If we open our hearts and minds, He will light the fire and make sure it burns brighter than before. This is the way He ensures His Word is brought to every person in the world so each of us can make the choice to follow Him. God is not limited by time, but we are. We only have a limited amount of time to make the choice to follow Christ!
Points to Ponder:
Have you thanked God for what He has shown you today?
Will you pass on the torch to the next person?
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December 8: Isaiah 40:27-31
Key Verse: Isaiah 40:29
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Devotion:
How often have you doubted God is watching over you or how He cares for you? Each time we face difficulties or hardships we tend to doubt our Creator God because we see only the hardships in front of us. How quickly we forget! God did not just create us and then sit back to see what we would do; He created us and then walked with us right up until we rebelled and walked away from Him. At that time He stepped back to give us the space we craved, still watching, still caring and still there.
He never grows weary and never gets tired of watching over us, caring for us and guiding us. We, on the other hand, do grow weary, tired and scared we have no guide. If we are facing the wrong direction, how are we supposed to see what God is trying to say? How are we supposed to listen to Him when we have shut off everything but the world around us!
I love these verses because they remind us God is not just our Creator, but our hope and our strength at all times. When we do grow weary, we can reach out to Him and ask for strength to continue onward – He will always answer and always give us the strength. When we feel like there is nothing left to give, nothing left to live for, we can turn to Him and He gives us a little more to give and a reason to continue onward.
God will give us the strength to rise above our troubles, to rise above those around us trying to trap us in our despair. God will give us the wings to rise above everything – so long as we are willing to trust in Him and ask Him for the help! God uses the people around us to reach out to us at times. He uses everything because He created everything and can always be counted on to do what is righteous!
Points to Ponder:
Are you calling out to God?
Will you trust Him to allow you to fly free?
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December 7: Matthew 14:13-21
Key Verse: Matthew 14:16
Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’
Devotion:
What sort of attitude do you think you have toward the people who are in need around you – yes, those in need around you! Far too often we think of the people in need as being others who are in a different country, far away or with some other physical barrier between them and us. Jesus did not turn His back on any people instead, encouraging the needy to come to Him!
Another trait is to think we cannot do anything for ‘them’ because they are too far gone or you think you just cannot spare enough to make a difference. Jesus started making the difference one person at a time; but this demonstration of His love and power went beyond anything the disciples could imagine!
They were trying to be compassionate by seeing how people may have been struggling, or getting weary… so they told Jesus to send the people away so they could at least go and feed themselves! Jesus answer must have stunned them at first: ‘feed them!’ Not what they were expecting! After having a quick ask around they came to the conclusion they had five loaves and two fish – probably just enough to give themselves a light snack before resting for the evening.
Jesus gave the problem to God knowing God was going to come through. He asked God to bless the food and then started dishing it out, and out, and out! God continued to provide because the people were in need. When we feel like we have no way of helping, we need to get God involved so we can give Him the glory for what He will do!
Points to Ponder:
Do you always give thanks to God?
Will you ask God to help you help someone else?
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December 6: Luke 5:17-21
Key Verse: Luke 5:20
When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’
Devotion:
Can you imagine the commotion as Jesus was teaching the Pharisees and teachers of the law; in amongst this all, there were people bringing the sick for Jesus to heal. This story is about a group of men who were carrying their paralysed friend to come and get healed by Jesus. This man must have been able to convince the others how amazing Jesus was and how he would be able to walk again – if only they could get him to see Jesus face to face.
But there was a bit of a problem – there were simply too many people crowding around and trying to get a glimpse of Jesus as He taught. We would presume this would be like a sold-out performance; absolutely no more room! Maybe one of them was an engineer and they planned to get to Jesus via the roof. First they would have had to remove enough tiles to make enough space for their friend to be lowered down, then they would have had to organise rope and somehow lower him down without making too much mess otherwise everyone would have probably run out of the house they were in!
When they finally managed their task, Jesus turned to them and said “Friend, your sins are forgiven!” Now, we don’t know what had happened to this man or how he was paralysed, but between them they had enough faith to make this all happen – not to show off and say how adept they were, but simply to get their friend to be face to face with Jesus!
Of course the Pharisees and teachers all revolted about this because Jesus dared to say his sins were forgiven! This was the task of the chief priest after people had brought their sacrifices and done everything which was written down in the law books… What they were not seeing was this was their Messiah who had come to change the world and change the way they sacrificed, just as it was foretold! Don’t close your eyes just because you see something as not humanly possible...
Points to Ponder:
Do you limit your faith according to science and technology?
Will you allow God to work with the freedom He requires of us?
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December 5: Luke 3:1-6
Key Verse: Luke 3:4
As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: ‘A voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.
Devotion:
Have you ever been asked to do something for your church and refused because you didn’t think you could do it? The first time I was asked to do Christian youth work I doubted myself and said I didn’t think I could do it… but after a bit of encouragement I agreed to come along and take a few steps toward doing the work. Before too long I was in charge of the youth group and continued to do Christian youth work right up until I was admitted into hospital a couple of years ago.
I was scared I would not be able to live up to the name the previous youth leader had built up – I was thinking about me instead of thinking about what God was asking of me! The more we focus on what we can or cannot do, the more lost we become in our limitations and the less we will be able to do for God. But when we allow God to guide us and simply listen to what He is saying, our work for Him will be turned around and become what He wanted in the first place!
When John heard the calling, I’m sure he would have had doubts about what he could do, but he listened to God and obeyed his calling. God was not calling John to convert as many people to Christianity as he could. He was not asking John to be a pre-show before Jesus came on the scene! He was asking John to faithfully tell people the true gospel story.
Our task is not to do God’s work for Him. Our task is to listen to what God wants us to do and to faithfully obey God. He is asking us to prepare the way, not to build the roads, but to show people which direction the road is in. Our task is to guide people towards God so He can have the full attention of His people – not to make us the centre of attention or the hero… God alone is God!
Points to Ponder:
Do you get worried you cannot do God’s Work?
Have you tried showing people God instead?
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December 4: Matthew 9:35-38
Key Verse: Matthew 9:37
Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
Devotion:
I wonder if you have ever had to help out in an emergency or some sort of disaster? When you arrive on the scene it is a bit of a shock to see the scene, then the desperation of the people can be seen, then your feeling of helplessness sets in… Only when you start to do physical things, however small, do you start to see a change in circumstances and you finally see you can help!
I don’t wish disaster aid on anyone because it can be distressing, often taking a very special kind of person to help out when everything seems to pointless to start with. I could imagine this being the same feeling Jesus would have when going to some of these towns and villages where He would see the helpless crowds who needed so much. But, everywhere He went would be another new opportunity to do something, no matter how small!
I’m sure half the problem was seeing how helpless the disciples felt as well. He would see how they needed support to be able to help the people in the towns. He could see their desperate hearts. But Jesus’ way forward was not to give the disciples super-human strength to get through everything, but to remind them they needed help from others too.
As we step out to do what God wants us to do, we are going to face times when we will feel helpless and think we cannot do things as He wants us to. Those are the times when we need to step back and review how we are going about His work. Do we need to go forward in a different way, or do we need to ask for help? Often asking for help is difficult because we think we should be able to cope, but when we get local communities involved with God’s work, they will begin to see how rewarding it is...
Points to Ponder:
How much do you do for God in your community?
Will you be willing to help when asked?
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December 3: Psalm 25:16-21
Key Verse: Psalm 25:18
Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.
Devotion:
How many times have you called out to God because you have been in trouble or some other distressing place? How many times have you found comfort in God when you have needed it most? I pity the people who do not know God and have nobody to turn to when their lives are being turned upside down or when they think the whole world seems to be against them? We have the Lord and we can get comfort and strength simply by calling out to Him at those times!
When we are lonely and afflicted, we can call out and He answers us in a special way; we don’t always know how to describe it, but we know it! When our hearts are heavy and we feel like the whole world is on our shoulders, we can call out to Him and get comfort and strength to carry on. We can often see the trouble and strife we cause by doing something wrong, something we have tried to hide from others or something which goes against God’s wishes.
When we call out to God in those times, He opens His arms just like the Father welcoming the prodigal son back home. No matter what we have done wrong, if we come back to God and call out for help knowing what we have done, He is faithful to answer us and to give us strength to do what is right!
We may feel overwhelmed by the number of people around us who are against us or against God, but He will always open our eyes to someone close by who is willing and able to help out. When we live our lives according to God’s ways, we will stand out as being different and people may work against us – not because they don’t like us, but because they look bad when compared to how we look in their eyes. Stand up for what is righteous and live in God’s comforting grip!
Points to Ponder:
Do you try to live God’s way?
Will you call out to Him for guidance instead of only calling out in desperation?
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December 2: Matthew 7:21-27
Key Verse: Matthew 7:21
‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Devotion:
How many times do you get carried away with doing one thing and totally forget about what you had planned to do instead? I know this happened to me yesterday as I sat down to update some software on my PC before writing the daily devotions… and got so engrossed in doing things on my PC I forgot to bring you the devotions on time! So I’m sitting here reflecting on things and getting onto the task I should have done yesterday!
How appropriate the verses I was directed to today! Here Jesus was talking to people and encouraging them to do things for God and not just talk about doing them… We need to keep our focus on God – not by talking about things but by doing things for God too. Yesterday, when in a group of people meeting during an Alpha session, I was reminded about this as well…
Our world is full of temptations which will take us away from being disciples and keep us firmly planted in the worldly ways instead. Jesus wants us to be better disciples for Him, but not just disciples who talk about things but disciples who step forward and do things. How many things have you put off during the last year because of circumstances which worry you or frighten you? I’m not talking about doing things which are foolish like ignoring Covid guidelines, but little things like helping behind the scenes or talking to someone who needs encouragement.
I know I say this a lot, but we don’t all have to stand up in front of congregations and shout out about God – otherwise who will be in the pews? God wants each of us to do what we can do, and to do it willingly for God. If we live our lives in such a way as to show people we are different from the world, we then get the opportunity to show them why we are different: because we have Christ in us!
Points to Ponder:
Do you sometimes procrastinate?
Will you step forward today and say yes to something you keep putting off?
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December 1: Matthew 15:29-37
Key Verse: Matthew 15:36
Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people.
Devotion:
I have always looked at these verses which talk about the miracles Jesus did as just that, miracles! But after reading these verses again today, I started to see something more than just the miracle. I say ‘just the miracle’ but it is not just a miracle, it is extraordinary how much compassion Jesus had on the people and how He wanted God to show how much He cares for us…
Think about how Jesus was going about this for a minute. He started out by showing them love and healing those who needed healing and in turn blessing those around the people being healed. What better way for witnesses to be born than to see exactly what Jesus was doing to the people who they had come with – friends, family and those neighbours… they were the ones being healed and their family, friends and neighbours were the ones seeing it all happening right in front of them.
Even with the meagre offerings he had to start with, Jesus was able to expand on them into something remarkable. He started off by asking them to be obedient to His word. He asked them to sit down and wait on Him. He then took the meagre offerings and asked God to bless and multiply them for all to have enough.
He then broken the food into pieces and gave those pieces to the disciples; telling them to go out and give this bread to the people. Jesus was given a little food which He shared with the disciples who in turn shared it with the people until everyone had enough to eat. This is the same way He wants us to share the living bread – His Word – with others. He wants to give His Word to us and wants us to share that Word with others until we all have enough!
Points to Ponder:
Do you willingly take of Christ’s living bread?
Do you willingly give of Christ’s living bread?