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August 10: 1 Kings 19:11-18
Key Verse: 1 Kings 19:14
He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’
Devotion:
How many times have you wondered whether you are the only Christian in your community? How many times have you wondered why nobody else can see they are doing things wrong? How many times do you judge others! Yes, if we are honest, we have all been there and we all judge others at one stage or another. It is not up to us who gets to say who is doing things wrong and who is doing things right… we have law enforcement people and judges to do that in our societies...
But what happens when they seem to be corrupt and the law breaks down? What then! Well, if you haven’t turned to God for answers yet, then you are looking in the wrong place still. Elijah knew the people were doing things wrong and he had warned them against it, but He went to God to seek guidance and help. He did not take things into his own hands – despite knowing they were worshipping Baal and other gods.
God’s response to Elijah was probably not what he wanted to hear either. When we see the people around us doing things wrong we should be praying for God to release them from the places they are in – not in a judgmental way but in a way which shows God you love the people and want them to survive!
The message for Elijah was to put in place a new set of rulers who would judge harshly until the people turned back to God. Sometimes we don’t know where to turn because we are fearful of what will happen to the people because of the things they are doing. If we are willing to continue showing love to the people and God, just maybe God will show us a way which will allow people to live in His love.
Points to Ponder:
Where do you turn when things go wrong?
Do you rely on God’s guidance to show you a way forward in your community?
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August 9: Psalm 103:7-12
Key Verse: Psalm 103:11
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
Devotion:
These few verses say so much about God which we take for granted every day. He talked to Moses and made sure people were able to get to know Him when they were not at their best in life! He made sure the people knew He was a just God and told them all about the rules they would have to follow. But His love for us showed even more than all the rules and regulations, proving to mankind He loves us more than any of our faults and problems!
Often we look at the things we have done and we don’t expect others to forgive us for those things. We think we have gone too far and we do not expect people to be able to forgive us. We do the same with God as well! We continue to look back at the problems we have in our lives and the things we have done wrong, expecting God to remember them all and to hold them all against us when we come before Him… after all that is a kind of justice, or at least the kind we know!
God looks past the things we have done, looks beyond what we have done in the past and looks ahead to what we are able to achieve in the future. He does not limit those thoughts by our earthly standards and does not hod on the the earthly barriers we hold up either. God sees the potential in each one of our lives, the true potential we have lost sight of because we are focusing on the things of this world.
The only way which is descriptive enough about how God separates out issues from us is by describing it as far as the East is from the West. If we go north, you will eventually start going South again after you pass the poll, but if you go East or West, you continue on going that direction even though we cover the same ground again eventually. Look at that as being the way God separates us from our sin. We may cover the same ground again, but it is still in the opposite direction to where we came from!
Points to Ponder:
What holds you back in relationships?
What holds you back in your relationship with God?
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August 8: Luke 24:13-17
Key Verse: Luke 24:16
but they were kept from recognising him.
Devotion:
How many times do you look at a picture and wonder why someone has showed you the picture… only to be told they are a famous artist or musician whom you have heard of but never seen! Unless we get to know people in one way or another, we remain in the dark as to who they are and what they can do – we are essentially blind to their abilities… We may hear through someone else they can do things, but unless we can join up the face with the person doing the task, we still remain in the dark!
I bet these two felt a bit silly when they did realise it was Jesus walking with them – but they were too tied up the in woes of the world to realise it was Him. That is how we get sometimes too, we get too bogged down in the things which are going wrong around us and we lose sight of what we have in our hands!
Jesus wants us to take stock of what we have from time to time so we can realise just how much He is doing for us all the time. As long s we continue to allow ourselves to be side-tracked, we often lose sight of what Jesus is doing in our lives. I know this because I have been there and it was only when I looked back on what had happened did I realise just how much God was looking after me!
I can totally relate to these two because I do get a bit too caught up in things and lose track of what is happening right in front of me! You don’t have to rely on me to tall you that, just ask the people around me!
Today, as we continue to have very warm weather here in Europe, take a bit of time to stop and look around you. When I did that earlier I was able to see things like the flowers wilting in the heat – which reminded me I should be taking in my daily bread to build me up and that’s not just my lunch!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you get caught up in things?
How often do you stop and thank God for what He is doing right now?
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August 7: 2 Peter 1:12-15
Key Verse: 2 Peter 1:15
And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
Devotion:
One thing I don’t hold firm to is someone who teaches or preaches at church and then lives a different life at home. Each one of us hold a position of a teacher whether we like it or not. God has given us insider knowledge about Jesus and His love for us so we can teach this to other people. What sort of legacy will you have if you were to die tomorrow? Will people remember you as the ‘bible puncher’, the ‘church person’, the person who was always there or someone who loved openly?
We have very different examples in the disciples, each having their own personalities and each living very different lives in different places. We have examples throughout the old testament of people who lived and loved according to God’s will, but also many people who fell and tripped up in their lives.
God knows we are going to trip up at some stage in our lives, but how we handle those situations may well be what people remember us for. Those times when we were up against the wall may be the times people remember us for and not the times when we thought we were at our best.
Our lives should be open books for people to get to know us and to trust us; not because we go to church on Sundays but because we constantly remind them of Jesus or constantly remind them there is hope because God is with us! God would love us all to be the perfect examples people will remember, but we are not. Just as we have people who fell in the bible, so we may fall. But turning back to God and opening our lives to the people around us so they can see our relationship with God may well be the turning point in their lives as well as our lives.
Points to Ponder:
Do you live a very private life?
Do you know what other people think of you?
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August 6: Exodus 34:29-35
Key Verse: Exodus 34:29
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.
Devotion:
Do you worry about how others will see you as a Christian? Do you worry people are going to see you as something to fear instead of as a friend? As Christians we need to be reaching into our communities and promoting God no matter what people are going to think of us personally. We need to put aside our pride or whatever else is holding us back and step forward to allow people to see God’s light shining through us!
Now Moses did have a problem in that he was physically glowing instead of inwardly glowing; the people were scared to approach him because he obviously looked a bit ‘alien!’ But that did not stop Moses from bringing what God had said to him to the people. First step was to reassure Aaron and the other leaders and then invite everyone to come close.
As children of God we need to step forward and show people we are not ‘aliens’ whom they have to fear but friends who want to help and give them hope. As Christians we need to step forward, no matter what our circumstances are, and allow people to see we are promoting a God who loves them even more than we can love them. And there is the issue we need to overcome first of all – we need to show them we do love them no matter what their circumstances are!
I love to wear Christian T-shirts all the time. When I first came to the area people would question why I wore them. My task then was to show them we live as Christians and want to share our lives and love with them. Now people expect me to wear Christian T-shirts and even watch out to see when I get a new one. Each one is a talking point which allows me to mix with people and promote God and His ways through me. Sometimes just being here is what people need...
Points to Ponder:
What do you think people think of you?
Are you glowing with God’s presence?
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August 5: John 5:31-35
Key Verse: John 5:31
If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true.
Devotion:
As much as Jesus went around proclaiming He is the Son of God and teaching people the truth, He also made sure there were others who would also do the same; not because He needs the backup, but because we do. We find it hard to believe in something one person tells us unless we have some sort of confirmation from other people. That’s just human nature.
What God did was to make sure there is always someone willing and able to back up the truth so we can be convinced. Admit it. We are all sceptical. We don’t just accept things. God knew this and He made a way we can accept the truth. We have the truth Jesus came to deliver, we have the Holy Spirit who is able to convince us from the inside… but we can always get a bit of help from those around us.
If we need a bit of help now and again from the people around us, then how much help can we be to those people who don’t know God yet? How much can we say and do which will help them to understand just who God is and how much he can do in their lives? It is not really our task to convince anyone that Jesus is the way the truth and the life… but it is our task to open their eyes and hearts to the fact this may be the case.
Once we are able to open their eyes and hearts, Christ can come in and do the convincing. Yes, God could make some catastrophic event which will make us all believe, but He continues to allow us to make our own minds up. He asks His children to go out and invite people in. He then works directly in their hearts to allow them to see the truth and start a new life with Him in the middle!
Points to Ponder:
Do you tell others God is real?
Do you know He wants you to do that?
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August 4: John 5:1-10
Key Verse: John 5:7
‘Sir,’ the invalid replied, ‘I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.’
Devotion:
How frustrated do you get with things in life which you can’t quite master? How many times have you tried to do something before you give up and try to move on… but you can’t give up and go try again, only to fail once again? I know there are things like this in my life and I sometimes get to the stage where any attempt to accomplish the task is not done with any confidence at all – we give it a go but expect to fail once again.
Sometimes it is the big things in our lives which we seem to fail at and ones we always get wrong – maybe something as big as relationships and we just can’t seem to succeed! This man had been an invalid for thirty eight years and I’m sure was at the end of his tether with trying. But he was still there with hope in his heart. That was the key, having hope and wanting to succeed. Even though he had not been able to get to the pool to be healed, he still had hope.
That is the key. Hope! We need to remember there is still hope, not in what we can achieve, but in accomplishing what cannot be done. How so? Because we still have Christ on our side. Jesus saw this man and walked up to him knowing his situation but also knowing he still clung on to the hope God would be able to heal him one day. Jesus was about to make it happen there and then without being asked directly!
God wants us to be in the best places at the best times, but far too often we get caught up in the world and find ourselves in the worst places at seemingly the worst times! We need to cling to the hope Christ has promised us and to trust God will do something about our situations. I have learned this and now try to lean more on this hope each day, trusting and knowing God still performs miracles!
Points to Ponder:
Are you frustrated with your life?
Will you cling to that last ounce of hope?
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August 3: John 4:46-54
Key Verse: John 4:48
‘Unless you people see signs and wonders,’ Jesus told him, ‘you will never believe.’
Devotion:
What does it take before you really believe something? Will it take an earth-shattering event or will you believe something God tells you through another person? I have learned God speaks to us through other people and not just through the big events of this world. Yes it may well have been a big event which cemented my belief God is my protector, but each day I continue to realise just how much He does on a day-by-day basis!
Don’t wait until you have an earth-shattering event happen because you may find it is the most difficult thing you have ever been through, or the worst imaginable thing! God wants us to believe Him because we want to and because we trust Him, not because it is the last thing on earth left before we collapse into a big heap.
This royal official must have been at the end of his tether with the looming death of his son – not something I ever want to have to live through. And what was the response from Jesus? A seemingly uncaring “go away your son will live” How was he supposed to believe this when his whole being was telling him his son was near to death? Why else would he have come to Jesus as a last resort?
Don’t wait for a last resort but place your faith and trust in the one true God is is willing and able to do so much more than we can imagine. Remember the little things which He is telling you through other people. Remember the chances He gives you. Add up all of those little things and see just how big the picture really is. He has got your back whether you realise it or not!
Points to Ponder:
What makes you stop and listen?
Will you listen to the small voice of someone else God is speaking through?
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August 2: John 4:7-9
Key Verse: John 4:9
The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
Devotion:
Who did Jesus include in His group of people He wanted to live with… everyone! So many times in our culture we don’t include some people just because they live on the wrong side of the street or they don’t belong to a particular group we associate with… We exclude people just because they are different...
When Jesus came to Sychar He knew it was time to meet with the Samaritan woman who was being shunned by the community she lived in. He knew it was time to include the person others were rejecting just because she was different. To Him, it did not matter whether she was a Jew, believer, Samaritan, non-believer, whatever! He wants every one of us to be included in His family and in His church. He wants every one of us, no matter what race, colour, position, society, past, present or future; He wants very one of us to be included!
This is the task set before us when He said He wants us to love our neighbour. Jesus wants us to include the excluded. He wants us to meet with the people who are shunned. He wants us to greet the people ignored by society. He wants us to help those who are stepped on by others. Jesus wants us to act like the Christians we say we are!
I know I have been guilty of this in the past, and for those times I am truly sorry, but joining Eden (#joineden) and becoming part of a community which had been sidelined by society, I have been able to do so much more of the things Jesus asked of me in the beginning. The place I live and love may well change over time, but the people always remain the same – those chosen by God! (that means everyone by the way!)
Points to Ponder:
What do you do in your community?
What would Jesus do in your position?
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August 1: Luke 5:27-31
Key Verse: Luke 5:31
Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill.’
Devotion:
I could just imagine the faces of the Pharisees and teachers as they watched Jesus go to the tax collector’s house and have a banquet with them instead of a humble occasion with a few of the people they thought should deserve it… What would you think if your vicar went to have a meal with a local drug dealer instead of coming round to your house and having a light salad!
OK, that may not be a good comparison, but it has got you thinking… Just what do we expect in our lives and how much do we judge others according to our own rules and our own wants? If we are honest we will admit to having some jealous thoughts in our lives which are not really justifiable!
Jesus quite clearly stated He was not here to appease the people who thought they made up the best synagogues or supported the best temples… He came to reach out to the people who needed God most in their lives. He came to allow the people who were shunned from the temples to meet with God and see a new hope in their own lives. God calls us to do similar things – and it can be very scary!
I cannot compare my life to that of Christ, but I can see so many places where God has placed me in a difficult situation to allow me o be used in a way which reaches out to people who can’t face coming to church for one reason or another. God uses us in ways which we cannot or do not perceive. He uses us where we just don’t know how to reach people – because He is God and He can do these things! Trust and obey is ringing in my head as I write this down...
Points to Ponder:
Where do you aim your “God Work?”
Will you stop and allow Him to do work through you?