Devotion Thoughts - 19/07/2011

1 Chronicles 28:1-21. 1 Chronicles 29:1-30

[God] said to [David], Solomon your son ... shall build my house ... for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. (28:6).

... know God ... and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind; for ... if you seek Him, you will find Him... (28:9, my editing).

The LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel (29:25)

Believers are God's children, and He enjoys having them around Him! Seize the opportunity to get to know Him better, and discover how much blessings He is able to bestow on Believers!

Romans 5:6-21

God's love toward us was such that, while we were still sinners, [He sent] Christ to die for us (v.8).
Now that we have been justified by [Christ's] blood we shall be saved from [God's] wrath through Him (v.9).

God's love has to be immeasurable given that He sent His own Son to die for filthy sinners who were in their spiritually filthy state. Those who have accepted the free gift of cleansing and salvation that Jesus affords, will avoid the punishment intended for sinners, and enjoy that great love of God!

Psalm 15:1-5

Only those who obey God in everything and always do what is right, whose words are true and sincere, [will live on His holy hill] (v.2,GNB).

When His Beloved Son, Jesus, bore the sins of the world on Himself on the cross, the Father, Who hates sin, had to look away. He still will not tolerate unforgiven, uncleansed sin where He dwells. That is why only those who are born again, whose every sin has been washed away in the blood of Jesus, will be allowed to join God in His heavenly and holy kingdom.

Proverbs 19:18, 19

Discipline your children while they are young enough to learn. If you don't, you are helping them destroy themselves (v.18,GNB).

God has spoken. Dr. Spock made a huge impact on parenting methods by suggesting that spanking a child would warp his character. His own son committed suicide, which we can assume was punishment for Spock for daring to contradict God. If we obey in all situations we can expect His help in those situations.

If someone has a hot temper, let him take the consequences. If you get him out of trouble once, you will have to do it again (v.19,GNB).

To be 'tolerant 'of a person who often loses their temper is to invite him / her to carry with their hotheaded behaviour. That does not work. We do well to do things God's way!

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Devotion Thoughts - 02/05/2011

Judges 15:1-20; Judges 16:1-31
(15:11) Although a physically powerful man, in twenty years of being Israel's judge (15:20) Samson had not helped them to conquer their rulers, the Philistines. He was too self-centred to realise he had responsibilities for which God had equipped him.
All believers have spiritual gifts and are given opportunities to witness. Knowing that God is waiting to use us, we should not be self-centred but yield ourselves to God, doing our best to honour Him in service.
Samuel was a glutton for punishment. Let down by a Philistine wife he still continues to seek diversion amongst them, aware that the Philistines are dying (sometimes literally!) to kill him. Relying on his own (God-given) powers, he toyed with the Philistines regarding the secret of his strength. But he was tricked, and ended up a blinded prisoner. For the first time we read of a humbled Samson praying a serious prayer to God for strength to bring down the house where he was being made sport of. God hears, and Samson is the most effective he has ever been, killing three thousand Philistines as well as himself.
Messing around with the opportunities God gives us is not a good idea. God can send us a lot of drama to get us to do His will. Rather let us surrender our will to him and humbly ask Him to use us. He sure will, and effectively, too!

John 2:1-25
Jesus began His earthly ministry in style, changing water into top quality wine! As the governor of the feast said to the groom. 'You have kept the best [wine] until last'.
Satan is not like Jesus. He is a deceiver, promising all kinds of things to those who follow him. Unfortunately for them he does not have the power to back up his promises.
Jesus, however, as the King of kings and the Lord of lords, is invested with all power; He is able to keep all His promises written in His Word. And what He will do for us is better than we expect, for He is keeping ' the best until last'. Now, He invites us to take up our 'cross' and follow Him. Once we have completed our earthly service, He will replace it with a crown!

Psalm 103:1-22
This is a magnificent psalm of praise to God, well worth memorising - especially the first five verses. It is helpful to memorise scripture, for we will have something the Holy Spirit can bring to mind when we need it.

Proverbs 14:17-19
One of the worst things we can do is to panic when threatened with danger. That is what training (knowledge) does for you; it prepares you to respond appropriately to a threat, enabling you to counter it, instead of reacting mindlessly or in anger and becoming a victim (v.17). This is also applicable from a spiritual perspective . Those who know they are the redeemed of the Lord are better able to stand firm in the face of attacks on their faith.

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Devotion Thoughts - 29/04/2011

Judges 9:22-57, Judges 10:1-18


We all know the saying, 'what you sow you reap'. Having dealt treacherously with his half-brothers, Abimelech in turn experienced treachery at the hands of some of his people (9:24). In the ensuing battles, Abimelech was killed because God had so arranged it (9:56).


When the Israelites again sinned against God (10:6), He punished them once more. It might seem that God is watching us like a hawk in case we sin, and will then punish us for sinning. Not so, for believers are under grace; every one of our sins is forgiven already thanks to Jesus. Rather think of God as being our Father. What father will not punish his young child for playing with matches? And how about when a young child runs out into the street having been forbidden to do so for fear of being run over by a car?


Let's not say God 'punishes'; rather say He corrects. He does it out of love because He knows what bad habits can do in our lives, and how bad choices will prevent us from joining Him in heaven. His correction is not about punishment, but designed to correct us and keep us on The Way to God.

Luke 24:13-53


Sometimes Jesus asked questions to help people verbalise what they thought about Him. The two on the Emmaus road thought Jesus was dead and buried, but were also confused over reports of His resurrection. Jesus responds by pointing out that everything they needed to know about Him had already been written by the prophets. Reading the Bible, with faith to believe that it is accurately given to us by God, is still the best way to get to know Him better!

Psalm 100:1-5


I find it sad that the worship of God is being left out of the assemblies in some schools. I still cherish memories of singing, 'Praise God from Whom all blessings flow'. I was not a born again believer until the final months of my Matric year, but that did not mean I did not appreciate the majesty of God up to then. In my parents' home, my siblings and I were brought up to respect God for Who He is - Almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth. Such teachings reinforced by wonderful hymns of praise at school built a foundation that has brought much blessing to me through the years.

Proverbs 14:11-12


There is a proliferation of religions founded by so-called Christians, some of whom have even had the temerity to produce their own 'translation' of the Bible in which certain verses are altered incorrectly so that it falls in with what they want to believe. (There is a warning in Revelation 22:18-19 against such a practice).


Bibles from the Bible Society are acceptable, and well worth reading if you want to find the road to God!

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