Reading your Bible for Today April 14

April 14: Zechariah 7:8-14

Key Verse: Zechariah 7:11
But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear.

Devotion:
One of the things which is most often ignored in life is true judgement. Yes, we do see many people round the world being punished for what they are doing wrong, but how many of those cases involve true judgement? We like to think we live in a world where we do judge the wicked in such a way so they should not err again, but when it comes down to it we see the same people doing the same things wrong over and over again... And it does not stop at the thieves or muggers, but goes right through society – even in our churches!

Whilst it is a deterrent to many people to see the punishment which will be handed out if they do something wrong, the unseen punishment is no deterrent to so many. We cannot see what is going to happen to us when we die. We are given direction, descriptions and warnings through God's Word, but that just does not seem to be the same as actually seeing the punishment or the effects of it.

It is only when you get to know God in a close personal relationship that you will get to see the benefits which we have from a relationship with Him. It is then we are encouraged and see what is happening in our lives. It is then we begin to see what we are doing wrong and try to set things right. Waiting until we have to be punished for what we are doing wrong is certainly not the right way of doing things! Why wait until it is too late?

If, when we walk closely with God, we would want others to see His awesome power and grace, we need to show others His true judgement and compassion. We can do this by showing God’s judgement and compassion to others in our lives. By allowing people to know when things are going wrong before it is too late will allow them to avoid the trap they are about to fall into. God wants each of us to see the light before we fall into the darkness, not to have to look up at the light knowing we can no longer reach it...

Points to Ponder:
Are you a rebel?

Are you listening to God?