Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SUNDAY 15TH OCTOBER 2017

THEME: LIKE THE SACRIFICE OF CAIN?            

Memorise:
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

Read: Genesis 4:1-7

4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.

4:2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.

4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

4:6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Message:

When it comes to the issue of giving, we are not only expected to do what is required but also what is commanded by the Almighty God. No matter how much you give in church, or how much you give to different causes in God’s Kingdom, you can never out-give God. God is more interested in the attitude with which you give than in what you give. He knows to what extent He has blessed you, and He expects your act of giving to reflect this. Each time we sow, God allows our seed to multiply. Since I have been giving to God, I have never known a better yesterday, because God is always doing something new in my life. I always pity those who do not give to God. This is foolishness, because there is nothing you have today that you have not received from God. At the table of the Almighty set before you, you are permitted to take what you want and as much as you want (Psalm 23:5). There is no scarcity in Heaven, and this is why God has promised to open the windows of heaven to pour out blessing on those who obey His commandments concerning tithes, offerings, and sowing to kingdom assignments and charities. Your acts of giving must be done cheerfully and not grudgingly.

In today’s Bible reading, Abel’s sacrifice was accepted while that of Cain was rejected. Why did this happen? Abel brought his sacrifice to God with joy, thankfulness and with great expectation. He brought his offering with an upright heart, and he also offered sacrifice that was well pleasing to God. When people are not sincere with God, it doesn’t matter how many sermons they have listened to, or how many hours they have spent in the place of prayer, things will still always go wrong with them. God was not pleased with Cain’s sacrifice because his heart was not right before Him. Cain was envious of his brother’s blessing and he failed to focus on his own heart. May your sacrifice not be rejected before God in Jesus’ Name. Cain was a wicked man, operating under the influence of the flesh; therefore, his sacrifice was an abomination before God. Proverb 15:8 says,

“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.”

If a tree is good, its fruits will be good. God is interested in the fruit we bear. Abel was careful in the choice of his sacrifice. He intentionally used the best of his flock because he understood that if you give your best to God, He will in turn give His best to you. Endeavor to always give the best of your life to God, and see how He will respond.

Action Point:
Offer the best of your time and the best of your service to God today.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Corinthians 11-13
Daniel 7:13-28

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 10:  THERE SHALL BE SHOWER OF BLESSING

1. There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

Refrain:
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

2. There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

Refrain:

3. There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come, and now honor Thy Word.

Refrain:

4. There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!

Refrain:

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SATURDAY 14TH OCTOBER 2017

THEME: ONE WITH GOD IS A MAJORITY

Memorise:
And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 2 Kings 6:16

Read: 2 Kings 6:8-17

6:8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.

6:9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.

6:10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.

6:11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?

6:12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.

6:13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.

6:14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

6:15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

Message:

One fundamental reason why some people have their back against godly living is that the ungodly are more in number than those who are godly. It takes faith in God to live a godly life in this age of political correctness, the ascendancy of the philosophies of relativism and humanism, and agitation for the “fundamental human rights” of people involved in acts that are despicable to God. The age-long saying that “one with God is majority” is no longer popular because no one wants to suffer humiliation and marginalization by the ungodly majority. The story in our Bible reading demonstrates the truth that one with God is indeed a majority. While waging war against the king of Israel, the king of Syria discovered that all the tactical information he was discussing with his generals was somehow revealed to the king of Israel again and again. The king of Syria was so troubled by this, because he thought he had a mole among his men, divulging all his secrets to the king of Israel. My prayer for you today is that God will expose every plan of your enemies to you, and all their destructive schemes against you will fail in Jesus’ Name. When the king of Syria discovered that Elisha was the divine informant leaking his secrets, he ordered his arrest. On seeing the great host of the king of Syria that came by night to arrest his master, the servant of the prophet was so afraid and he cried out to Elisha, “Alas, my master! How shall we do?” the prophet, in 2 Kings 6:16, answered thus:

“...Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.”

After Elisha prayed that the Lord should open the eyes of his servant, the young prophet saw an angelic host with horses and chariots of fire around where they were. There and then, he believed that indeed there is a majority of hosts with the one who is on the Lord’s side.

The question is, are you on God’s side? You have no reason to fear if indeed you are with God. When we are in the minority from a physical perspective, our Lord Jesus Christ warns us against being discouraged, because with God on our side, we are always in the majority. After all, Jesus’ Name is Emmanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). 1 John 4:4 says,

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

I therefore encourage you to move on to the righteous side of God today. Moving on to the side of Jesus Christ is moving on to the side of victory, redemption and peaceful living.

Prayer Point:
Father, I have learnt that one with You is a majority; I therefore come to declare anew my allegiance to You. Please receive me to Your side and fight my battle for me.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Corinthians 8-10
Daniel 7:1-12

                                                                                                                 
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 18: ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIER

1. Onward Christian soldiers!
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before.
Christ, the royal Master,
Leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
See, His banners go!

Refrain:
Onward, Christian soldiers!
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus,
Going on before.

2. At the name of Jesus
Satan’s host doth flee;
On then, Christian soldiers,
On to victory!
Hell’s foundations quiver
At the shout of praise:
Brothers, lift your voices,
Loud your anthems raise!
[Refrain]

3. Like a mighty army
Moves the Church of God:
Brothers, we are treading
Where the saints have trod;
We are not divided,
All one Body we—
One in faith and Spirit,
One charity.
[Refrain]

4. Onward, then, ye people!
Join our happy throng;
Blend with ours your voices
In the triumph song.
Glory, laud and honor
Unto Christ, the King;
This through countless ages
Men and angels sing.
[Refrain]

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: FRIDAY 13TH OCTOBER 2017

THEME: GOD’S WATCHMAN

Memorise:
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  Mark 16:15

Read: Exodus 33:1-6

33:1 And the Lord said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it:

33:2 And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:

33:3 Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way.

33:4 And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.

33:5 For the Lord had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.

33:6 And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.

Message:

Humanity is perishing every day because of sin. So many people are unaware of the truth of God’s word about the consequences of sin, and some who know this truth are drawing back from it. Due to the pervasiveness of iniquity in the world today, those who used to be very hot for the Lord are now cooling off in the flesh, while some have even departed from the faith completely. The irony of it all is that the Church is behaving as if all is well. The world is blind and needs to know about God. As God’s watchman, you are the light of the world. You are a city set on a hill, and you are the salt of the earth. However, are you measuring up to God’s expectation in the area of your responsibilities towards the great commission? How many sinners have you spoken to about the consequences of their actions? How many souls have you followed up this year? Many believers who are supposed to be God’s watchmen are now complacent; they are no longer aware of what the Spirit is saying. Today, there is so much religion without the visible demonstration of the power of the Holy Ghost. It is through salvation in Jesus that there can be restoration of life to those dying in sin. The baptism of the Holy Ghost is for the purpose of going into all part of the world to effect deliverance of all those held captive by Satan (Acts 1:8).

As God’s watchman, you cannot afford to remain empty spiritually. You must be fruitful (John 15:16). We need to wake up and start bearing fruit if we do not want to be condemned. Most of the things happening around us today that have become a threat to the Body of Christ are happening because we are not doing what God expects of us. If we preach the true gospel as handed over to us by the apostles of old, the Church of God today will be more vibrant, healthier and spiritually active. If you will be equipped for the great assignment of the great commission, you need to avoid falling into the sin of covetousness, pride, self-centeredness, love of money, and ambition for power. We need to go to God in prayer and ask for His fire to be released upon our hearts, so that we can recover lost grounds. To God’s watchmen, He is saying return to the great commission. The great commission is God’s ultimate assignment, and it entails transforming people from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Let the gospel be preached to all people in all places. If there are places you can’t go yourself, make arrangements to send others there to do the work. The gospel of reconciliation is a message of universal concern, and we can all make a difference as we play our part.

Prayer Point:
Father, please help me to play my role in Your Kingdom agenda.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Corinthians 4-7
Daniel 6:14-28

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 13:  WONDERFUL STORY OF LOVE

1. Wonderful story of love;
Tell it to me again;
Wonderful story of love;
Wake the immortal strain!
Angels with rapture announce it,
Shepherds with wonder receive it;
Sinner, oh, won’t you believe it?
Wonderful story of love.

Refrain:
Wonderful! Wonderful!
Wonderful, wonderful story of love.

2. Wonderful story of love;
Though you are far away;
Wonderful story of love;
Still He doth call today;
Calling from Calvary’s mountain,
Down from the crystal-bright fountain,
E’en from the dawn of creation,
Wonderful story of love.

Refrain:

3. Wonderful story of love;
Jesus provides a rest;
Wonderful story of love;
For all the pure and blest,
Rest in those mansions above us,
With those who’ve gone on before us,
Singing the rapturous chorus,
Wonderful story of love.

Refrain:

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

THURSDAY 12TH OCTOBER 2017

THEME:
OBEDIENT CHILDREN

MEMORISE:
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Exodus 20:12

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Corinthians 1-3, Daniel 5:29-6:13

READ:
Ephesians 6:1-3

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

MESSAGE:
Children are assets of the Almighty God entrusted to our care. We must therefore ensure that we do all we can to nurture them for the Lord and not for ourselves. We should strive to receive commendation from the Lord for our efforts in bringing them up as children He can be proud of. Raising children in today’s world is serious business. Unfortunately, we live in a world where parents have left to chance or entirely neglected the huge task of bringing up their children in the fear of the Lord. Many parents justify themselves by concluding that they are helpless, and they shift the blame for their own failures to the happenings in the society. In the time of father Abraham, there were also parents who did not bring up their children to follow the path of God, but for Abraham, his testimony was different. God said this concerning him in Genesis 18:19:

“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”

If you want to raise children who will be obedient to the Lord, you must be ready to start right from the beginning of the child’s life. That is what parenting is all about. It involves training and educating a child from the phase of infancy through to adulthood. If you carry out the job of parenting as unto the Lord, you will be well rewarded by Him. There are many parents who realized late in life that they have neglected their roles as parents. In order to make amends, some of them begin to make efforts at “repairing” the lives of their children, but at that point, they discover it has become a herculean task.

Obedient children are godly children, committed to a life of honesty in all they do. Such children will never bring shame, reproach or embarrassment to the God of their fathers, because they have a deep understanding of the covenant upon which they have been groomed. There are parents today who have lost control of their children. Some other parents have turned their children into symbols of idolatry. They fear their children more than they fear God. May that not be your portion in Jesus’ Name. Obedient children must honour their parents. They must respect them irrespective of their status in society, if they want to live a life without regret. When their parents need their attention or help, they must be there for them. They must also be ready to submit willfully to their instructions, corrections and rebuke. There are children who bring sorrow to their parents. On the other hand, children of destiny bring great comfort to everyone around them. Are you a child of destiny?

PRAYER POINT :
Father, let my children please You always, and grant me grace to care for my parents.

AUTHOR:
PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 16:
GOD GIVE US CHRISTIAN HOMES

1. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the Bible is loved and taught,
Homes where the Master’s will is sought,
Homes crowned with beauty Your love has wrought;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

2. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the father is true and strong,
Homes that are free from the blight of wrong,
Homes that are joyous with love and song;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

3. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the mother, in caring quest,
Strives to show others Your way is best,
Homes where the Lord is an honored guest;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

4. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the children are led to know
Christ in His beauty who loves them so,
Homes where the altar fires burn and glow;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

WEDNESDAY 11TH OCTOBER 2017

THEME:
BE OF GOOD CHEER

MEMORISE:
A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
 Proverbs 15:13

READ:
Matthew 14:23-27

23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on theLmmnk sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Corinthians 15-16, Daniel 5:13-28

MESSAGE:
The message in today’s memory verse is food for thought for those children of God who think that being sorrowful or morose is a Christian virtue. A glooming spirit is of the devil, who wants us to be in sorrow continually. In contrast to this, God wants all His children to be happy. The Holy Spirit in Isaiah 61:3 said that God gives joy to the sorrowful:

“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.”

The Lord Jesus Christ, who came to demonstrate the nature and character of God, read the above scripture in a synagogue on a certain day, and He declared:



“This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Luke 4:21b

By this declaration, as a child of God, you should not live in sorrow anymore.

All through the course of Jesus’ earthly ministry, one statement that was common with Him was, “Be of good cheer”. In other words, “Have a merry heart”. He continually said this because He knew that a merry heart results in a smiling face and is like medicine to the body and soul (Proverbs 15:13, Proverbs 17:22). For example, in John 16:33, Jesus told the disciples to be of good cheer because He had overcome the world. This means that, as children of God, we should not go about in life wearing a sorrowful face in self-pity - not even when we are confronted with the challenges of life. In the story of the man afflicted with the palsy, Jesus told him to be of good cheer because his sins were forgiven (Matthew 9:2). In other words, "Son, although your sins brought this sickness to your life, you are now forgiven, and you are made whole." I prophesy to you today, irrespective of the agonising condition your past life has brought into your present, the Lord will redeem you today. You are forgiven by the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ, and you will be happy again in Jesus’ Name. In today’s Bible reading, the disciples were in the midst of the sea and its waves tossed them here and there. In the midst of palpable fear and despair, Jesus came to them and rebuked their faithlessness, before rebuking the destructive wind. He then encouraged them to be of good cheer. In like manner, the Lord is speaking to you today that you will not drown in that situation. Be cheerful because Emmanuel is with you. Your joy shall come, and it shall come in full measure in Jesus' Name.

PRAYER POINT :
Father, flood my heart with unspeakable joy today and for ever more.

AUTHOR:
PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 4:
ALL WILL BE WELL

1.Through the love of God our Saviour,
All will be well;
Free and changeless is His favour,
All, all is well:
Precious is the blood that healed us,
Perfect is the grace that sealed us;
Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us,
All must be well.

2. Though we pass through tribulation,
All will be well;
Christ hath purchased full salvation,
All, all is well:
Happy still in God confiding;
Fruitful, if in Christ abiding;
Holy, through the Spirit’s guiding;
All must be well.

3. We expect a bright to-morrow,
All will be well;
Faith can sing through days of sorrow,
All, all is well:
On our Father’s love relying,
Jesus every need supplying,
Then in living or in dying,
All must be well.

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

TUESDAY  10TH October 2017

THEME:
I SHALL NOT BE POOR

MEMORISE:
All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.
Proverbs 19:7

Read:
1Chronicles 4:9-10

9 And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.

10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Corinthians 12-14, Daniel 5:1-12

MESSAGE:
Having tasted poverty and a little bit of wealth, I can tell you that wealth is better than poverty. If you are living in poverty, I prophesy over you that God will lift you out of poverty in Jesus’ Name. One of the reasons why I hate poverty so much is because of what Proverbs 14:20 says about the poor:

“The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.”

In today’s Bible reading, we are introduced to a Bible hero who experienced poverty, but who was not hypocritical about his undesirable condition. This fellow was Jabez. His mother named him Jebez because she gave birth to him with sorrow. As Jabez grew up, he started experiencing the meaning of his name, and so, he decided to do something about it. It is unfortunate that many people, even some children of God, bear names with negative meanings and connotations, and yet they refuse to do something about it, even after they start sensing the negative influence of such names on their lives. My prayer for you today is that the Almighty God will give you a name that will wipe away generational curses plaguing your life in Jesus’s Name. What Jabez did to change his situation is a common thing that some people don’t consider necessary: he prayed.

There are many lessons we can learn from the life of Jabez, the first of which is that Jabez called on the God he knew was a prayer-answering God - the God of Israel. The question is, who are you calling upon? Psalm 5:3 clearly tells us who we should direct our prayers to:

“My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”

A second lesson to learn from Jabez is that he did not ask for a small blessing; rather, he prayed that God should bless him indeed. Thirdly, he prayed that God will be with him in his prosperity and keep him from evil. It is an open secret that many rich people live in one calamity or the other. Jabez knew this, and so he prayed against riches that attract evil. What a great man who knew the ways of God! If you want poverty to be history in your life, you have to do something about it. Jabez can be classified as someone who was destined to die in penury, but he prayed himself out of poverty and God heard him. Jesus is the way out of poverty (2 Corinthians 8:9). The life that He gives and His principles will lift you out of poverty. Therefore, give your life to Him without further delay today, and poverty shall become history in your life in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT :
Father, please bless me indeed with Your blessing that adds no sorrow.
                                                                                                        AUTHOR:
PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 10:
THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS

1.  There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

Refrain:
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

2. There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

Refrain:

3. There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come, and now honor Thy Word.

Refrain:

4. There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!

Refrain:

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SATURDAY 7TH October 2017

THEME: BE FAITHFUL

Memorise:
"But godliness with contentment is great gain". 1Timothy 6:6

Read: Luke 16:10-13

16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

16:11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

16:12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Message:

A lot of people think it is impossible to live a life of faithfulness, and for this reason, unfaithfulness has become a norm in today’s world. The world may tolerate unfaithfulness and live with its consequences, but we as children of God cannot afford to live a life of unfaithfulness. The Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 4:2 notifies us of God’s requirement in this regard:

  “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

Faithfulness has a secret which many may not recognize because its simplicity. This secret is revealed in today’s memory verse. It is contentment. Discontentment - an off-shoot of godlessness - makes a person live an unfaithful life. When you are contented with what you have, you won’t indulge in ungodly or immoral acts in order to get what you do not have. When you live a life of contentment, you won’t like King Ahab misuse your position to entrap an innocent person, so that you can take over what belongs to him or her (1 Kings 21). Contentment will prevent you from being envious of people under you who are being celebrated for faithfully discharging their duties to the glory of God. Lack of contentment made Haman hate Mordecai, so much so that he planned to get rid of an innocent, dutiful but uncompromising doorman (Esther 5:11-14). Haman misused his position as a member of the king’s cabinet to pursue the destruction of innocent people (Esther 3:8-11). This is exactly what some people in privileged position are doing today, even though this is their own peril.

Faithfulness applies in terms of money and position, but it is also applicable in the use of your time. This is manifested in such areas as the time you are expected to spend at your place of work. It is ignorance that makes a child of God to think that he or she can spend just two out of the required eight hours at work, and then expect commendation by the God of Justice, when he or she brings the tithes of wages he or she did not work for. The Name of the Lord is blasphemed when a so-called child of God absconds from work for days - pursuing “missions”- only to come back and collect full wages covering the period of absence, in the full glare of unbelievers. God’s requirement of our faithfulness in stewardship applies to every area of our lives. My prayer is that the Almighty God will open your eyes to see the different areas of life you are lacking in faithfulness, and grant you grace to live faithfully in all areas. Through faithfulness, unbelievers will see the light and glorify your Father who is in Heaven. This virtue of faithfulness was the reason why employers of labour came to our Church in those days to recruit workers for their secular establishments. May God bring such days back to us in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point:
Father, through Your Spirit, please help me to be faithful in life as a steward of the Name of Jesus Christ.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Corinthians 4-6
Daniel 4:4-18

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 6: DEEPER, DEEPER

1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.

Refrain:
Oh, deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.

2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.

Refrain:

3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.

Refrain:

4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.

Refrain:

5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.

Refrain: