07-31-2020, 09:21 AM
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: FRIDAY 31ST JULY 2020.
THEME: TWO MASTERS? IMPOSSIBLE!
MEMORISE:
No man 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. Matthew 6:24
READ: Joshua 24:15-24
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
17 For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
18 And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.
19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.
22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.
23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.
24 And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.
MESSAGE:
It is impossible to offer the same service to two human masters at the same time, let alone God and mammon. Whoever tries to do so will lose ultimately. This is because God will see you as unserious and you will get nothing from Him. Mammon (money), on the othet hand is not reliable. Psalm 49:6-7 says
“They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:”
Why is mammon compared with God and not the devil? It is because mammon represents the material things of this world and that is what the devil has been using to compete against God. The devil won against Adam and Even but thankfully, he failed against Jesus when he tried to lure Him with earthly treasures. So, who is your master- God or mammon?
One you have chosen to serve God:
• You should no longer steal to make money because it is the blessing of God that makes one rich without sorrow (Proverbs 10:22). You will not rob to become rich. “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell. (Proverbs 917-18).”
• You must not lie or falsify records to become wealthy. Proverbs 11:4 says “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.”
• You must learn to give generously to Kingdom projects. You must always put Him first.
In today’s Bible reading, some people decided to stay on the side of God and Joshua them that they would be consumed if they served other gods. Dear reader, you must make up your mind today to serve God and not mammon. He will surely take care of you.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please help me to always stand for You.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 64-66
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 4: BLESSED ASSURANCE, JESUS IS MINE.
1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
o Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
2. Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
3. Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
DATE: FRIDAY 31ST JULY 2020.
THEME: TWO MASTERS? IMPOSSIBLE!
MEMORISE:
No man 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. Matthew 6:24
READ: Joshua 24:15-24
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
17 For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
18 And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.
19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.
22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.
23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.
24 And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.
MESSAGE:
It is impossible to offer the same service to two human masters at the same time, let alone God and mammon. Whoever tries to do so will lose ultimately. This is because God will see you as unserious and you will get nothing from Him. Mammon (money), on the othet hand is not reliable. Psalm 49:6-7 says
“They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:”
Why is mammon compared with God and not the devil? It is because mammon represents the material things of this world and that is what the devil has been using to compete against God. The devil won against Adam and Even but thankfully, he failed against Jesus when he tried to lure Him with earthly treasures. So, who is your master- God or mammon?
One you have chosen to serve God:
• You should no longer steal to make money because it is the blessing of God that makes one rich without sorrow (Proverbs 10:22). You will not rob to become rich. “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell. (Proverbs 917-18).”
• You must not lie or falsify records to become wealthy. Proverbs 11:4 says “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.”
• You must learn to give generously to Kingdom projects. You must always put Him first.
In today’s Bible reading, some people decided to stay on the side of God and Joshua them that they would be consumed if they served other gods. Dear reader, you must make up your mind today to serve God and not mammon. He will surely take care of you.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please help me to always stand for You.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 64-66
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 4: BLESSED ASSURANCE, JESUS IS MINE.
1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
o Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
2. Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
3. Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.