Daily Devotional for 1st September

[Edoman]

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES

 TUESDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER.


LIVE FOR CHRIST


I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live (Deuteronomy 30:19).


There re Christians who are fretful about the rapture, uncertain about their eternal security. The Lord doesn't want us to live in such fear or anxiety. The truth is, eternal security is real for the one who as born again, but it at conditioned on your living the Christ-life, living in His righteousness until the end.

If, for example, someone who as been born again, changes his mind later about following Jesus, such a person is in trouble, because his eternal security with God is in jeopardy. When you're born again, you're born into God's presence; you live in God's presence. He's your Protector. He keeps you, and no one is able to pluck you out of His hand, according to the Scriptures.


However, life is full of choices. You are the one to make a choice to live for Him continually. When God guides us, He presents us with the options, and then He also tells us what to choose. But He doesn't force us in the choices we make, though He lets us understand the consequences of making the wrong choices .


What you must do, therefore, is to live according to His Word. That as the simplest thing ever. When you're born again, living for Christ is the most natural thing to do with your new nature in Christ. Living right is so natural to you that you have to be tempted to do wrong. This is also where the ministry of the Holy Spirit comes in. The Holy Spirit helps you live the Christian life, and with Him in your life, you never have to worry about missing your way.


Moreover, the Bible says Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy (Jude 1:24). As you live for the Lord, serving Him passionately with absolute conviction, He'll fulfil His purpose and ministry in your life.


CONFESSION

I live purposefully, fulfilling my ministry and calling in Christ Jesus. I refuse to allow anything take my attention away from the Lord and His eternal Kingdom. I am not slothful in business; I am fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I've received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God. Hallelujah!


FURTHER STUDY

2 Peter 1:5-11; 2 Corinthians 5:15

1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Corinthians15:35-38 Proverbs 7&9

2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
1 Thessalonians 2:10-20 & Jeremiah 18

[Edoman]

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL


DATE: TUESDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER 2020.

THEME: HIS ARMS ARE WIDE OPEN.

MEMORISE:

 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

READ: Luke 15:11-32

11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:

12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.

26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.

27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.

28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.

29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

MESSAGE 

If you extend your hands to someone for a handshake, the person would most likely decline if his/her hand is dirty. Naturally, humans avoid staining clean people. However, God does not operate that way. He is willing to give you a hug even when you are dirty.

The father of the prodigal son for example, did not ask him to take a bath before he could embrace him. He saw his son from afar and ran to meet him (Luke 15:11-32). The woman with the issue of blood had been bleeding for twelve years. She may have been smelly, the doctors might have taken all her earnings and left her wearing rags but she chose to touch Jesus- the One everyone was celebrating. Considering her state, ordinarily, she may not have wanted to come close, but she did! She probably felt too dirty to speak, so she decided to just touch the hem of His garment. She did not stay away totally because she was dirty. She made the move and He did not reject her; He even prayed for her (Luke 8:43-48).

The countless sins you have committed- stealing, adultery, fornication, or even murder may make you feel dirty. So, you may even think God cannot accept you anymore. Listen, He is waiting for you to take just one step towards Him. There is no sin too big for the blood of Jesus to cleanse, neither is there any sinner too guilty for Him to forgive.

You might not be able to pray unhindered if you are still feeling dirty. In this case, you have to first pray for forgiveness. All He needs is genuine repentance and He will do the rest.

“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you…” James 4:8

All He requires is that you take a step towards Him and He will do the rest. Even if you have entered into a covenant with the devil and sold your soul to him, God is able to help you. He remains the same; he still sets the lawful captive free (Isaiah 49:24-46).

His arms are still wide open. Come to Him now when He is near (Isaiah 49:24-46). Don’t wait until it would be too late.

KEY POINT:

Spread the good news of God’s unconditional love and if you have sinned, come to Him as you are. His arms are still wide open.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 20-21

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 7:  GREAT IS THEY FAITHFULNESS.

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my father,
There is no shadow of turning with thee:
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
As thou hast been thou for ever wilt be.

Chorus:
"Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!"
Morning by morning new mercies I see:
All I have needed thy hand hath provided—
"Great is thy faithfulness," Lord unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

[Edoman]

*RESTORATION TODAY* 


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

*TOPIC: MAXIMIZING TIME (1)*

"And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.” 1 Chronicles 12:32

*MESSAGE*
God is so gracious that he has given every one of us equal time each day no matter where we are from. So our problem is not that we don’t have time, it is in how we manage the time we have.  Just like money, time is the currency of life. To make most of your life, just make the best use of your time. As such, wasting your time is wasting your life. 

As the preacher said, “To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Let us consider two ways by which you can maximize your time. (We will consider two other ways tomorrow).

*1. Spend your time on developing spiritual things.* 
1 Timothy 4:8 says “Bodily exercise profiteth little but godliness (spiritual activities) is profitable unto all things.” Matthew 6:33 says “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you”. Please learn to spend your time in prayers, meditation on the Word of God and Evangelism. It is the spiritual that controls the physical.

*2. Spend your time developing vital skills.* This means that we should spend our time developing the skills that we cannot do without. Develop skills that will help you in being fulfilled in your work, calling or ministry. Examples of vital skills include business skill, management skill, money-making skill, teaching skill, acting skill etc.

*ACTION POINT*
 ?️  Not everything deserves your time; you must learn to ignore some irrelevant things.

*SCRIPTURES*
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11; 

*PRAYER POINTS* 
1. Lord, grant me the grace to overcome every time-waster in my life today in Jesus’ name.

2. Lord, I receive the grace to be prudent in how I spend my time from today in Jesus’ name.

3. I receive the grace for spiritual growth today in Jesus name.

*THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR* 
2 Sam. 16-17, Jer. 1, Gal. 3:15-29