Morning Devotional For Tuesday 4th September

[Edoman]

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES

TUESDAY, 4TH SEPTEMBER.

GIVING AND RECEIVING

Now ye Philippians know also, that inthe beginning of the gospel, when Ideparted from Macedonia, no churchcommunicated with me as concerninggiving and receiving, but ye only (Philippians 4:1)

Sometimes, there’re those who get veryexcited when we say, “In giving to the Lord, itdoesn’t really matter the ‘size’ of the seed.” But the Bible says, “…this I say, He which sowethsparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Corinthians9:6).

In other words, if you’re miserly in your giving, you’ll reap a paltry or meagre harvest, but if you givegenerously, you’ll also reap generously. That’s theWord; it’s a spiritual law. It’s simply about sowing andreaping, or as Paul puts it in our opening verse, “givingand receiving.” You don’t need to “pray” to God tomake a law work which He already instituted.

Laws, anykind of law, when applied rightly, would produce the requisite results. Likewise, if you misapply them, they’llwork against you.

There’re things you don’t need to petition God
tomake happen, once you’ve acted on the Word or on aspiritual principle. This is clear in some of the parablesof Jesus on how the Kingdom of God functions. Forexample, when you read Mark 4:26-28, He didn’t say after sowing into the ground, the man fasted and prayed for the seeds to grow; no! Rather, he went tosleep; and of their own accord, the seeds grew andproduced fruits.

When you apply the law of sowing, it works. The Bible says, “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter,and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). Aslong as there’s seed time, it means harvest is assuredand it can be anytime; the harvest happens automatically.

God isn’t necessarily the one to make the harvest happen. All He does is to channel His grace and favour towards you for superabundance. 2 Corinthians 9:8(AMPC) says, “And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance,so that you may always and under all circumstancesand whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessingenough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].” Always give bountifully, for the promise is to the giver, not the receiver (Luke 6:38).

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the privilege of giving into the Gospel. I’m blessed in all I do, andprosper in all things, because I’m a giver. I’ll always give bountifully for the propagation of the Gospel of Christ in all the earth; likewise, my harvest is sure, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

Ecclesiastes 11:6 In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good.

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”


1 Year Bible Reading Plan
2 Corinthians 2:5-3:1-6 & Proverbs 14-15

2 Year Bible Reading Plan
1 Thessalonians 4:9-18 & Jeremiah 22

[Edoman]

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL


DATE: TUESDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER 2018


THEME: BE SWIFT IN YOUR BUSINESS.


MEMORISE:

Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Romans 12:11


READ: 1 Samuel 17:48-51

48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.

51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

MESSAGE

When you critically study the life of our Lord, you will observe that He was a man who swiftly went about accomplishing His mission (John 9:4). He was in such a hurry to finish His task (Matthew 17:17). Amazingly, the everlasting impact He made took just three and a half years to accomplish. If you want to be like your Master indeed, I encourage you to be diligent, not only in your service to God in the Church, but also in your job or business. Our father in heaven is not slothful in carrying out His assignments. Speaking about the Father’s work ethic, Jesus in John 5:17b said:

“……….My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.”

The Holy Spirit’s admonition on our expected work standard in today’s memory verse is profound because it captures the three aspects of our being: body, soul and spirit. Our Christian experience must affect these three dimensions of our lives before we can say we are living according to God’s will for us. Physically, we must be industrious in our day to day activities. Don’t be deceived into believing that once you are born again, manna will begin to fall from heaven to sustain you. Remember that the rain of manna stopped immediately the children of Israel entered the Promised Land. They had to settle down to cultivate the land for a bumper harvest from God. However, pursuing your physical activity with vigor should not come at the expense of your spiritual life. In this regard, always have the words of Deuteronomy 8:18 at the back of your mind:

“But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.”

You need to learn some great lesson from David’s attitude in swiftly doing the needful in other to triumph over Goliath in today’s Bible reading. Beyond the fact that he was fervent in spirit, he was also physically alert in getting his job done. He did not allow the battle to meet him standing still. 1 Samuel 17:48 tells us what he did:

“And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.”

He quickly took the battle to the enemy on his own terms. The story gets even more interesting after Goliath fell. Observing that Goliath might have been knocked unconscious or might be feigning death, David ran to where he fell, climbed over him and cut off his head with Goliath’s own sword, putting an end to any hope of his resurgence. I prophesy over you today that your enemies will be totally decapitated and you will have complete peace in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, to the glory of Your Name, please quicken my body, soul and spirit to be swift diligent in all my, assignments in life, in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 111-118

Mark 2:1-17

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 4: TRUST AND OBEY.

1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

o Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

4. But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

5. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

[Edoman]

SEEDS OF DESTINY

DAILY DEVOTIONAL BY DR. PASTOR PAUL ENENCHE

TUESDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER, 2018

TOPIC: GOD IS NOT A MAN TO LIE

SCRIPTURE: God is not a man that he should lie; neither the son of man that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Numbers 23:19

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: God is too truthful to lie, too reliable to reverse, too dependable to deceive and too faithful to fail.

Lies and deceits are major elements of the decadent and fast degenerating system of the world. Most systems of the world are built on lies, deceits and falsehoods. We live in a generation where what most people say may appear true but are actually lies. Many business transactions and day-to-day activities of some people are based on falsehood or falsification of certain information.

However, it is important to know that we serve a God who is not a man to lie. Unlike man, God is too truthful to lie, too reliable to reverse, too dependable to deceive and too faithful to fail. Our God is a lie-less God. The lielessness of God also means the faithfulness of God.
Now, how do you experience the lie-less-ness of God? In other words, how do you see the manifestation of the truthfulness or faithfulness of God in your life? (Psalms 18:25).

1. Be Sincere with God
If you want to experience the sincerity of God, you must be sincere with Him. You must be dependable; let God be able to know and predict you (Psalm 18:25).

2. Be Authentic as a Christian
Being authentic means refusal to be hypocritical. There are many fake people today. Do not be fake. Let people see the authenticity of God in your personal life even if they hate you.

3. Be Truthful in Word
Do not say things that you don’t mean. To develop a high level of faith is to be a man of your words. You are truthful when you make promises and keep them.

My counsel is, mean what you say and always say what you mean; be authentic and sincere, both to God and to man.

Remember this: God is too truthful to lie, too reliable to reverse, too dependable to deceive and too faithful to fail.

ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Make up your mind to be sincere with God.
2. Be an authentic Christian in word and in action.

PRAYER: O Lord, I ask that You forgive any area of lies, falsehood and deceit in my life. I receive the grace to be sincere, authentic and truthful in Word and in action, Lord, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: GOD IS NOT A MAN TO LIE.

AMAZING FACT: The world’s largest passenger plane is the Airbus A380. It is a double-decker four-engine jetliner. It made its first flight on April 27, 2005.

TODAY IN HISTORY: 04/09/1882 - Thomas Edison's Pearl Street electric power station began operations in New York City. It was the first display of a practical electrical lighting system.

DAILY READING: Ecclesiastes 7:1 to 9:18, 2 Corinthians 7:8 to 16, Psalm 48:1 to 14, Proverbs 22:17 to 19

QUOTE: A lying tongue portrays a certain wrong realm of life – the realm of insincerity, and falsehood. Culled from ‘WHO ARE YOU?’ By Dr Paul Enenche.

DON’T FORGET TO ATTEND: The two power-packed communion services tomorrow by 4:45 pm and 6:30 pm. Come with your friends and loved ones.