OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. WEDNESDAY AUGUST 17 2016.
https://37bloggers.blogspot.com/2016/08/open-heavens-daily-devotional-wednesday.html
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 17 2016.
THEME : DESIRE ACCELERATED PROMOTION?
MEMORISE
: Seeth thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before
kings; he shall not stand before mean men. PROVERBS 22 : 29.
READ : 2 KINGS 2 : 9 - 15 :
9
And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto
Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.
And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon
me.
10
And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me
when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it
shall not be so.
11
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold,
there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them
both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12
And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of
Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took
hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14
And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the
waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had
smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went
over.
15
And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw
him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came
to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
MESSAGE :
Some
people wrongly believe that God will promote them irrespective of their
attitude in life. God is not a God of mediocrity, laziness or
indolence. God is interested in promoting those who make good effort in
their endeavours. Joseph was not just promoted in the house of
Portiphar, his master saw a mark of excellence and diligence in him
before he was put in charge of everything. Those who think God will
favour them despite being lazy, dormant, inactive and lethargic are only
wasting their time. There are people who have privileges but refuse to
use them. Joseph utilized the privilege he had in his master’s house and
he was in charge. He also utilized the privilege he had in the prison
and he was put in charge. This attitude of hard work and diligence
continued with him until space was made for him at the top.
There
are many people who have remained in the same spot for a long time
because they have refused to engage their God given potentials. They
want God to provide food for them and cook it and also put it in their
mouths. You must be able to strike the iron while it is red hot.
Maximizing the opportunities given to you by God can change the story of
your life and attract uncommon promotion to you.
If
one knows how to work efficiently, he will have no problem getting to
the top. He will be able to provide for himself and his family.
Industrious people will always rule over those that are lazy. What were
the other sons of the prophet doing when Elisha was following Elijah?
They were making mockery of Elisha, reminding him that his master will
soon be taken away. Even though all of them were sons of the prophet
they did not see Elijah as their own master. They told Elisha that ‘his
master’ will soon be taken away. The anointing you do not respect will
never work for you. The office you do not respect can never get to you.
They were all there viewing from afar. They refused to step out of their
comfort zone. Complacency had taken over their hearts. Elisha followed
his master from Gilgal to Bethel and from Bethel to Jericho and from
Jericho to Jordan but the others just viewed from afar. Are you like one
of the 50 sons of the prophet? When you see your leader pursuing a
vision, you just stay and watch from afar? Are you one of those who
discourage others from putting their best into what their superiors are
doing? Are you one of those who specialize in pulling down others
because their promotion is a threat to you? You have to have a rethink
of heart if you don't want to remain in the valley of life. God is
interested in blessing you and promoting you but you have to convince
Him that you desire that promotion.
If
you are hardworking, there is no demon that can stop your progress in
life, but God will never bless the lazy. You must be up and doing. You
should be diligent in all your duties. It is takes diligence to get to
the top and the same diligence is required to sustain your place at the
top. You must challenge yourself to rise above every limitation and
barrier and work your way to the very top through hard work.
KEY POINT : It is the soul of the diligent that will eventually be made fat.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ISAIAH 30 : 18 - 33 : 24 PSALMS 36.
AUTHOR : PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE.
HYMN 14 : ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS
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!
Chorus:
Onward, Christian soldiers!
Marching as to war,
Looking unto Jesus,
Who is gone before.
At the sign of triumph
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.
Chorus:
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 hope and doctrine,
One in charity.
Chorus:
Crowns and thrones may perish,
Kingdoms rise and wane,
But the church of Jesus
Constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never
Gainst that church prevail;
We have Christ's own promise,
And that cannot fail.
Chorus:
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.
Chorus.