OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: THURSDAY 2ND APRIL 2020.
THEME: THE BENEFITS OF TEMPORAL DEATH.
MEMORISE:
And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. Revelation 14:13
READ: 2 Kings 13:14-21
14 Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.
15 And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows.
16 And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands.
17 And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.
18 And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.
19 And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.
20 And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year.
21 And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.
MESSAGE
The Bible mentions two kind of death: physical and temporal, which is the termination of life on earth and then eternal death. The latter is the final complete separation from God. When temporal death occurs, it opens the way to eternal life for children of God, but leads to eternal death for those who did not accept Jesus Christ during their physical existence.
Life is full of challenges that bring stress to the body and tension to the soul. The Bible presents this dilemma in Job 14:1 by saying “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.” As a result, the aging process takes its toll on everyone to the point that many aged persons become totally dependent on the society and are unable to help themselves. 2 Kings 13:14 says:
“ Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face…..”
The Bible records Elisha’s sickness as a natural occurrence and not a result of punishment. Great Bible characters like Isaac, Jacob and King David had almost identical experiences in old age, and a similar fate awaits all human beings. However, temporal death enables the body to escape the agony of sickness, particularly that which comes as a result of old age. But for death, my Father-in-the-Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi would still be enduring a body weakened by age. Thanks be to God; he is now at rest. Revelation 14:13 and Revelation 21:4 tells us sweet and wonderful thing that God reserves for His children after they experience temporal death. The saints will enter into rest from earthly labors and begin to reap the fruits of righteousness. They will not experience eternal death, sorrow, crying and pain.
I pray that as you close your eyes in physical death, you will rise to eternal life of Joy and peace with the Lord, in the mighty name of Jesus.
KEY POINT:
Temporal death marks the end of physical life but not the end of existence. Seek eternal life to escape eternal death.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judges 10-12
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 27: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE.
1. Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
*Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise.
2. Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3. Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
4. Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
5. Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.
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