Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

 OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

  

DATE:   MONDAY 3RD MAY 2021.

  

THEME: WHAT TO DO TO GET THE BEST.

  

MEMORISE:

 

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

 

 

 

READ:  Philippians 4:15-16

 

15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.

 

16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.

 

 MESSAGE: 

One of the qualities which earned Elisha, greatness is that he was hard-working. Beloved, if God decides to bless you today but you are lazy, you will never get the blessing. If you want extraordinary blessings, then you must be prepared to work extraordinarily hard. Proverbs 22:29 says:

"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men."

 

Elisha did not walk around lazily, only dishing instructions to his father's laborers; rather he worked along with them as we see in 1 Kings 19 :19. All of Jesus' disciples were hard-working too. He called each one of them while they were on the pathway of duty. Peter was a skillful fisherman before the Lord called him,

Matthew too was at his tax collection point when he was called by the Lord. Beloved, Christianity does not excuse anyone from work.

 

In my early days as a Christian, I had some believer friends who were quite lazy; they preferred to talk big than to work hard. We were all taught the principles of faith and positive confessions, but I knew that achieving greatness in life goes beyond mere confessions. Some of my friends would always make positive confessions without any corresponding hard work to back them up. They spent years saying "I am a millionaire and I possess a good car by faith" without working. In the end, they remained as poor as they were at the beginning of their confessions. Beloved, if you refuse to work and you go about confessing that you have claimed the car of your dreams by faith, the only car You will end up with will be your two legs.

  

Another quality which earned Elisha greatness is that he was very generous. As soon as he was called, he Prepared a feast and fed his people. What qualified the Philippians for God's supplies in Philippians 4:l9 is found in verses 15-18. As you work hard and give generously to God's work as well as the needy in

in your neighborhood, God will bless you beyond your imagination, in the mighty name of Jesus.

 

 

PRAYER POINT:

Father, give me the strength to work hard. Please also give me the seed to sow into Your kingdom and the lives of the needy.

 

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 18-20.

 

 AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

 

HYMN 10:  I’M PRESSING ON THE UPWARD WAY. 

1. I’m pressing on the upward way,

New heights I’m gaining every day;

Still praying as I’m onward bound,

“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Refrain:

Lord, lift me up and let me stand,

By faith, on Heaven’s tableland,

A higher plane than I have found;

Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

    

2. My heart has no desire to stay

Where doubts arise and fears dismay;

Though some may dwell where those abound,

My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

 

3. I want to live above the world,

Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;

For faith has caught the joyful sound,

The song of saints on higher ground.

 

4. I want to scale the utmost height

And catch a gleam of glory bright;

But still I’ll pray till heav’n I’ve found,

“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”