Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: THURSDAY 14TH APRIL 2022

THEME: GOD'S MERCY II

MEMORISE:  

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 

Proverbs 3:3

READ: Psalms 136:13-26

13 To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:

14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:

15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.

16 To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.

17 To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:

18 And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:

19 Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever:

20 And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:

21 And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:

22 Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.

23 Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:

24 And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.

25 Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.

26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

MESSAGE

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Ephesians 2:4

The above passage says that one of the ways in which God measures His wealth is in mercy. 1Chronicles 16:34 says,

O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endureth forever.

Now, even though God's mercy is abundant and endureth forever, He still reserves the right to decide who will partake of it, and who will not. Romans 9:15 says, 

For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

This is because God is sovereign. Psalm 115:3 says, He is in heaven and does as He pleases. The question now is: How can I ensures that God shows me mercy? How can I ensures that when He is choosing who He will show mercy to, He would choose me?

There are two ways by which you could get Him to be merciful unto you. The first is by being merciful. Matthew 5:7 says "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." If you show mercy to others, you would obtain the same from God. Showing mercy to others goes beyond just giving money to the needy. You cannot say you have mercy on me when you see me going to hell and you keep quiet and let me go on. If you have mercy on your colleagues, friends, family and neighbors, you will preach the gospel to them to become born again. You will do everything within your power to ensure that they don't end up in hell. 

Secondly, to obtain God's mercy, you would have to fear Him. Psalms 103:13 says, "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him." 

If you don't fear God, don't expect His mercy. If God discovers that a fellow does not want to offend Him, He will be merciful and help such a person avert trouble.

KEY POINT

Show mercy to others and fear God; He will show you mercy in return.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1King 12-13

AUTHOR: E. A ADEBOYE 

HYMN4: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS 

1 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 forever wilt be.

Refrain:

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!

2 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. 

3 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!