Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: TUESDAY JULY 26TH, 2022.

THEME: ARE YOU A CHILD OF GOD?

MEMORISE:  

I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 

John 10:14

READ: Galatians 3:21-26

21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

MESSAGE

In Ephesians 5:1, the Bible says:

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.

Anyone who claims to be a child of God must also ensure that he or she behaves like God. If a child claims to belong to a father and he is loyal to another father, that would be deemed a bastard. This means that if you claim to be a child of God, you may need to check where you really stand. 1 John 3:9 says those who are born of God do not sin. Are you still sinning and feeling it is normal. A true child of God cannot consider sin to be normal. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 7:16:

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

What is this fruit? It is the fruit that proves to everyone that meets you that you have the Spirit of God living in you – the fruit of the Spirit. What fruits do you bear? Based on the fruits that you bear, whose child can your colleagues, family members and your neighbors say that you are? Do your colleagues bring offers to you to cheat your organization because they know you will consent to them? If yes, you are not bearing fruits for God but for the devil. Do you still repay evil with evil? That is not the character of God but the devil. You need to be clear whose child you are so you don’t fall into the category of a bastard. If you are a child of the devil, why claim to be a child of God? Why join the children of God to suffer your stomach when it is time to fast? Why not just go ahead and live for the devil all the way so when he is to be sent to the lake of fire you’ll go along with him? However, if you claim to really be a child of God, then your character should resemble that of Christ and everyone around you should testify that you resemble your Father in heaven.

On the last day, Jesus will sift the shaft away from the wheat. He will separate the bsastards from His real children. This is because, on the last day, He will tell some people “I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all [ye] workers of iniquity” (Luke 13:27). If you are indeed a child of God, you will be living a holy life.

REFLECTION

Take a moments to inspect your life right now. In what areas have you not been behaving like God? Repent and start to behave like your Father.

Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 3-5

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 10: JESUS MY LORD MY GOD MY ALL

1 Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all,

hear me, blest Savior, when I call;

hear me, and from thy dwelling place

pour down the riches of thy grace.

Refrain:

Jesus, my Lord, I thee adore;

O make me love thee more and more.

2 Jesus, too late I thee have sought;

how can I love thee as I ought?

And how extol thy matchless fame,

the glorious beauty of thy name? 

3 Jesus, what didst thou find in me

that thou hast dealt so lovingly?

How great the joy that thou hast brought,

so far exceeding hope or thought! 

4 Jesus, of thee shall be my song;

to thee my heart and soul belong;

all that I have or am is thine,

and thou, blest Savior, thou art mine.