OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: THURSDAY JULY 6TH 2023
THEME: DIVINE BLESSINGS II
MEMORISE:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Galatians 5:1
READ: John 5:5 -14
5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.
11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?
13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
MESSAGE
It is one thing to receive divine blessings and quite another to keep them. I always teach my children in the faith that the grace needed to receive a miracle is not as great as the one needed to keep it. God has no problem blessing His people, but keeping the blessing is a responsibility many people fail to live up to. Today we will be looking at how to retain divine blessings.
The first thing one must do is to stay connected to the source of divine blessings - God. A branch will remain fruitful as long as it remain connected to the vine, and of course will become fruitless the moment it disconnects from the source of fruitfulness. Jesus is the vine and we His disciples are His branches. Without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).
Secondly, to stay connected to the source of divine blessings, you must be holy. Sin causes a separation between the sinner and God (Isaiah 59:2). If God will not listen to a sinner, how then will such a fellow receive and retain divine blessings? The Almighty told Abraham this secret in Genesis 17:1-2:
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, l am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And l will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
According to our Bible reading of today, after Jesus had healed a man of thirty-eight-year old sickness, He warned him to stay away from sin so he would not experience something even worse.
Finally, you must acknowledge that all you have is from God and always return all the glory to Him with thanksgiving. For example, Nebuchadnezzar failed to acknowledge that God was his source and he lost all he had. God however, restored all Nebuchadnezzar lost when he later realised that He was nothing without God (Daniel 4:30-37).
I pray you will never lose your God-given blessings, in Jesus'name.
PRAYER POINT
Father, thank You for being my source. Please, never let me disconnect from You, in Jesus' name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 21-23
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 7: I AM THINE O LORD
1 I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
2 Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
3 O the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend!
4 There are depths of love that I yet may know
Ere Thee face to face I see;
There are heights of joy that I yet may reach
Ere I rest in peace with Thee.
Amen and Amen🙏🙌
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