OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SUNDAY MARCH 31ST, 2024.
THEME: CONSECRATION
MEMORISE:
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
2 Corinthians 6:17
READ: Romans 12:1-2
1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
MESSAGE
Consecration means being totally surrendered to God, in other words, holding on to Him and Him alone. Unfortunately, a lot of people hold on to Jesus with one hand and hold on to the world with the other. How do you explain Christians who claim to have given their all to Christ but who still consult witch doctors over challenging situations? Truly consecrated Christians are ready to go all the way for God. Such people may go through a lot of suffering for the Lord, but they will still count it all joy, as long as God is with them (James 1:2).
A good example of a genuinely consecrated person was Apostle Paul. He was totally sold out to God, such that even when God warned him about being apprehended in Jerusalem, he still went there to preach the gospel (Acts 21:11-14). He was so consecrated that he declared in Galatians 2:20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I Iive; yet not I, but Christ Iiveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Consecrated people care about God more than anyone or anything else. I was watching an interview on Dove Television one day, and the guest said that in the past, all Christians cared about was for God to use them, but nowadays, people are more interested in how they can use God. Many people just use Christianity as a cover-up to look good in the society, but when a little test comes, they denounce Christ. For Example, these days, many Christians compromise their faith to get married. They wear revealing outfits to attract men, attend ungodly gatherings with the hope of finding suitors, and worse still, engage in premarital sex.
A missionary's inspiring story greatly impacted my decision to be consecrated to God. She was serving in an area that was hostile to Christianity. On her wedding day, while she was getting ready, the authorities raided her home and arrested her for preaching the gospel. Instead of crying, she smiled, kissed the handcuffs, and said, "Lord, I didn't know I was so special to You that You didn't want to share me with anyone else. How beautiful is Your wedding ring to me." She was so sold out to God that while others saw a disaster, she saw the handcuffs as God's wedding ring to her as His bride.
Beloved, are you consecrated to Jesus
REFLECTION
Are you willing to go through sufferings for the sake of Christ?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Samuel 1-3
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 23: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise.
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.
Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
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.
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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