OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL
DATE: TUESDAY JULY 2ND 2024
THEME: RETURN ON SEEDS II
MEMORISE: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixty fold, some thirtyfold.
Matthew 13:8
READ: 1 Kings 17:8-15
8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
MESSAGE
Yesterday, I discussed the importance of ensuring that you are sowing on good soil. Today, I will examine the returns to be expected from seeds even when they are planted on good soils. First, let us focus on sowing into a man of God's life.
He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. Mathew 10:41
The spiritual hierarchy of the man of God you are sowing into will determine the level of the returns you will get from your seeds. Some seeds will yield 30-fold, some 60- fold and some 100-fold. Your seeds might be planted on good soil, but the richer the soil, the more the yield will be. In other words, the greater the spiritual height the fellow has reached, the greater the yield when you sow into his or her life. This is not to say that you should only sow into the lives of big men of God. In fact, there are some so-called 'small' men of God who have gone deeper in spiritual things than the popular ones; popularity is not a test of spirituality. Yes, it is good to sow into the lives of Bishops, General Overseers and Senior Pastors, but you must also not neglect the pastor that is close to you today, especially when God instructs you to do so.
I must mention here that your seeds are really sown to your God and not any man. You can only sow through a man of God, but the one you are really giving to is the God that the man represents. Thus, if you only sow into the lives of those you have identified as big men of God, you are clearly trying to manipulate God, and God cannot be manipulated. All His children have needs, and if it is Him you really care about when sowing your seeds, then you will sow everywhere you know that He wants to meet a need.
In Galatians 6:10, the Bible says that we should do good unto all men, especially those of the household of faith. Don't ignore the brother who is wearing a worn-out shoe to church while you go about changing the entire wardrobe of your pastor. If God has shown you a brother or sister's need, you should meet that need in honor of the God he or she serves.
ACTION POINT
Sow into the life of a true child of God today.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 12-14
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 23: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE
1 Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
2 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,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3 Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.
4 Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose,
Every power as Thou shalt choose.
5 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,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
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