OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SUNDAY FEBRUARY 11TH 2024
THEME: COPY AND PASTE
MEMORISE: Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1
READ: 2 Kings 2:8-15
8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.
9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
MESSAGE:
If you want the results of a particular man, copy that man. When Elijah left the earth and dropped his mantle, Elisha took it, rolled it together as his father did went to River Jordan as his father did, smote the river as his father did, and called on the God of his father to answer him like He answered his father - and God answered! Apostle Paul said, "Follow me as I follow Christ" (1
Corinthians 11:1). The secrets of people's successes lie in the things they do daily. Ifyou can find those things and do them, you will also produce similar results. Romans 2:11 says:
For there is no respect of persons with God.
Our God is not partial; the success He gave to that fellow you admire; He can give to you too if you will do the needful. Genesis 4:6-7 says:
And the Lord said unto Cain, why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
God was essentially telling Cain that if he had done what Abel did, he would have gotten the same result he got. How many books about successful people have you read? How many of them have you watched documentaries about? How many autobiographies have you studied! These are the ways to know what these people did that got them the results they got. In a book, you can learn within one-hour things that took a man 70 years to learn. Once you have learnt them, you just have to put them to use, and you will get the same results; there's no need for trial and error. This is one of the beauties of the Scriptures and l believe it is the reason the stories of great prophets of the past were recorded for us to read. James 5:10 says:
Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
You are to take the men of God that have gone before as examples to follow, just as Paul stated in the memory verse for today. You should however note that Jesus Christ is the ultimate model to be transformed and conformed unto. Yes, the children of God are encouraged to learn from those that have gone ahead, but such emulation must be in line with God's will and directives.
ACTION POINT
List at least three people whose results you want to replicate in your life and begin to study the daily habits that got them the
results they got.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 8-10
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 30: WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD
1. When we walk with the Lord,
In the light of His word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain:
Trust and obey!
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
2. But we never can prove
The delights of His love,
Until all on the altar we lay,
For the favour He shows
And the joy He bestows
Are for them who will trust and obey. [Refrain]
3. Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way,
What He says we will do,
Where He sends we will go,
Never fear, only trust and obey. [Refrain]
