DRESS IT AND KEEP IT

FRIDAY JANUARY 8th 2016

THEME: DRESS IT AND KEEP IT

Memorise: 

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Genesis 2:15

Read: DEUTERONOMY 18:9-13

9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORDthy God.

Message

The Almighty God is the most efficient conservationist. With Him, there is no wastage or corruption unlike many so-called children of God. Right from Genesis, we read about how God commanded Adam to make sure the beautiful garden did not suffer decay or any pollution. There are many ways in which one can preserve or pollute a God-given gift. The 'land' can be polluted by sin of all sorts particularly idolatry and/or witchcraft. In the text of today, we are confronted with the seriousness God attaches to the preservation of His creation. 

"When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanger, or a witch," Deuteronomy 18:9-10

According to Exodus 20:3, idolatry is the most grievous sin against God. Adam automatically chose another god for himself when he decided to obey the devil rather than God. This is what many people don't know; they think until they put an image on the ground and they begin to bow to it, they have not committed idolatry. It is obvious that there are idolaters in the church; they always attend Church programmes but they never do what God want them to do. The Bible says: 

" And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness." Ezekiel 33:31

By disobeying the Word of God, people pollute the land and being eternal curses upon themselves and generations after them. This was exactly what the first man did and God cursed the land for his sake ( Genesis 3:17 ). To keep the land which the Lord has given us to inhabit, we must obey Him and live according to His Word. When we do this, our land will be free from evil and it will yield great increase for our pleasure ( Deuteronomy 28 ). I encourage you reading this devotional to give your life to Jesus Christ today and begin to live according to His Word from now on. The seemingly barren or polluted land upon which you are living will turn out to be fruitful and blessed. 

Action Point:

Think about how you have lived your life in the past; see if you have polluted the land in anyway, repent and call on God for forgiveness so that God's time of refreshing will come upon your life. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: NUMBERS 23-33 and JOB 1:1-5

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

DAY SEVEN BLESSING

THURSDAY 7th JANUARY 2016

THEME: DAY SEVEN BLESSING

Memorise: 

And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. Genesis 2:3

Read : GENESIS 2:1-3

1 THUS the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Message

Rest is the divine blessing which God bestowed upon His creation, particularly man. Even the land he gave to man to inhabit must enjoy sabbatical rest ( Leviticus 25:2-4 ).

Many people do not know that rest is a divine benevolence which God Himself demonstrated as vital to good life and longevity. It is also obligatory for us to observe sabbatical rest.

" Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." Exodus 20:8-11

Some children of God are not benefitting from this sabbatical ordinance because they are obsessed with the goal they have set for themselves. While it is good to set goals for yourself because the Bible in Proverbs 10:4 says : " He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.", at the same time, you must not set goal that makes you a sabbatical law breaker. You must take time to rest as at when due.

Another reason God would want us to observe sabbatical rest is that we may find time to enjoy the fruit of our labour. God desires that man should enjoy the labour of his hand. Our benevolent God sees it as evil when a man labours and dies from lack of rest and someone else enjoys the fruit of his labour. Solomon said:

" There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God." Ecclesiastes 2:24

I pray that you will not labour and miss out on the fruit of your labour in Jesus' name. This prayer can only be answered if you respect the sabbatical law and always find a day to rest and commune with your God who gives you power to make wealth.

Action Point:

Choose a day of the week when you rest from all your labour.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: NUMBERS 30-31 and PSALMS 149-50

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

DAY SIX MIRACLE

WEDNESDAY 6th JANUARY 2016

THEME : DAY SIX MIRACLE

Memorise :

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:27

Read : GENESIS 1:24-31

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Message

Man is the major miracle of the sixth day of creation.on this day, God decided to create of all His creations- man. This was In order to make man the overseer of His created order. God is the most perfect creator and Administrator of both animated and inanimate creation. However, as the perfect Adminstrator who knew the magnitude of the universe He has created, He decided to make a "small" god ( a similitude of Himself ) to rule the earth on His behalf ( Psalms 82:1-6, John 10:34 ). To be called "gods" is marvellous; it is indeed a miracle to make a "god" out of the dust of the earth.

" And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Genesis 1:26

God created man in His own image, blessed man and inaugurated the dominion of man over all creations. However, this was not without clear-cut instructions on how man should exercise his dominion. This, of course, is where the first couple missed it when they craved for unlimited dominion ( Genesis 3:5-6). It is unfortunate that the 21st century man is guiltier of this than any other generation before them. It is even more unfortunate that the 21st century church is guiltier of exercising unlimited freedom, thinking that Jesus Christ saved us into lawlessness and unguided freedom. This is the reason why human beings must live up to God's expectation as gods to other creation. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ asked rhetorically:

" WHAT shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" Romans 6:1-2

We must jealously guard our position in God's creation and redemption. Our first parents lost it; we found it in Christ, so we must be careful not to take the grace of salvation for granted anymore. The Devine assessment of the entire six day effort is: " And God saw everything that he has made,and, behold, it was very good..." Every perfect thing that has gone bad in your life will be restored today in Jesus ' name.

Action Point :

Find out those things that God declared good in your life that have gone bad. 

Pray that God who redeemed you will restore those good things today in Jesus ' name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : NUMBERS 27:12-29:40 and PSALM 148

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

DAY FIVE MIRACLE

TUESDAY 5th JANUARY 2016

THEME: DAY  FIVE MIRACLE

Memorise:

And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. Genesis 1:22

Read: GENESIS 1:20-23

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

Message

Our God is not just the God of creation; he is also a God of abundance. When God creates, He does not create sparingly. This is why the provision He made in the universe has not been exhausted.

"And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven." Genesis 1:20

The Almighty created moving creatures because He Himself is dynamic. In other words, stagnancy is ungodly; it is evil. I pray for someone using this devotional; an end has come to your stagnation today in Jesus name. If lower creatures were created to move about, human beings, especially children of God, must not suffer stagnation. Our God is also a God of variety and abundance. He created both great and small in different shapes and colour. This knowledge must have informed Paul the apostle to assuredly tell the Philippians that the Almighty God would supply their needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus ( Philippians 4:19 ). 

Another lesson we can learn from today Bible reading  is that God blessed His handwork to be fruitful and to multiply. Therefore, we see how foolish anyone would be if he or she agrees with the devil that God hates him or her. Our God is interested in the property of His creation! The Psalmist understood this and wrote:"...Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant." ( Psalm 35:27 ). Nobody cares more about us than God. His care, mercy and love are incomparable. Jesus said:

" Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

The Bible also says: "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" ( Romans 8:32 ). This is why Jesus said in the gospel according to Luke:

"  And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things" Luke12:29-31

The God of Abundance will meet all your needs this season in Jesus ' name.

Prayer Point:

Father, meet me at the point if my needs today according to your riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : NUMBERS 25:1-27:11 and PSALMS 147

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

DAY FOUR MIRACLE

MONDAY 4th JANUARY 2016

THEME: DAY FOUR MIRACLE 

Memorise:

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. Genesis 1:16

Read : GENESIS 1:14-19

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Message

Our God is a God of distinction; He is not an author of confusion. A man chooses to be in confusion when he does not do the right thing as ordered by God. When God creates, He creates with precision and purpose. He created light for a purpose and darkness for another purpose. God commanded:

" And let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:" Genesis 1:14

Today, the philosophy of relativism is giving the Christian faith deadly blows, and believers, particularly custodians of the Christian faith ( the ministers ), are doing almost nothing about it. The miracle of the fourth day saw to it that there would be no confusion on the earth. When God wanted to create man for example, the Bible says:

" So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Genesis 1:27

It is amazing that some theologians and Bible scholars these days say that some men are trapped in women's bodies and vice versa, hence their craving for same sexual relationship! They put the blame of homosexuality on God by implication. Please let them know that God does not make mistakes, unless their God is different from the Christian God. The Christian God is a perfect God of distinction. He created the day for work and the night for rest. If by any reason we do not rest in one night, the following day should be compensate for that lost of rest. Failure to observe this produces stress, sickness and ultimately death. Little wonder the life expectancy in the last fifty years has been in decline. The achievements of forty years is realised is fewer than thirty with a price of dying early. The God of distinction in His Word commanded:

" Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:17-18

The Implication of this scripture is that the church must begin to see life the way God sees it. We have mixed many profane things with sacred ones. We have been engulfed with the idea of relativism. This is not the mind of God. As a believer, how far have you been carried away by the present age? We should be deceived that the God of distinction has lowered His standard. He has not. 

Action Point:

Look into your life and see where you have compromised the expected distinctive life you ought to live as a Christian. Repent and come on board the train of holiness again.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: NUMBERS 22:22-24:25 and PSALM 146

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

DAY THREE MIRACLE

SUNDAY 3rd JANUARY 2016

THEME: DAY THREE MIRACLE 

Memorise:

And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:10

Read : Genesis 1:9-13

9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

Message 

Many Children of God do not know the depth of the common saying, " Order is the first thing in heaven."

They quote this statement awkwardly without giving it necessary importance it requires. In the real sense of it, orderliness is the nature of divine administration. My prayer for someone using this devotional is that if your life is disorganised, it shall be divinely fixed in Jesus Name.

Our God is the God of order; He ordered the course of the universe by His Word. This is the reason why we must give the Word of God pre-eminence in our lives. The Lord said to Jeremiah; "... I will hasten my word to perform it." (Jeremiah 1:12 ). The Almighty God does not take His own Word with levity like some of us do. Bible teachings come in form of doctrines and living by them is inevitable if we are to live orderly. Jesus Christ said in John 7:17: 

" If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself."

Disobedience to God's order brings Choas and unimaginable calamities as the story of Adam and Eve's fall reveals ( Genesis 2:16-17, Genesis 3:9-19). I encourage the user of this devotional to begin to place a high premium on the Word of God, even as God Himself does. In the second pastoral epistle of Paul to Timothy we read: 

" All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

On the Third day, God set in order the course of the universe by His Word and things began to work, even till this day; the seas in their places, the dry land, a variety of vegetation and fruit bearing plants. 

Our God is the God of both creation and provision: He creates to provide. This means lack was not originally planned to characterise the life of man. I pray that everything that you need shall be orderly provided for your pleasure this season in Jesus' name. However, pay close attention to the Words of Great Provider. 

Prayer Point:

Father, please set my life in order, and don't allow me to do things against Your will.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : NUMBERS 20:10-22:21 and PSALM 145:14-21

AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE

DAY TWO MIRACLE

SATURDAY 2nd JANUARY 2016

THEME: DAY TWO MIRACLE 

Memorise:

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. Genesis 1:6

Read: Genesis 1:6-8

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Message

The Word of God has creative power. According to our Bible reading for today, the power in the Word of God created space where there was none. It seemed like there was no space for further creation and the Almighty God wanted to create what now constitutes the present day universe. So the Word created the space ( firmament) between the water and dry land for further creation. The Bible says :

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." John 1:1-3

There are lots of lessons we could learn from this creation story: The Word of God, when allowed to do His work, will always make a way where there is no way and a space where there seemed to be no space. When the Isrealites got to the Red Sea and it seemed like they were stuck between the host of Pharaoh and the Sea, the Lord, through Moses, told them to move on. It takes faith in God to obey such a command, and thank God they did and their obedience paid off, because the Word made na expressway for them to pass through: 

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea." Exodus 14:15-16

Another lesson to be learnt here is ; people of God should always talk to God about their challenges. Moses did this effectively and God spoke at every given time. he became a problem solver because he had from  God always. Also when God speaks, a miracle is potentially performed, but its ultimate manifestation is dependent on human agents. We short change ourselves of miracles when we fail to heed the Word of God. We should not forget our positions in the Created Order i.e. Image or God. It was Moses who divided the Sea not God, though under the influence of God's Word. The Word empowered the process by decree, "and the children of Isreal shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea." Settled! My prayer for you is that, as you obey the Word of God this year, you will begin to do the impossible in Jesus' name.

Action Point:

Examine your life and see if there are ways in which you have not been taking heed to God's Word.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: NUMBERS 18:1-20:9 and PSALMS 145:1-13

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE