Honour For Parents

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Saturday May 27, 2017

Topic: Honour For Parents

Text: Exodus 20:12

Happy Children day to all our children! Honouring our parents is very important commandment that no one should despise. The reason is simple; it is one of the prerequisites for long life; the only commandment with a promise attached to it (Ex. 20:12b & Eph. 6:2). Parents as used here do not mean our biological parents only but all elders and people authority in the society and the church. By honour, it means we should esteem them both inwardly and outwardly. It demands that we should also fear (Lev. 19:3) and reverence them (Heb. 12:9). Above all it demands obedience to their lawful commands (Eph. 6:1 – 3).

The command to obey parents places a demand on children to come when they call them; go where they send them, do what they bid them and never do what they forbid them. Honour also involves submission to their rebukes, instructions and corrections, endeavouring in everything to make their old age easy for them; maintaining them if they are in need of your support. From the above we can deduce that children as used here do not necessarily mean infants but as many as have parents.

Children are commanded to obey their parents (Deut. 5:16 & Eph. 6:2). However, parents should also be models and good examples for their children to emulate. Do you live well as a parent? Children, do you honour your parents? Know that the long life you will enjoy depends on how much you honour your parents. Happy children’s day celebrations!

Food for Thought: Colossians 3:20

Memory verse: Exodus 20 verse 12

Prayer: Lord, help me to honour my parents and all in authority as expected.

The Wise Woman

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Mothering Sunday March 26, 2017

Topic: The Wise Woman

Text: Proverbs 14:1

Happy Mothers’ Day celebration to all women especially those of Anglican Communion Worldwide! Prov. 31:10ff give an insight into what a virtuous woman looks like. Such a woman can be described as the wise woman. Today, in our society, most women cannot be classified as wise simply because of their ineptitude, selfishness, greed and poor understanding of their roles in marriage.

A wise woman by her prudent and industrious management increases property in the family, food and raiment for her household. These increases also include wealth, children, social status through wise control of the family’s resources, support for the husband and godly training of the children (Proverbs 31:10ff).

The foolish woman diminishes her home by arbitrary and careless mismanagement of the family which includes wealth, children, husband, etc. She destroys her home through her ineptitude, selfishness, greed and poor understanding of their roles in marriage.

As we celebrate Mothers’ Day it will be proper for our women and mothers to re-assess their lives; their marriages and their families. How industrious are you in making home an envy of others or you destroy your home with arbitrary quest for fashion and outward beauty at the expense of your family urgent needs? The quest for things worldly should not take precedence over the things eternal. Build your home by complementing your husband.

Action: Write down the ways a wise woman builds her home and the ways a foolish woman destroys her home, and make a comparison with your life.

Memory verse: Proverbs 14 verse 1 - The wisest of women builds her house,
but folly with her own hands tears it down (ESV).

Prayer: Lord God; bless all women and mothers, and make them wise in Jesus name. Amen.

SO HE DID REGULARLY: Devotion for Tuesday September 13, 2016

SO HE DID REGULARLY: Devotion for Tuesday September 13, 2016

Text: Job 1:4 – 5         Memory verse: Job v 5b

As God blessed Job in various ways, he allowed his children to benefit from that blessing. He did not withdraw the blessing from them. He allowed them to benefit from them. On their birthdays, they will host birthday parties. They usually invite their friends to the parties so as to share in their joy. Because Job had deep concern for the spiritual welfare of his children, he usually make sacrifice after the parties to appease God on their behalf. As he was always fearful that they might have sinned unknowingly, he offered these sacrifices for them and this he did regularly.

In the time of Job and even as it stands today, the father of the house is seen as the chief priest of that family whose responsibilities include making sacrifice on behalf of his family. He is often seen as the family’s religious leader. Because there were no priests to instruct Job in God’s laws, Job acted as the priest and offered sacrifices to God to ask for forgiveness for sins he and his family had committed. This demonstrated that Job did not consider himself sinless. Job did this out of conviction and love for God, not just because it was his role as head of the house.

The period of feasting and celebrations are often seasons of peculiar danger. As we joyfully enjoy during festive periods, we are at times tempted to forget the source of our wealth or dishonour God, the giver of the blessings we are enjoying and thus we need to be forgiving, Can parents today can show the same concern by praying for their children, leading them to Bible studies, Prayer meetings, etc. This means “sacrificing” some time each day to ask God to forgive them, to help them grow, to protect them, and to help them please God. Do you carry out your spiritual duties because they are expected or spontaneously from a heart of devotion to God?

Food for Thought: Do you have spiritual concern for your children? How often do you care to teach them the word of God and pray for, and with them?

Prayer: God, help me to make time each day to pray for forgiveness of my children and grant me grace to help them grow to please you in Jesus name.

A WISE FATHER'S EXHORTATION: Devotion for Tuesday June 28, 2016

A WISE FATHER’S EXHORTATION: Devotion for Tuesday June 28, 2016

Text: Proverbs 1:10 – 19            

Memory verse: v 10 – My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent

The wicked are zealous in seducing others into the paths of their wickedness; they love to have company in their sin and crime. Nevertheless, they have so much the more to answer for (Rom. 14:12; Heb. 4:13). This should make young people to be very cautious. "Do not consent" here is all encompassing; do not say as they say nor do as they do. It also means do not follow them to do evil.

Furthermore, do not consent means you shouldn’t have any fellowship with them just as Paul warns in 2 Cor. 6:14 which says, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” Their idea of acquiring wealth is very different from God’s ideal. Their desire is to steal and even kill to acquire wealth. This confirms what Jesus said about Satan in Jn. 10:10. It is absurd to think that it is a pleasure for someone to destroy another. It is not a pleasure rather a quick ticket to hell fire.  

Those who choose the wicked as their companions will definitely become like them in character and their end. This advice is the best a father can offer to the son. Unfortunately these days, most parents don’t even care to know how their children acquired the wealth they are flashing about in the society. Some will advice their children to do whatsoever their hands can find them so far they come home with a car or build good houses. All these are not evidence of good standing with God. Men may appreciate and speak good of what you have ‘achieved’ but God’s verdict is what matters at the end. Some others will even advice their children to do things immoral. Some parents pay for their children to cheat in examinations. Some encourage their children into immoral relationship with opposite sex. Parents, what advice do you give to your children? Let the advice of Solomon here be a challenge and a model for us.   

Food for Thought: What kind of advice do you give to your children?

Prayer: Lord God, grant me the wisdom to always give wise counsel to my children and wards in Jesus name

GREAT QUALITIES IN CHILDREN: Devotion for Friday May 27, 2016 (CHILDREN’S DAY)

GREAT QUALITIES IN CHILDREN: DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY MAY 27, 2016  (CHILDREN’S DAY)  

TEXT: MATTHEW 18:1 – 6     MEMORY VERSE: v 3

We rejoice with our children on this their day. We thank God for their lives and pray that they will grow in the fear and knowledge of God. They will not become thorns on our fleshes in Jesus name. Greatness in the view of men differs much from greatness in the sight of God. Jesus set a little child before His disciples, solemnly assuring them, that unless they were converted and made like little children, they could not enter His kingdom.

Children don’t desire authority; they don’t regard outward distinctions, are free from malice, are teachable, and willingly dependent on their parents. These are some great qualities in children that are suitable for God’s Kingdom. “It is true that they soon begin to show other dispositions, and other ideas are taught them at an early age; but these are marks of childhood, and render them proper emblems of the lowly minds of true Christians” according to Matthew Henry Concise Commentary.

Surely we need to be daily renewed in our minds that we may become simple and humble, as little children, and willing to be the least of all. How humble and teachable are you? Do you desire to be in authority and for what purpose – the glory of it or for service of humanity? Let us learn from children’s character; humble, docile, submissive and obedient. We should daily study this subject of humility, and examine our own spirits.

Food for Thought: Many characteristics of little children are sources of instruction to mankind.

Prayer: Grant unto me a humble, submissive and obedient spirit worthy of your Kingdom, O Lord my God, in Jesus name.

A reward for doing what God wants: Devotion for Monday February 8, 2016

A REWARD FOR DOING WHAT GOD WANTS        Monday February 8, 2016

Text: Psalm 1:1 – 3                        Memory verse: v 3

Parents are always happy when their children carry out their instructions to the letter. They usually reward such obedience. In like manner God is always happy when we obey His commands and He blesses us. When He told Abraham to go and sacrifice his son Isaac and he obeyed, the response of God is in Gen 22:15–18 (read it). In this psalm is a reward for doing what God wants us to do. The theme of this psalm is the permanent prosperity and happiness of the righteous, and the certain destruction of the wicked. The reward for doing what God wants is blessing which the Psalmist likened to a tree planted by the riverside. Devotion to God is the way not only of duty, but of safety, prosperity, and happiness. For this reason, God blesses the righteous man.

The key to doing what God wants is through meditation on His word. If we so desire to be blessed by God, we must have constant regard to and for His word, as the rule of our actions, and the spring of our comforts; and have it in our thoughts night and day (Josh 1:8). How do you take the word of God? What amount of time do you give to read; study and meditate on word of God? That is the key to the breakthrough you desire always.

Food for Thought: The frequency and earnestness in meditating on God’s word is what ensures our growth and brings blessings upon us

Prayer: Help me, O Lord, to earnestly and frequently meditate on your word to guarantee my blessings in Jesus name.
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