Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Monday May 22, 2017

Topic: Keep Your Eyes on Jesus                                         

Text: Hebrews 12:1 – 2

Apprentices or servants learn under their master or coach through observation. In such a way they will see how their master/coach does things and learn perfectly. This concept is what our text expresses. Jesus as the Leader and Instructor of our faith (Living Bible) is indispensible in our Christian lives and walk as Church militants. If we must succeed and live a meaningful life as Christians, we must as a matter of priority and not choice look up unto Him always for guidance and instruction. Living Bible translated Heb. 12:2 as “Keep your eyes on Jesus ...” This exhortation means two things for us here. 1. Looking unto Jesus means we (Christians) should place all our hope and confidence in Christ only, as the source of our help in our Christian race. 2. It implies that we (Christians) should consider Jesus as our leader and instructor, always following His example in all we do. In this heavenly race, keep your eyes on Jesus for He knows your tomorrow. When Jesus Christ called on Peter to walk up to him on top of water, all was well as long as he kept his eyes on Him. When he removed his eyes from Jesus Christ, he started seeing the waves which made him to start sinking (Matt 14:25–31). As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus, we will not see the enemies around us. We will not see the arrows of the wicked ones neither can we see all the things that will frighten us. It is my earnest prayer that you will not remove your eyes from Jesus Christ, the author of your faith.

Food for Thought: We can’t run our race perfectly when we are not focused on Jesus Christ who is the author and initiator of the race.

Memory verse: Hebrews 12 verse 2

Prayer: Help me, O Lord, to focus on Jesus for strength and grace in this heavenly race. 

But Come And Lay Your Hands

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Tuesday March 7, 2017             

Topic: But Come And Lay Your Hands

Text: Matthew 9:18 – 19       

This man came to Jesus with a need. Mark and Luke called him Jairus (Mark 5:22; Luke 8:41), a leader of a synagogue. A leader of a synagogue was responsible for supervising worship services, caring for the scrolls, running the daily school, keeping the congregation faithful to the law, distributing alms, administering the care of the building, and finding rabbis to teach on the Sabbath. They exerted great influence in their communities, yet Jairus knelt before Jesus, indicating homage and courtesy as he came with his urgent request.

According to Matthew he told Jesus that her daughter had just died but He should come and lay His hand on her and she will live. This was a clear demonstration of faith in what Jesus can do. His faith was rewarded with the restoration of his daughter back to life. We can’t say the motive behind the action of Jairus in coming and bowing before Jesus. It may be the urgent need but needs should not be the reason for our coming to Jesus. The death of a loved one would have weakened the faith of some people but not Jairus at that time. He trusted Jesus for an intervention and he got it.

This is the kind of faith God wants to see in us and He honours such faith no wonder He left immediately with him. If you were in the position of Jairus, would you have trusted Jesus? Would you have bordered that He goes with you? Some would have gone home disheartened. No matter how hopeless your situation is, don’t despair. If Jesus is invited into the matter, the situation will change. Invite Him today.

Food for Thought: If you were in the position of Jairus, would you have still bordered Jesus to go with you?

Memory verse: Matthew 9 verse 18 - While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”

Prayer: Lord God, strength my faith as I trust in you so that hopeless situations will not despair me.

JESUS CHRIST’S HUMILITY: Devotion for Thursday November 24, 2016

JESUS CHRIST’S HUMILITY: Devotion for Thursday November 24, 2016

Text: John 6:14 – 15            Memory verse: John 6 verse 15

Humility, Jesus Christ, Leader, Model, King, Crown, Devotion, Life, Foundation, 

Anyone who is a leader, a minister of the gospel or even a believer is looked up to for true and thorough modeling. If they don’t see anything to model from your life, then that person’s ministry or leadership is in vain. You must be willing at all times to offer your followers something they will appreciate and value especially, in your attitude and character.

Yesterday, we read about Jesus Christ’s compassion. Today, we have in our text, His humility. The people associated Jesus (John 6:14) with the prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:15. But their assumption was that the promised prophet would break Roman rule over Israel as Moses had broken Egypt’s (John 1:21; cf. Deuteronomy 18:15; Acts 3:22 and 7:37).

Jesus withdrew from the crowd because they had missed the point and not to have accepted Him on His terms. The crowd had intended to force Him to become king. He knew that this offer of kingship was superficial, motivated by a desire for bread rather than as a result of true recognition of His person. They wanted bread for physical life and independence for political life. But Jesus offered Himself as the foundation for a new spiritual and eternal life.

Though He escaped, they went after Him. This is because He has so much to offer the people both physically and spiritually. What have you to offer people who come to you first as a Christian and secondly as a Pastor. If you have something to offer, whether you are on the mountain, in the cave or desert, they will come there. Remember the case of John the Baptist. They came to the wilderness to meet him. We should always ask God for such humble and compassionate spirit to steer clear of worldliness in our Christian race. It will help us so much to live out our Christian faith in our perverse generation. People should see Christ in us especially the unbelievers because we are the bible they read. If Christ is not seen in us, no matter how much time we spend in preaching, it will not bear the needed fruits. Therefore, let your life of humility show others Christ in you.

Food for Thought: True humility is intelligent self-respect that keeps us from thinking too highly or too meanly of ourselves.

Prayer: Lord God, make me humble enough so that I will not be seen but Christ will only be seen in me.