Use Your Wealth Rightly: Devotion for Easter Eve Saturday April 11, 2020

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Easter Eve Saturday April 11, 2020

Topic: Use Your Wealth Rightly                         

Text: Matthew 27: 57 – 66

Joseph from Arimathea had become a disciple of Jesus. He was a member of the Sanhedrin, Council of Jewish leaders. According to Luke, he was a good and just man, who never consented to their decision to kill Jesus. He was also waiting for the Kingdom of God (Luke 23:50, 51). This was the man God used to give Jesus a befitting burial.

Jesus acquaintances (v49) stood afar off; they had no money to bear the charge neither the courage to bear the odium of burying Him decently; but God raised one that had both. Why did God, chose Joseph to bury Jesus Christ? It was because he made himself available for God to use. Again, if the known disciples were the ones that asked for His body, it would have been hard for them. God is wisdom and He does His things wisely.

Despite his riches, he was humble enough to serve God. The reason he went and asked for the body of Jesus was because he wants to bury it honourably otherwise, by the Jewish customs; He would have either been burned, or buried in the common place appointed for executed criminals.

Are you rich? Does your wealth control you or you control your wealth? What areas do you channel your riches – to intimidate neighbours, to abuse people or to help the needy and humanity? Joseph of Arimathea showed he loved God. What about you?

Food for Thought: “He that will not permit his wealth to do any good to others while he is living prevents it from doing good to himself when he is dead” – Colton.

Memory verse: Matthew 27:28

Prayer: Lord, grant me the right understand of the essence of wealth and talent you have bestowed on me so I can use them to your praise and glory.

For Our Enjoyment: Devotion for Friday, January 10, 2020

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Friday January 10 2020

Topic: For Our Enjoyment                  

Text: 1 Timothy 6:17 – 21

There is difference between being financially rich and being rich towards God. Wealth is very uncertain (Proverbs 23:5). Those who are rich should understand that their riches came from God. He alone grants the grace to enjoy them richly; for many have riches, but enjoy them poorly, not having a heart to use them rightly (1 Timothy 6:17).

Riches are meant to be used for doing good deeds (1 Timothy 6:18). Those who have money must be generous, but they must not be arrogant just because they have a lot to give. They must be careful not to put their hope in money instead of God for their security. See Mark 10:24.

Even if we don’t have material wealth, we can be rich in good deeds. No matter how poor we are, we have something to share with someone. These things we have in us are for the enjoyment of ourselves and those we meet or those who come to us on daily basis.

There is the admonition to guard what has been entrusted to Timothy. These things are of two dimensional; his congregation and his talents/gifts. The reason for this is because of false teachers who brought wrong doctrines into the church. We still have many of them now. Beware, so that you will not be deceived.

Food for Thought: How best can you use your wealth in the service of God and humanity?

Memory verse: Luke 12:21

Prayer: Grant me the grace, O God to use my wealth to serve you and humanity.

Are You Hoarding God’s Blessings?

Devotion for Thursday August 3, 2017

Topic: Are You Hoarding God’s Blessings?

Text: Luke 12:13 – 14

Jesus while teaching on greed gave a parable about this man. The Greek word for greed literally means the thirst for having more. Working to provide for you family’s need is not covetousness. However, while we work for our needs, we must be rich towards God by seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Little did the poor fool (though materially rich) in our text, so wise in matters of earthly business, suspect that the awful doom was close to him. He forgot what Solomon said, “Do not boast about tomorrow” (Proverbs 27:1).

Jesus used this parable to teach the dangers in greed and covetousness. This farmer saw his wealth as an opportunity to please himself. He had no thought of others or of God. There’s certainly nothing wrong in following good business principles, or even with saving for the future (1 Timothy 5:8). This man had a false perception or view of life and death. He thought that life comes from accumulating things and death was far away.

On March 11, 1856, Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal, “That man is the richest whose pleasures are cheapest.” He also said, “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.” Being wealthy is not sin rather making wealth your god (Colossians 3:5). The man lived without God and died without God and his wealth was but incident in his life. What about you? How do treat God’s blessings upon your life; Are you hoarding it for you and your posterity  or you are using it to please yourself or to please God? Beware!

Food for Thought: Wealth and pride are enemies of salvation

Memory verse: Luke 12:19

Prayer: O God, make me rich towards you by seeking seeking first your kingdom and His righteous in Jesus name. 

The Rich Man And Lazarus

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Wednesday May 24, 2017

Topic: The Rich Man And Lazarus

Text: Luke 16:19 – 31

There are so many inspiring lessons for us in this story. One mistake people make in life is to think that money is everything. It is not so. Again, wealth is not a perimeter to judge God’s blessings and favour. The Pharisees considered wealth to be a proof of a person’s righteousness but Jesus shocked them with this story in which a diseased beggar was rewarded and a rich man was punished. The rich man did not go to hell because of his wealth but because he was selfish, refusing to feed Lazarus, take him in, or care for him. The rich man was hard-hearted in spite of his great blessings.

The amount of money we have is not as important as the way we use it. What is your attitude toward your money and possessions? Do you hoard them selfishly, or do you use them to help others? There is something worth noting in Luke 16:22. Lazarus died and was carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom while the rich man was buried. This shows that no amount of burial changes the final destination of man.

What determines our final destination is the way we live when we are alive. Therefore beware of the way you live and use your wealth. The rich man thought that his five brothers would surely believe a messenger who had been raised from the dead. But Abraham asserted that if they did not believe Moses and the prophets, who spoke constantly of caring for the poor, not even a resurrection would convince them. Are you like this rich man? Don’t wait for the messenger from the dead. Repent now and accept Jesus as your Saviour. 

Food for Thought: What is your attitude towards your money and possessions?

Memory verse: Luke 16 verse 22

Prayer: Lord God, help me to accept your message of salvation now and not to wait for a message or messenger from the dead in Jesus name.

Beware Of The Crowd

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Saturday March 4, 2017

Topic: Beware Of The Crowd

Text: Exodus 23:1 – 3

Heavenly race is a singular race. It is never done a race of multitude. This is the reason Jesus said that the road that leads to heaven is strait and narrow. The Hebrew word “mybr rabbim, is translated multitude (crowd). It signifies the great, chiefs, or mighty one. Some scholars see the usage in our text as meaning the rich.

Perversion of justice is often in favour of the rich. For this reason, Moses warns Israelites against twisting justice. It should be impartial. The rich and poor should be treated in the same way and with the same yardstick. When we give special privileges to either rich or poor, it makes justice for all and sundry more doubtful. Let the fairness God shows to each of us guide your judgment.

Most times the crowd (the multitude or the rich) pressurizes on us to pervert justice or do the opposite of what God demands from us. This makes some greedy judges to become easily vulnerable to their trap. Sometimes, there are pressures from the crowd to sway our decision about a person or any case we are handling. This has become more worrisome with the advent of social media and Pentecostalism.

In all these challenges from the crowd, we must inquire from God what we ought to do, not what most people do or want us to do. This is so because we must be judged by our Master, not our fellow servants. Ending up in hell because of the crowd will be the most miserable thing that can happen to us. It is my prayer that ending up in hell will never be our portion in Jesus name.

Food for Thought: Proverbs 1:10 – 16

Memory verse: Exodus 23 verse 2 - You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice (ESV).

Prayer: God, grant me the wisdom to always inquire from you what I ought to do and not what most people do or want in Jesus name.

ARE YOU AT EASE?

DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY DECEMBER 13, 2016

Topic: ARE YOU AT EASE?                

Text: Amos 6:1 – 7

In the book Revelation, one problem with the church at Laodicea was lukewarm. They were neither cold nor hot. What led them into being lukewarm was the wealth they enjoyed (Revelation 3:17). This made God to rebuke them (Revelation 3:19), warning them to repent (See full story in Revelation 3:14 – 22). That story is very similar to our text for the day. Our bible reading centres on dangers of luxury and false security.

Usually, times of continued worldly prosperity and alliance with political leadership are full of danger to the cause of Christianity. There is always the tendency to bring into the church luxury, pride, vain show, and indifference to God's service, with all the gross sins that naturally follow in their train. Thus the professors of godliness dishonour Christ before the world, lose their power over men's consciences, and make it necessary that God should purify His church by His judgments.” This was the reason why Amos denounced those that are at ease in Zion. The people in question are men and women who have so much confidence in their wealth and their connections. This attitude is dangerous and God condemns it whole and entire (see Psalm 146:3 & Isaiah 31:3).

It was on this basis that Family Bible Notes admonished that “The numerous examples on record of great and often very sudden changes from a state of ease and comfort to one of deep affliction, ought to be a solemn warning to us of the present day not to abuse the great prosperity which God is bestowing upon us, lest He cause our sun also to go down at noon, and darken our land in the clear day, as he did with ancient Israel (Amos 8:9).” Do you trust your riches and now complacent on the things of God? Do you belong to the group that feels all is well because you have money and can get whatever you want at beck and call? Know that God is the owner of whatever you have and He is the only one that can connect us and not man. Trust God and not your riches for wealth are deceptive.

Food for Thought: Do you abuse the great prosperity God has bestowed on you?

Memory verse: Amos 6 verse 1

Prayer: God, remove every spirit of complacency in me in respect of serving you and help me not to be at ease because of my wealth in Jesus name.

YOUR SALVATION IS POSSIBLE: Devotion for Saturday February 20, 2016

YOUR SALVATION IS POSSIBLE        Saturday February 20, 2016

Text: Luke 18:18 – 27      Memory verse: v 27

This rich young man mentioned in our bible reading came to Jesus seeking eternal life. Jesus pointed out the significance of his use of the word “good” (18:19). He sought for reassurance from Jesus, a way to ascertain that he had eternal life. He wanted Jesus to measure and grade his qualifications, or to give him some task he could do to assure his own immortality. So Jesus gave him a task, the one thing the rich man knew he could not do. The rich man’s problem was that he would not obey Jesus’ final command (18:22). His riches were only the surface problem; the real problem lay in the love he had for his wealth. This shows that riches are not bad but love for it instead of God, the giver.

A bystander asked, “Then who in the world can be saved?” No one can be saved, by his or her own achievements, was Jesus’ answer. “What is impossible from a human perspective is possible with God.” Salvation cannot be earned; it is God’s gift (Eph 2:8-10). Have you doubted your salvation? Are you deep into sin and now you think your salvation is no more possible? God who offers us salvation is ever ready to save you. All you need do is to pertinently come to Him and He will forgive you. Are you ready to do that today?

Food for Thought: Salvation cannot be earned; it is God’s gift.

Prayer: Father, help me to sustain my salvation and not to lose it at last in Jesus name.

FOR OUR ENJOYMENT: Devotion for Sunday January 10, 2016

FOR OUR ENJOYMENT                        Sunday January 10, 2016

Text: 1 Timothy 6:17 – 21                  Memory verse: v 17

There are differences between being financially rich and being rich towards God. Wealth is very uncertain (Prov.23:5). Those who are rich should understand that their riches came from God. He alone grants the grace to enjoy them richly; for many have riches, but enjoy them poorly and not having a heart to use them rightly (6:17). Riches are meant to be used for doing good deeds to people (6:18). Those who are rich must be generous and must not be arrogant just because they have a lot to give. They must be careful not to put their hope in money, instead they should hope in the living God for their security. This is the reason for the words of Christ in Mk. 10:24.

We can be rich in good deeds even if we don’t have material wealth. No matter how poor we are, we have something to share with someone. These things we have in us are for the enjoyment of ourselves and those we meet or those who come to us on daily basis. There is the admonition to guard what has been entrusted to Timothy. These things are of two dimensions; his congregation and his talents/gifts. The reason for this is because of false teachers who brought wrong doctrines into the church. We still have many of them now. Beware, so that you will not be deceived.

Food for Thought: How best can you use your wealth for the service of God and humanity?

Prayer: God, grant me the grace to use my wealth to serve you and humanity.