Hand Them Over To God

Devotion for Saturday March 3, 2018

Topic: Hand Them Over To God

Text: Psalm 55:16 – 23        

In Matthew 7:7 and 8, Jesus told us to ask, seek and find, and it shall be given to us. He did not restrict our asking to certain number of times rather He enjoins us to ask as many times as we can (Luke 18:1). The Psalmist enjoins us to do same (Psalm 55:22) because he has been doing it and has always received answers from God. He testified and gave God all the glory for redeeming him. He was emphatic about seeking the face of God because he has the assurance that God will sustain us.

The reason God will answer us is because He does not permit the righteous to slip or fall. Lack of basic necessities can make us slip off the faith. This shows the mercies and loving kindness of God upon us. God wants us to give our burdens to Him (see Psalm 37:5, 24; Matthew 6:25; Luke 12:22; 1 Peter 5:7). Unfortunately, we often continue to bear them ourselves even when we say we are trusting in Him.

If we believe in God, we should hand over our cares, worries, needs, anxieties, apprehensions and burden to Him. Why will you continue to bear the burden you don’t even have solution to? Daily we trust God to wake us up and He does that. We should also trust the same strength that sustains us to carry our cares and solve our problems also. God is waiting for you. Believe Him as you go out today that He will surprise you.

Sing 319; Abu 247

Food for Thought: When we depend on God for all we need, we will have peace of mind

Memory verse: Psalm 55:22

Prayer: God, I bring my burden to you for I know you care for me.

Do You Desire Favour?

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Monday June 12, 2017

Topic: Do You Desire Favour?

Text: Proverbs 11:27

Many people don’t know how to court God’s favour. Living Bible translated this verse thus: “If you search for good you find God’s favour; if you search for evil, you find His curse.” Searching for good is one of the ways to court God’s favour. Doing good to people especially the down trodden and less privileged ones are ways to procure God’s favour. Matthew Henry Commentary puts it thus: “Those that are industrious to do good in the world get themselves beloved both with God and man: He that rises early to that which is good, that seeks opportunities of serving his friends and relieving the poor, and lays out himself therein, procures favour.”

This is challenging for us in this era of greed and selfishness; where people are so concerned about self than for anything else. People who do good to others always have God's loving kindness surrounding them. The opposite of these is for men that seek evil. They are preparing ruin for themselves, who specialize in doing evil. It shall come upon them; when they will be paid in their own coin (see Esther 7:9 and 10).

Do you earnestly seek to do evil or good? They are many who do evil indirectly like Balak who called Balaam to assist him. Cain did his own openly by killing Abel and judgment came upon him. Evil hunts even after many years (Gen. 50:15). It pays to be kind and to be good to others.

Food for Thought: Little deeds of kindness, little words of love, help to make earth happy like the heaven above – Carney

Memory verse: Psalm 7:16

Prayer: God, remove evil from my heart and life. Grant me the spirit of kindness and grace to be kind to people in Jesus name, Amen.

Time To Seek The Lord

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Monday April 24, 2017

Topic: Time To Seek The Lord 

Text: Hosea 10:9 – 15

This month of April is said to have derived its name from the Latin verb aperio, which signifies to open, because it is the season the buds and blossoms begin to open. This is the reason Hosea used agricultural language to give his prophesy in such a season. It is my prayer that every bud of peace, progress, promotion, etc, will begin to open for you in Jesus name.

In asking God to open our buds in a bid that they will blossom, we should sincerely seek Him from our hearts by breaking up our fallowed ground and by sowing righteousness. This is what Hosea is telling us as here. He repeatedly uses illustrations about fields and crops and here he envisions a ploughed field. It is no longer stony and hard; it has been carefully prepared, and it is ready for planting. This is what the Israelis should make their life to become if they hope to escape the impending judgement of God upon them. No one should hope for a more permanent and total reformation which cannot start with thorough humiliation of the heart before God. Such heart should be prepared in meekness to receive the transformation from God.

Is your life ready for God to work in it? You can break up the unploughed ground of your heart by acknowledging your sins and receiving God’s forgiveness and guidance. This is the only way God can come into your life and transform it into a fruitful life that will glorify Him.

Food for Thought: Proverbs 11:18

Memory verse: Hosea 10 verse 12

Prayer: Grant me the spirit of humility, O Lord, to always acknowledge my sins in order to receive your forgiveness and blessings in Jesus name.

Antidote to Worry 1

My Daily Covenant (2017 Edition) Devotion for Thursday January 5, 2017                  

Topic: Antidote to Worry 1

Text: Matthew 6:31 – 34     

As I was meditating on this topic, I got a question that I haven’t received an answer till now. Why is it that mad people don’t fall sick as normal people and they don’t receive treatment as we do in hospital yet some of them live longer than normal human being except they die by accident? One thing I have come to understand which may not necessarily be the answer is that mad people don’t live lives of worries. They take things one day at a time. They don’t care about what they eat or where they sleep.  

Have you ever thought of a life without worry? Have you ever thought of seeing the promises of God fulfilled as we have them in the bible? Don’t think it is impossible because there is nothing too hard for God to do. Why then do we keep on worrying ourselves?

In our text, Jesus gave us antidote to worry – GOD KNOWS THAT WE NEED THEM. Instead, we should seek the kingdom of God first and God will meet us at the points of our needs. Unfortunately, most of the things we characterized as needs are wants and not needs. Because of the ill effects of worry, Jesus tells us not to worry about those needs that God promises to supply.

Worry can (1) damage your health, (2) disrupt your productivity or affect your productive organs, (3) negatively affect the way you treat others, (4) reduce your ability to trust in God (5) shorten our lives and (6) lead to other ailments like stroke, hypertension, etc. From the above, how many ill effects of worry are you experiencing? Here, is the difference between worry and genuine concern—worry immobilizes, but concern moves you to action. Anxiety springs from the desire that things should happen as we wish rather than as God wills. Are you anxious about what the year holds for you? Remember our devotion for yesterday – Trust God All Through. He will not fail you neither will He disappoint you as you hold on to His promises. Have a great day.  

Action: Think of what to do so as to have your needs met and begin to act on them from today.

Memory verse: Matthew 6 verse 33 - But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 

Prayer: Help me, O Lord to trust you to provide all I need on daily basis.

IT CAN’T BE IN VAIN: Devotion for Friday October 23, 2015

IT CAN’T BE IN VAIN      Friday October 23, 2015

Text: Isaiah 45:14 – 19       Memory verse: v 19

What God was saying here in our text is that while heathen idols deliver oracles in obscure cells and caves, He has never done such. Rather, He has delivered His oracles to Israel publicly and plainly. An instance of this was the call of Paul where He told him what he must suffer in preaching the gospel (Acts 9:16). He didn’t hide anything from him. In like manner, Jesus also told us what we must suffer as Christians. Again, God asked to know if He had called Israelites to serve and worship Him for naught (in vain). As God appointed their work, so from time to time He had given them abundant reward.

These questions arose from the fact that Israel was flirting with idols (Isaiah 45:20). Many of us are flirting with sin and have been unfaithful to God in so many ways. Many people complain about the Christian race thinking that whosoever is a Christian will not pass through trials and temptations. God is saying that our call is not to seek Him without finding Him (Isaiah 55:6). If you seek God without finding Him, please look inwards. The problem is not with God but yourself. You can only find Him when you seek for Him with a sincere heart (Isaiah 55:7).

Food for Thought: Deuteronomy 30:11

Prayer: Grant, O Lord that I will not seek for you in vain.