They Will Be A Separation

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Wednesday June 14, 2017

Topic: They Will Be A Separation

Text: Malachi 3:13 – 18                       

When God avenges for us, the world will certainly echo Ps. 58:11. We know what happened to Peter when he was imprisoned and also Paul and Silas. Many people today are disillusioned concerning the fate of the righteous by concluding that there is no hope for them as it was in the days of Malachi. They see the life of the righteous as filled with hardship and want. However, it is not so.

Here, Malachi assures that a time is coming when God will make the difference between the righteous and the wicked which the world will see. The use of return means coming back from their delusion, and to see in reality that God does make a difference between the righteous and the wicked. For now it may seem as if God has not put any difference between the righteous and the wicked, as the wicked seem to have their way now. Certainly, He will one day make an everlasting separation between them, such as all beings in heaven and hell shall well understand. The reason for this is in Matt. 13:24 – 30. Then the unrighteous will clearly see the happiness of the righteous, and their own misery, how they will perish in their wickedness.  Where will you belong? The way you live now will determine where you will be after the separation.

Food for Thought: Do you look down on God and His religion? Return from your delusion before it will be too late.

Memory verse: Malachi 3 verse 18

Prayer: Lord, when you make the difference, grant that I will not be among the wicked. Help me to live righteously in Jesus name.

BLESSINGS ATTRACT ENVY: Devotion for Thursday September 8, 2016

BLESSINGS ATTRACT ENVY: Devotion for Thursday September 8, 2016

Text: Genesis 26:15 – 23          Memory verse: Genesis 26:16

God is ever faithful to the words He has spoken and He keeps them. He doesn’t make a promise without keeping to it. We have series of promises He made to His people which were fulfilled. Though some took a long time to come to pass, the long time in our eyes is not so with God.

He kept His promise to bless Isaac (Genesis 26:3) as Isaac was blessed (Genesis 26:13). The Bible stated that he started prospering until he became prosperous. The neighbouring Philistines grew jealous because everything Isaac did seemed to go right. The first step they took was to plug his wells and tried to get rid of him. By this they thought his blessings will cease. Being jealous is a very bad and it is a dividing force that can tear apart the closest friends. Life Application Notes says, “Jealousy forces you to separate yourself from what you were longing for in the first place. When you find yourself becoming jealous of others, try thanking God for their good fortune.”

The jealousy and envy of the Philistines against Isaac made him to relocate three times and on each occasion, he and his men dug new well. In the first two disputes that arose between Isaac and the Philistines, he moved on. He opted to avoid quarrel and troubles of the Philistines by moving to a more neutral ground. Here is a lesson and challenge for us Christians of this generation. Isaac moved on without challenging back for his rights which were denied him. He finally got to a place where there was room enough for him and the Philistines. Instead of Isaac resorting to start a huge conflict, he opted for give and take for the sake of peace between him and his landlords. We should be willing to forsake an important position or valuable possession to keep peace as those who bear the name of Christ.

Beloved, it shouldn’t be a surprise when your Landlord, your colleagues, your neighbours, etc, begins to envy you. Picking quarrels against them will be a mark of immaturity. With the blessing of God upon you, you are greater than them and will continue to excel above them. If someone is jealous of you, it means you have something he or she doesn’t have. Why then will you be offended? Know that the more they envy you, the more you will continue to prosper. It is my sincere desire that God will prosper you till you become prosperous in Jesus name. Amen        

Food for Thought: Exodus 1:9

Prayer: Lord God, grant me the wisdom to know when to withdraw and when to stand and fight when people are against me.

THE DAY OF RECKONING: Devotion for Wednesday August 10, 2016

THE DAY OF RECKONING: Devotion for Wednesday August 10, 2016

Text: Malachi 3: 13 – 18              

Memory verse: Malachi 3:18 – Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him

Few days before I wrote this devotion, I read a story of a transgender who said that God is daft and senseless. My comment was that she/he was digging her grave. If in this present age of knowledge, she doesn’t know that there is a day of reckoning then she is a serious mistake to the society. The act of this transgender turned lady now is similar to what we have in Malachi 3:13, 14. How can a creature call the Creator senseless and daft? This shows how depraved some people are in our present day society.

In 2014, there was a couple who publicly burnt their Bible in Bonsac area of Asaba, Nigeria in protest against God for not giving them a child after they had gone to many prayer houses, held weeks of fasting and did many other things to gain God’s favour. Their action was reciting the words in Malachi 3:14 that it is useless to serve God. There is a challenge for us in Malachi 3:16 about encouraging one another especially in a society as bad as ours today where economic stress, unemployment, kidnapping, etc are confronting us daily. Family Bible Notes puts it thus: “When infidelity and wickedness most abound in the community, then is the time for those who fear God to be most diligent in speaking often one to another, and encouraging each other in His service.” How often do we do this?   

These people saw no need of serving God because He does not notice and reward their empty and heartless forms of religion. God cannot be mocked. You can only reap what you sow as seed. For now, it may seem as if God put no difference between the righteous and the wicked. However, He will one day make an everlasting separation between them, such as all beings in heaven and hell shall well understand. This is the day of reckoning. Where do you think you belong in this two – hell or heaven?

Food for Thought: How prepared are you towards the day of reckoning?

Prayer: Make me your jewel, O Lord, as I prepare for the day of reckoning so that my name will be in the book of remembrance in Jesus name.

PULL DOWN WALLS: Devotion for Thursday July 7, 2016

PULL DOWN WALLS: Devotion for Thursday July 7, 2016

Text: Ephesians 2:14 – 22       

Memory verse: v 14 – For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation. 

Jesus Christ made peace by the sacrifice of Himself; in every sense Christ was the Peace of the Gentiles, the author, centre, and substance of their being at peace with God and of their union with the Jewish believers in one church. It was never so before His coming into the world. Jews hate Gentiles including their close neighbours and ‘relations,’ Samaritans. Christ also has destroyed the barriers people built between themselves. Because these walls have been removed, we can have real unity with people who are not like us. This is true reconciliation.

Because of Christ’s death, we are now all one (Ephesians 2:14); our hostility against each other has been put to death (Ephesians 2:16); we can all have access to the Father by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18); we are no longer strangers or foreigners to God (Ephesians 2:19); and we are all being built into a holy temple with Christ as our Chief Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20, 21).

The middle wall of separation alludes to the wall in the Jewish temple that separated the court of the Gentiles from the holy place occupied by the Jews. A Gentile who was caught going beyond this wall was killed (see Acts 21:28, 29). Today most of us Christians are still building walls that Christ pulled down through segregation, despising others, not reaching the unreached with the gospel of Christ, placing does and don’t which has resulted in people neglecting one another in the church, etc. Can you mention some other ways we still build walls? Instead of building bridges to link one another, we are building wall and barriers. With walls the gospel cannot reach the unreached. We should be like Christ in reconciling people to God (2 Corinthians 5:18) instead of sending them away with our quirk character.   

Food for Thought: In what ways are people building walls against fellow Christians and unbelievers?

Prayer: Lord God, I repent of my actions which are barriers to people who want to repent and come to you.

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