Put Away Pride To Excel

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Tuesday July 10, 2017

Topic: Put Away Pride To Excel

Text: John 19:1 – 6

Nothing good comes so easy and if we must gain anything meaningful and good, we must make extra effort, deny ourselves some pleasures, inconvenience ourselves and do some other sorts of things that many even be termed degrading to achieve what we desire or to attain our goals in life.

Zaccahaeus was a chief tax collector and a very rich man. He wanted to see Jesus to know what He is like; probably he had heard so much about Him. Unfortunately, he was of small stature. Seeing Jesus is something very few men desire. Can we say that faith or fancy made Zaccahaeus to climb the Sycamore tree to see Jesus? Some believe it was not faith but fancy that made him climb the Sycamore tree, to see Jesus. If that is accepted, his curiosity gave occasion to the belief of his heart. It is good to come near the place where Christ is, no matter the principles that bring us there because He is the source of everything good we desire in this life.

Zaccahaeus shelved aside position, fame, pride, wealth and the result was salvation. What extra effort can you make to receive salvation, healing, deliverance, blessings, etc? Is it to pray more, remove pride, study the word of God the more, attend church programme regularly, fast the more, etc. Think about it. Basketball legend Larry Bird says, “Push yourself again and again. Don’t five an inch until the final buzzer sounds.” Beloved, make extra effort and put away pride because son that miracle will unfold for you.

Food for Thought: “There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that which is lost by not trying” – Francis Ball

Memory verse: Luke 19 verse 3

Prayer: Grant me the grace, O lord my God to put aside pride in order to achieve my life’s dream in Jesus name.   

Have Faith In God

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Tuesday (Holy Week) April 11, 2017

Topic: Have Faith In God 

Text: Mark 11:20 – 26

The next morning, Tuesday of the Holy week, Jesus and His disciples passed by the same fig tree they had passed the previous day (Mark 11:13-14). Jesus had cursed the tree, saying that no one would ever eat from it. By the next day, in the morning light, they could see that the tree had withered. The sight of the withered fig tree was a surprise to the disciples and Peter was quick to point that to Jesus. In response, Jesus charged them to have faith in God.

The response of Jesus could be interpreted to mean the coming judgment on spiritual laxity in Israel and they could only be safe if they had faith in God. Their faith should not rest in a kingdom they hoped Jesus would set up, in obeying the Jewish laws, or in their position as Jesus’ disciples. Their faith should rest in God alone. Jesus then taught them a lesson about answers to prayer. He explained that they could ask anything of God and receive an answer. Jesus’ point was that in their petitions to God they must believe and not doubt (not wavering in their confidence in God).

The kind of prayer Jesus meant was the prayer that the disciples would need to endlessly pray as they faced mountains of opposition to their gospel message in the years to come. Such prayer for the advancement of God’s Kingdom would always be answered positively at God’s own time. Daily, we are faced with challenges that seem mountainous. We should have unwavering confidence in God if we hope to overcome them.   

Food for Thought: Do you have the confidence in God and strong faith which is able to accomplish things that are most difficult?

Memory verse: Mark 11 verse 22

Prayer: Grant me the confidence in you, O God, so I can accomplish difficult things with ease. 

Deception Can Kill

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Monday (Holy Week) April 10, 2017

Topic: Deception Can Kill 

Text: Mark 11:12 – 14              

Some of the gospels recorded that Jesus drove away merchants from the temple on His arrival during triumphal entry into Jerusalem but Mark recorded it as an event that took place a day after the triumphal entry. The temple which ought to be a place of prayer had been turn into a place of merchandise thus deceiving people who sees it from outside.

Our bible passage for today is a related incident to the clearing of the Temple. Jesus had to curse the fig tree because of its deceptive posture. The Temple was supposed to be a place of worship, but true worship had disappeared. The fig tree showed promise of fruit, but it produced none.

In these two acts of cursing the fig tree and clearing of the temple, Jesus was showing His anger at religious life without substance. He denounced a confession that does not correspond with profession. God expects us to live out what we confess. If you claim to have faith without putting it to work in your life, you are like the barren fig tree.

The deceptive posture of the fig tree led to the curse. This shows that when we have a form of godliness but denying the power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5; Titus 1:16), we are invariably procuring God’s anger upon ourselves. Do you have a deceptive look where people see you as a Christian but inwardly you are not? God hates deception. Repent of your deception and hypocrisy now before your sins will find you out.

Food for Thought: Do you have a deceptive look which doesn’t correspond with what you are inside? Beware because deception kills.

Memory verse: Mark 11 verse 14

Prayer: Lord God, remove any form of deception me and help me to live the life expected of me as a Christian.