OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SUNDAY 13TH MARCH 2016
 
THEME: A WORD TO THE LAZY 

Memorise:

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. 2 Thessalonians 3:10

Read: Proverbs 6:4-11

4  Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

Message

The third month is almost gone in the “New Year”. What have you done with these first three months? As we prepare for the forth month, make sure you do something tangible to prove to God and man that you are worthy to be alive. Some people are merely existing and not living. God wants you to live life to the fullest by impacting your immediate environment. There are still people who have so many excuses to give as reasons for doing nothing tangible since the beginning of this year. Time waits for no one, get something doing. It may be small, but God will breathe on it and make it great. Stop waiting for that loan from the bank before you starts the business. Challenge yourself to launch out into the deep through the instruction of the Almighty God, and you will be surprised that there is life on the other side. Even if you don’t have your own business, you can get busy volunteering your services for others, you never can tell how God will meet you. In Exodus 3:1-4, Moses had an encounter with God while tending to his father-in-law’s flock. Gideon was busy threshing wheat when an angel came visiting. Your breakthrough and blessing can locate you anywhere. There are many people who are unemployed because they are waiting for appointments from oil companies. It is not the job you do that will determine your prosperity; it is how you do what you do. You can be selling recharge cards today and become a dealer tomorrow if you don’t give in to laziness.

If you are a lazy believer, it doesn’t matter how many days you spend in church and how many prayer meetings you attend, nobody will commit great things into your hand. There are some people who have the habit of always deferring the work they are supposed to do today till tomorrow. This is procrastination, and it renders one ineffective where results are expected, because you will never be able to deliver. There are some people who are always sleeping on duty; some even spend the whole day moving from one office to the other talking away the day. By the time such people come to their senses, the year is almost ending and they have nothing substantial to show for the time gone. This is also very important in spiritual matters; if you are not ready to work hard you cannot be a vessel unto honour in God’s hand. Those that God used in the Bible were already busy in their various businesses before God called them. It is on record that Peter toiled all night. Lazy people sleep all night and they want to wake up and begin to command wonders. Don’t be a sluggard. The sluggard has so many untouched files on his table, yet he is gallivanting around. The sluggard will fold his hands and invite God to take control of all his assignments, yet he will be the one to complain if his wages are delayed for a moment. 

Key Point:

For God to use you, you must be productively engaged.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Joshua 10:29-13:7 and Job 36:5-16

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE




HYMN 2: O JESUS, I HAVE PROMISED.

O Jesus, I have promised,
To serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me,
My Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle
If Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway
If Thou wilt be my Guide.

Oh, let me feel Thee near me;
The world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle,
The tempting sounds I hear;
My foes are ever near me,
Around me and within;
But, Jesus, draw Thou nearer,
And shield my soul from sin.

Oh, let me hear Thee speaking,
In accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion,
The murmurs of self-will;
Oh, speak to reassure me,
To hasten, or control;
Oh, speak, and make me listen,
Thou Guardian of my soul.

O Jesus, Thou hast promised
To all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory
There shall Thy servant be;
And Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
Oh, give me grace to follow,
My Master and my Friend.

Oh, let me see Thy footmarks,
And in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly
Is in Thy strength alone.
Oh, guide me, call me, draw me,
Uphold me to the end;
And then to rest receive me,
My Savior and my Friend.