OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - THURSDAY, 16/05/2013 - STANDING BECAUSE OF OTHERS BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

THURSDAY 16 MAY, 2013

STANDING BECAUSE OF OTHERS

MEMORY VERSE

It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

Romans 14:21

READ

Romans 14:15-21

Rom 14:15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.

Rom 14:16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:

Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Rom 14:18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

Rom 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Rom 14:20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.

Rom 14:21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

MESSAGE 

A divine champion represents his God, nation and family. Your success or otherwise as a representative affects those you represent. This is exemplified by football competitions where two competing nations are each represented by a team of 11 players. If any team wins, the country that they represent is said too have won, likewise if they fail, their country has failed. In 1 Samuel 17:51, when the champion of the Philistines died, the rest of the Philistine army took to their heels. Their high hopes and expectations disappeared when they lost their champion. Just one man died and a whole nation fled. When the enemies captured Samson in Judges 16:23-24, they said their god had delivered him into their hands. In other words, there was an invisible contest between their god and Samson's God and the former defeated the latter. As a minister or child of God, you represent the Most High God. As a result, every time you fail, you could cause people to say your God has failed.

The truths enunciated above have certain implications for believers today. The first is that your victory or defeat goes far beyond you. There are too many people waiting to see the end of your trial of faith. If you quit or fail, you may be sending the wrong signals to spectators whose spiritual lives depend on it. Also, when confronted with a battle, let your desire to win be for your God and not necessarily for yourself. If your expected victory is tied up with God, it will come easily because He will put His weight behind it. Another implication here is that leaders as divine champions must be very careful so as not to fall. Why? First for the sake of their own soul and for the stability of the faith of those they are leading. This is why it is advisable to avoid anything that can lead your members and young converts astray, even when you have a legitimate right to it. This means as a divine champion, you put God first and think of others before yourself. How have you been faring as a divine champion?

ACTION POINT

 Pray that every Christian leader with sizeable following will not err from the right path. Also ask that those that have erred and are misleading others would return to God's path.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Psalm 10 - 12