OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - FRIDAY 19/07/2013 - EXCEEDING GREATNESS BY SACRIFICE BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

EXCEEDING GREATNESS BY SACRIFICE

MEMORY VERSE

Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. 

Psalm 50:5

READ

Genesis 22:7-14

Gen 22:7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

Gen 22:9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

Gen 22:10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

Gen 22:11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

Gen 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

Gen 22:13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

Gen 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

MESSAGE

Our God is a covenant keeper. This is why He hates the acts of truce breakers with a passion. If you want your future to be exceedingly great, make sure you are connected through a covenant to God. God is taking us to the level of exceeding greatness. Don't let anybody deceive you by telling you that you have reached a height nobody has achieved for God. Simply tell them that whatever they consider as your height is truly the beginning of your achievement for God. Tell them they have not seen anything yet.

However, how do you get to your next level – the level of exceeding greatness? Sacrifice is required. In Genesis 22:1-18, Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac and Isaac was willing to be the sacrificial lamb. You cannot get to the height of exceeding greatness without a sacrifice. When The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) was just starting, there was sacrifice. People worked selflessly and with all their hearts. Bricklayers worked for free, so also did carpenters, etc. At the present location of the RCCG Headquarters, the lagoon water was so close and so we had to push the water backwards by pouring in saw dust. At this time, I was already a lecturer in the university, but I was glad I had the opportunity to salvage the church and contribute my quota. I got a big basket to carry saw dust. One day, there was a serious traffic jam in Lagos and motorists decided to look for short cuts. In the process, one of my former students saw a particular car going off the congested road and he followed, believing the driver was taking a known alternative route. That was how they came through our church compound and he saw me carrying a big basket of saw dust. He shouted in disbelief. To get to the next level, you must be prepared to sacrifice. In fact, the quality of your next level will be determined by the quality of your sacrifice. I never knew that I would become a pastor in the RCCG then but I rejoiced at the opportunity to serve God sacrificially. Are you humble enough to serve God at any level of sacrifice He requires of you?

PRAYER POINT

Father, the grace to make the ultimate sacrifice that will take me to my greatest height, give to me today. Take me to the very top.