OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - FRIDAY- 28/2/2014 - BEFORE YOU GET ANGRY BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

BEFORE YOU GET ANGRY

MEMORISE

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Jeremiah 29:11

READ

James 4:13-14

13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

MESSAGE

Yesterday we learnt it is not right for us to get angry with God or to take offence against Him, even if we experience the deferment of our hopes. The example of John the Baptist who earlier acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, but later doubted Him because of his painful experience of incarceration is a warning signpost to us that if care is not taken, following the asking of questions, offence towards God might begin to reside in our heart. Going forward, we need to ask ourselves the question: why do we take offence, get angry or feel irritated by the way God deals with us? We shall look at three answers to this question.

In the first instance, we children of God sometimes tend to overestimate ourselves as human beings (James 4:13-14). Some people of God in olden times realised this, hence Job 25:6 calls man a worm. Whereas God is infinite, man is finite. He is the potter and we are the clay; how true!

Also, we tend to underestimate the sacrifice God has made for us. Though we are but dust and worms, God did give His Son for our redemption – essentially God Himself, the maker of the universe, coming to be conceived in a human womb and be born as human. Not only that, He subjected Himself to the limitations of man and was maltreated by His own creatures; all just for you and me not to perish in hellfire but to be with God forever. Having done all these, He has proved beyond any reasonable doubt He has our best interest at heart, notwithstanding our present situation (John 3:16, John 15:13, 1 Timothy 3:16).

Lastly, it is because we tend to forget that His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). Whatever He is doing, He has our end in view. He is concerned about how we end; after all what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul? While looking for a site for our Camp ground, initially it was the old Youth Camp at Ogunmakin (South-West, Nigeria) that we were negotiating for. But in spite of prayers and crying to God to take ownership of it, we had no money to pay. It eventually went to another ministry that was able to pay the required amount. We all wept because of this experience, but God knew what He had in store for us - the Redemption Camp, which is much bigger and in a much better location.

ACTION POINT

Praise and thank God for the sacrifice of Jesus for you. Right now resign your will to Him over the current issues of your life.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Jeremiah 16-18; 

Psalm 48