OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SUNDAY- 02/03/2014 - NEGATIVE LIVING? BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

NEGATIVE LIVING?

MEMORISE

The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.

Mark 14:21

READ

Mark 14:17-21

17 And in the evening he cometh with the twelve.

18 And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.

19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? 

20 And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.

21 The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.

MESSAGE

Life comprises of positive and negative elements. As a matter of necessity, it is not good for someone to opt for negative living. The fact that Jesus Christ was destined to die for the sin of the whole world does not exonerate Judas Iscariot from the evil that led him to the idea of betraying the King of Glory. The question is: “why should it be him?” Judas Iscariot’s negative disposition to life pushed him to the deadly idea which turned out to be a suicide mission. The Bible says he was a thief; always stealing from the treasury (John 12:4-6). The Bible therefore enjoins us to mortify our members which push us to do abominable things in the sight of God (Colossians 3:5). Sins such as covetousness and greed that we can easily entangle ourselves with must be avoided. Examples of people who led negative lives abound in the Bible. One that readily comes to mind is Cain who murdered his brother as a result of envy. The sacrifice of his brother Abel was accepted whereas his was rejected. Instead of finding out why God rejected his sacrifice, he jealously killed his innocent and godly brother, and he never knew peace afterwards (Genesis 4:3-10). Reuben, the first son of Jacob, also led a negative life of adultery, to the point of sleeping with his father’s wife (Genesis 35:22). His father cursed him, to the effect that he would not excel (Genesis 49:3-4). This is why Paul in 2 Timothy 2:20-21 said:

“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”

In the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is better for a man to have never been born, than to be born and go to Hell. Jesus Christ warned Judas Iscariot against the love of money, but to no avail, hence, what He got from the King of kings and the Lord of lords was “woe”. What a worthless and negative life to live! All the years he spent following the Master was bungled for 30 pieces of silver! It is disheartening that some children of God are also betraying their faith in the Son of the living God for contracts, employment, promotion, political office and other sundry things. The question is: are all these worth living or dying for? Before you crucify Judas Iscariot, look inward and see whether or not you are wearing the same shoes with him. If you are, you must repent and begin to live positively as children of the Most High from today.

PRAYER POINT

Father, whatever will negate your positive plan for my life, please restrain me from it.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Jeremiah 22:11-24:10;

Psalm 50:1-15