OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - TUESDAY - 06/05/2014 - THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN LIFE BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN LIFE

MEMORISE

Bless the Lord Oh my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name.

Psalm 103:1

READ

Psalm 148:1-4

1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights.

2 Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.

3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.

4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.

MESSAGE

What is the most important thing in life? Is it to earn a living? Is it to be wealthy, famous and revered; or is it to get saved and get to Heaven? To answer this question, we need to understand why man was created. The answer is simply to glorify God (Isaiah 43:7). Our life is expected to be one continuous song of praise to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). To praise means to honour, to worship and to glorify. To praise God is the most important thing in life. The Bible shows us that praise is compulsory for angels (Revelation 7:11-12), for the saints of God - believers (Psalm 30:4) and for nations (Psalm 117:1). Even children are not exempted from it. Candidly speaking, children know how best to praise the Lord. This is one of the reasons why Christ said that unless we accept the kingdom of God like children, we will not be able to access it. Whatever your position in life, whether you are a pastor or a new convert, whether you are a messenger, governor or president; whether you are a prince or a peasant, it is compulsory for you to praise the Lord (Psalm 148:12-13). All the creations of God are also expected to praise the Lord. God gets praises from the heavens, the heights, sun, moon, stars and wind. Psalm 150:6 says:

“Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”

There are several reasons why we must praise the Lord. First, we must praise the Lord because of His majesty. The Lord is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He deserves to be praised. Secondly, we should praise God because of His glory (Psalm 138:5). A king’s glory is reflected in his robes and in the quality of his possessions. The Lord is clothed with light and rides upon the heavens. Thirdly, we should praise the Lord because of His greatness (Psalm 145:3). Definitely there is no one as great as the King of kings and the Creator of all things. Surely no creator can be greater than the one who created him. Fourthly, we should praise the Lord because of His power (Psalm 21:13). The Lord said that all power belongs to Him, be it power in heaven, on earth or underneath the earth. Fifthly, we should praise the Lord because of His goodness (Psalm 107:8). Has the Lord been good to you? If He has been good to you, then you should praise Him. The sixth reason we should praise God is because of His mercy (2 Chronicles 20:21). We are saved through His mercy. We are kept alive through His mercy. The seventh reason for which we should praise the Lord is His wonderful works (Psalm 150:2). These works include creation, redemption, consolation, pardon of sin, spiritual and physical health, constant preservation and protection, the hope of glory and all other physical, material and spiritual blessings. Praise the Lord!

ACTION POINT

Spend time in praises today. Praise the Lord with understanding, joyfully and with gladness.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Genesis 8:1-11:9; Psalm 99-100

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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - THURSDAY- 01/05/2014 - HOW PREPARED ARE YOU? BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

HOW PREPARED ARE YOU?

MEMORISE

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Proverbs 4:7

READ

Matthew 25:1-2

1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

MESSAGE

Wisdom has been described as the right application of knowledge. This is reflected in a person’s active and constant preparation for success. A wise man prays when others play, fasts when others feast and plans when others loaf around doing nothing. There is no gainsaying the fact that spiritual and physical success depends on active and constant preparation. One who fails to plan has already planned to fail. How prepared are you?

A study of the scriptures will reveal many ingredients for active and constant preparation. These include determination, endurance, seriousness and faithfulness. Determination is an indispensable requirement for spiritual and physical success. This is resolution and firmness of purpose. It takes determination to be successful in life, business, marriage and ministry. How determined are you? Added to determination is endurance. To endure means to suffer, to undergo pain, hardship, difficulties, problems and all sorts of hard situations without giving up. There is always a price for good success. Endurance requires discipline – self-discipline. To enjoy spiritual and physical success, you have to discipline yourself. Discipline your appetite for food. Discipline your desire for sleep and comfort. Discipline yourself in prayer and fasting, and discipline your tongue. Another ingredient for good success is seriousness. This is the active part of determination. Seriousness means acting on success. It is possible for someone to desire to be successful, endure pain, hardship and difficulties without becoming really serious about success. To demonstrate seriousness about success, you identify those things that will make you successful and act on them. One who is serious about success does not play with opportunities. He or she would rather make the best use of them. An important aspect of seriousness is faithfulness. To achieve good and enduring success, you must be faithful. Faithfulness denotes being completely loyal to a cause. You must be faithful to God who is the author of good success. You must be faithful to yourself and the assignment entrusted to your hands, and you must be faithful to others. It takes strong will to be faithful, and the one who aspires to be faithful must be diligent. Diligence means whole hearted searching. In your quest for good success, seek the Lord with all your heart and serve Him in holiness and truth.

ACTION POINT

Think about opportunities you have missed in the recent past, what better level of preparation would have helped you to take those opportunities. Start preparing for your next opportunity now.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Revelation 12-15; 

Psalm 94

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