OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - MONDAY - 04/08/2014 - THE WAYS OF GOD BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

THE WAYS OF GOD

MEMORISE

He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

Psalm 103:7

READ

Exodus 33:12-23

12 And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.

13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.

16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.

18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

MESSAGE

A miracle is a supernatural act of God. I believe in miracles. However, God’s ways are more important than His acts. The acts of God are meant to lead us into appreciating His ways. Every incontrovertible act of God is designed to propel men to seek the ways of God. God moves in mysterious ways. Isaiah 55:8 says,

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.”

The way God reasons is radically different from the way we reason. His foolishness is wiser than the wisest genius on earth. Since God’s thoughts are higher than ours and His ways are superior to ours, it is imperative for us to learn His ways as He reveals them to us.

How do we learn God’s ways? First, we learn His ways through intimate relationship with Him. As you interact with God in prayer and the study of His word on a daily basis, you learn the ways of God. You learn How God relates with His saints, how He answers prayers and corrects mistakes. Secondly, we learn God’s ways by learning to fear Him (Psalm 86:11). We should not misunderstand the fear of God. The fear of God is not tyrannical fear. This is because our God is not a tyrant. Our God is Love (1 John 4:8). Rather, to fear God means to love Him so much that you would neither want to offend nor disobey Him. The best friend a person can have is God. He is also the worst enemy you can have. If you fear God, you will have access to enjoying life in its fullness because in God is true life. The fear of God is attained when you allow your life to be instructed by wisdom (Proverbs 15:33). The fear of God prolongs days (Proverbs 10:27) and is better than great treasure (Proverbs 15:16). It requires understanding (Proverbs 2:5). You can be taught to fear God through the ministry of a teacher (Psalm 34:11). The worst human enemy you can have is someone who does not fear God. Such a person can steal your goods, and destroy you and your children. He or she can even use you for rituals. If a person confesses that he or she does not fear God, that person should be avoided like a plague. God is however constant. His acts are constant and serve as catalysts that propel men to learn His ways. It now depends on you as a recipient of His miracles to either seek His ways or not. God revealed His ways to Moses because Moses was His friend. If you live in perfect obedience to God’s perfect will and you allow your life to glorify Him, there is no way God will not reveal His ways to you.

ACTION POINT

The life of Moses brought praises to God. In what ways has your life brought praises to God?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Matthew 25:31-26:68