OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - THURSDAY - 6/11/2014 - GOD’S OWNERSHIP OF ALL I - BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

GOD’S OWNERSHIP OF ALL I

Memorise

The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Psalm 24:1

Read

1 Chronicles 29:10-16

29:10 Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.

29:11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.

29:12 Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.

29:13 Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.

29:14 But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.

29:15 For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.

29:16 O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.

MESSAGE

Only God is self-existing. He is the only one whose ground of existence consists in Himself i.e. His existence is self-determined. The existence of every other being or thing is determined by external entities and not by themselves. That external entity is God (Acts 17:28). God’s existence is not determined by anyone, but He determines the existence of all that have ever existed, all that now exist, and all that will ever exist, be it spirit, human, physical or non-physical elements – all and everything. Our God is truly awesome! It therefore follows that, He is the One that owns everyone and everything everywhere (Psalm 24:1). Also, the implication of this is that: nobody else really owns anything by himself because both an individual and the abilities he exhibits – the talents, physical prowess, intelligence and ability to acquire possessions, all belongs to God (Daniel 2:20-22, Deuteronomy 8:18). This implies that man is just a steward of his own life and anything he may claim to own. He is accountable to God on the way he lives and on what he uses his possessions for (Revelation 20:12).

Wisdom therefore teaches us that we should not hold tenaciously to any possession which God desires from us. This is what David meant in his statements, after leading the people of Israel in making preparation for the building of the temple of God by giving. After he and the people had given of their possessions very bountifully, he expressed with humility his acknowledgment of the fact that both they and all that they contributed actually came from God; God owns them all. If you labour and God refuse to bless your effort, what would you do? This is where our attitude must also change; especially those who when giving a testimony would say, because I fasted many days and prayed very well, so what I desired happened, as if it was just their efforts in prayers that got it done. No! If you pray and God does not answer, what would happen? Our testimony should not direct the attention and glory of the accomplishment to us, but to God.

When you therefore realise that it is God that owns you and gave you the ability to perform all that you do, and that the results you get also belong to Him, you would not find it difficult to give Him whatever He desires of you. When you do so, you will continue to flourish even in generations after you because God would establish a personal covenant with you.

Action Point

Bless the Lord for His greatness and for being mindful of you.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

2 Kings 8:25-10:17

Proverbs 22:13-28