Topic: Living Holy I (Open Heaven 20 December 2019)
Memorise: “Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.” – Deuteronomy 13:4
Read: Job 23:10-12 (KJV)
10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
11 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
Bible in One Year: Proverbs 9-12, Zechariah 8:9-23
MESSAGE:
From my encounters with people all around the world, I make bold to stay that so many people want to live their lives as true Christians. However even though they really want to live holy Christ-like lives, they somehow find themselves falling into sin again and again. Some have even concluded that it is not possible to live a holy life, but nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus said in Matthew 5:48:
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Only a bully would ask a person to do something he or she knows cannot be done just to oppress that person. In some Nigerian Secondary Schools, a bully would give a junior student N10 and ask the fellow to buy food worth N100. Our God is not like that; if he says you should be perfect it means he has given you the ability to be perfect. The only problem is that most people fail to realize that they have all that it takes to live a life of holiness.
God gave us the Bible to help us live a holy life. Everyone who studies the Bible regularly will tell you that the more you study God’s word the less attractive sin becomes to them. This is the point of sanctification where a person begins to love righteousness and hate iniquity. In order for the His disciples to remain holy after His departure, Jesus prayed to God thus:
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” – John 17:17
If you don’t study your Bible daily it will be impossible for you to live holy.
You should not stop at studying God’s word daily; you must also memorize it. This is why we have a memory verse per day in this devotional. When you memorize scriptures everyday it will be difficult for you to commit sin. David said in Psalm 119:11:
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
What you meditate on and for how long you meditate on it has an effect on your lifestyle. This is why God advised Joshua to meditate on His word day and night. If you continuously do this you will begin to live like Christ and succeed as He did.
Key Point: Fall in love with God’s word and it will be easy to live a holy life.
Open Heaven Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.
No comments:
Post a Comment