OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: Tuesday 4th September 2018
THEME: BE SWIFT IN YOUR BUSINESS
Memorise
Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Romans 12:11
Bible Reading 1Samuel 17:48-51 (KJV)
48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.
Message
When you critically study the life of our Lord, you will observe that He was a man swiftly went about accomplishing His mission (John 9:4). He went in such a hurry to finish His task (Matthew 17:17). Amazingly, the everlasting impact He made took just three and a half years to accomplish. Click To Read – Open Heaven 3 September 2018
If you want to be like your Master indeed, I encourage you to be diligent, not only in your service to God in the Church, but also in your job or business. Our Father in heaven is not slothful in carrying our His assignments. Speaking about the Father’s work ethic, Jesus in John 5:17b said:
“My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.”
The Holy Spirit admonition on our expected work standard in today’s memory verse is profound because it captures the three aspects of our being: body, soul, and spirit. Our Christian experience must affect these three dimensions of our lives before we can say we are living according to God’s will for us.
Physically, we must be industrious in our day to day activities. Don’t be deceived into believing that once you are born again, manna will begin to fall from heaven to sustain you.
Remember that the rain of manna stopped immediately the children of Israel entered the Promised Land. They had to settle down to cultivate the land for a bumper harvest from God. However, pursuing your physical activities with vigor should not come at the expense of your spiritual life. in this regard, always have the words of Deuteronomy 8:18 at the back of your mind:
“But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.”
You need to learn some great lessons from David’s attitude in swiftly doing the needful in order to triumph over Goliath in today’s Bible reading. Beyond the fact that he was fervent in spirit, he was also physically alert in getting his job done. He did not allow the battle to meet him standing still. 1st Samuel 17:48 tells us what he did:
“And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.”
He quickly took the battle to the enemy on his own terms. The story gets even more interesting after Goliath fell. Observing that Goliath might have been knocked unconscious or might be feigning death, David ran to where he fell, climbed over him and cut off his head with Goliath’s own sword, putting an end to any hope of his resurgence. I prophesy over you today that your enemies will be totally decapitated and you will have complete peace in Jesus’ Name.
Prayer Point
Father, to the glory of Your Name, please quicken my body, soul and spirit to be swift and diligent in all my assignment in life, in Jesus’ Name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 111-118, Mark 2:1-17,
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE