OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: FRIDAY 6TH JULY 2018
THEME: FUNCTIONING AS LIGHT
HYMN 16: Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus
1 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
ye soldiers of the cross!
Lift high his royal banner,
it must not suffer loss.
From victory unto victory
his army he shall lead,
till every foe is vanquished,
and Christ is Lord indeed.
2 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the solemn watchword hear;
if while ye sleep he suffers,
away with shame and fear.
Where’er ye meet with evil,
within you or without,
charge for the God of battles,
and put the foe to rout.
3 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
stand in his strength alone;
the arm of flesh will fail you,
ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the gospel armour,
each piece put on with prayer;
when duty calls or danger
be never wanting there.
4 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the strife will not be long;
this day the noise of battle,
the next the victor’s song.
To him that overcometh
a crown of life shall be;
he with the King of glory
shall reign eternally.
Memorise
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16
Bible Reading: Luke 23:39-43
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Message
Light is the manifestation of God’s creative word. Having been spoken into existence on the first day of creation, light came into being even before the sun and the moon, which were created on the forth day. Light was separated from darkness and declared by God to be good (Genesis 1:4 & 18). Light and darkness are contrasted in several verses of the Bible, and in all cases, light is affirmed as superseding darkness. Ecclesiastes 2:13 equates wisdom with light and foolishness with darkness. Light is declared to be the path of righteousness, while darkness is the path of those who rebel against God (Proverbs 4:18, Job 18:5). I pray that the light of God will disperse every form of darkness in your life today in the mighty Name of Jesus.
At the beginning of creation, the world was filled with gross darkness. This prompted God to create light as a solution to the problem of darkness, which is why He is referred to as the Father of lights (James 1:17). Jesus also declared Himself as the light of the world (John 8:12). As light, Christ role throughout His earthly ministry was to destroy the darkness of this world and enable humanity became children of light through faith (John 12:46, John 12:36).
He succeeded in His assignment and raised for Himself a people who are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). As His chosen people, our light must shine before all men to provide guidance and leadership in a world full of sin, confusion, hatred, danger and all kinds of wickedness. Jesus lived an exemplary life as the light of the world, and we also must follow in His footsteps. Jesus illuminated the world by preaching the good news of the gospel with love and compassion.
Through His own life, He showed us how to live in holiness and righteousness in a world full of sin. He brought joy to the hearts of men by healing the sick, delivering the oppressed and raising the dead. He was a father to the fatherless, husband to the widow and hope to the hopeless. Functioning as light, therefore, signifies replicating everything that He did while He was here on earth (1st John 2:6).
We are to preach the good news of the gospel to all nations and ensure that lost souls are saved and properly made disciples of Christ. Holiness and righteousness should be our watchword and truth should be found in us always.
We must be agents of peace and progress in our communities as we show good neighborliness. Through us, the sick should receive healing and the captives should be set free. We must provide succor to the fatherless, widows and the helpless in our society. We must speak out against sin, violence, and wickedness in order to turn sinners to saints. The world must become a better place because of our presence and activities as light.
Prayer Point:
Father, please help me to function as light in a world full of darkness in Jesus’ Name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2nd Chronicles 5-6, Acts 22:30-23:11
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
Study Open Heavens Daily devotional online: www.omodeinde.com/index.php/category/open-heavens-daily-devotion