OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL: FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 12TH

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TOPIC: SPIRITUAL EYES II MEMORISE :  Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.  Psalm 119:18 READ :  2 Kings 6:15-23  15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man...
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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. A SACRIFICE OF LOVE: MONDAY 11TH DECEMBER 2017

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Memorise:
I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.
Psalm 116:17

Read: Psalm 116:17-19

17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.

18 I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.

19 In the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.

Message:
If you have been washed in the precious blood of the lamb, thanking God for the salvation of your soul is something you need to do daily for the rest of your life. Some people throw parties to celebrate milestones and achievements in different areas of life, but Jesus said that what should give us the greatest joy is the fact that we are saved and have our names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Luke 10:20). That your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life is a great testimony that you should regularly thank God for whenever you pray.

However, giving thanks to god is not always a very easy thing to do, particularly if you have been going through a spate of negative and very sad events or experiences. In such situations, thanking God requires sacrifice. Our God loves sacrifices- particularly a sacrifice of thanksgiving. No wonder the Psalmist says thus in Psalm 116:17

“I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.”

When you offer thanksgiving to god at a time when every situation is your life is saying that He doesn’t deserve it or that He has forsaken you, it is sacrificial.

Similarly, your thanksgiving is sacrificial when you thank God even when he has not granted your request. This is an expression of faith. Sacrificial thanksgiving glorifies God and proves to Him that your faith is Christ has spiritual substance. Do you know that most people remember to thank God only when they believe He has “earned it’? Such people live by a personal philosophy which says “whenever God does something for me, only then will I give Him thanks in return.” Such an attitude is simply calculative and myopic. There are so many things God does for us every day which we take for granted as normal everyday occurrence, but the truth is, nothing is ever really “normal”, and every day comes with its challenges. Those who give God a sacrifice of thanksgiving do so because they choose to. They choose to see things from God’s perspective, which makes them see reasons why they ought to be grateful to God, even when other people cannot see any reason why.

Action Point:
Apply the lessons learnt in today’s study to offer God a sacrificial thanksgiving today.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 142-150, Haggai 1:1-11

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 8:
GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love
Refrain:

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.
Refrain:

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