MEMORISE:
Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: Proverbs 3:9
READ: Genesis 22:10-18
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
MESSAGE
Many of us desire the blessing of Abraham and this is a good thing. However, how many of us are ready to do the things Abraham did? Abraham gave gifts that honored God, so much that God swore by Himself to bless Him. After Abraham gave his very best on the altar of sacrifice, God said to him in Genesis 22:16-17:
“And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;”
Our God is not a respecter of persons. If you can also honor Him with your giving, He is ready to give you a blessing that has everlasting value in return.
The most precious thing you can give to honor God is your life. Just as God demanded the son of promise as a burnt sacrifice from Abraham, so does He demand your life. He says to you today:
"My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways".
Proverbs 23:26
The devil is also struggling to have your heart so that he can thwart the great plans of God for your life. When you choose to give your heart to God, you have done Him a great honor, and you will find favor in His sight and in the sight of men (Proverbs 3:4). Another form of giving which honors God is found in today’s memory verse. Giving God the first fruit of your increase is an act of faith that brings delight to His heart. There is no ambiguity as to what we stand to gain from this. In Proverbs 3:10, He clearly says:
“So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”
Unfortunately, many Christians still argue against the doctrine of first fruits. Some say that it belongs to the Old Testament, and I ask them whether the Old testament is not part of God’s word to us. There are some pleasant promises of God we love which are only found in the Old Testament. We do not say we will not key into them because they are only in the Old Testament, so why ignore the doctrine of first fruit? Beloved, give God your best today. Honor Him by offering your spirit, soul and body to Him as a living sacrifice in holiness and acceptable service (Romans 12:1-2). I pray that the Lord will grant you grace to completely obey His command like Abraham the father of faith, did.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please give me a heart of flesh that is receptive to keeping Your precepts.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 26-26
Jeremiah 36:4-19
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 4: TAKE MY LIFE, AND LET IT BE
1.Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise,
Let them flow in endless praise.
2.Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3.Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.
4. Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose,
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
5. Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
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