MEMORISE:
And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. Matthew 19:29
READ: Luke 5:1-7
1And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
MESSAGE
How great our joy will be when we realize the blessings that come from serving the Lord God our Maker! The fact remains, God created man in order to bless him. Only few parents, if any at all, would want to have children so that those children can feed them. As a matter of fact, good parents prepare treasures for their children to inherit. It earthly parents can do this; how much more would the Almighty God prepare treasures for His children? We see this character of God in Genesis 1, where He created all the good things of life before creating man. In addition, God created mankind in order to walk in partnership with him. He created Adam and gave him a garden to dress. This garden served as a place where they fellowshipped together as partners.
In the encounter between Jesus Christ and Peter recorded in today’s Bible reading, God further demonstrates His desire for partnership. Jesus engaged Peter’s services as He preached to the multitude at the lake of Gennesaret, and when He was done, He rewarded him with an unprecedented catch of fish. This is what our Lord can do for whoever chooses to serve Him. When the Lord called me into His service on full-time basis, little did I know how much He would bless me for answering His call. Today, if anyone ask me how I feel about working for God, I will simply tell the fellow, “It pays to serve the Lord.” Beloved, are you in doubt as to whether or not you should serve God? Perhaps you don’t even know how to serve Him. To serve the Lord you must first believe in Jesus Christ (John 6:28-29). Those who choose to serve God must come to Jesus by answering the call He made to all mankind in Matthew 11:28-30, and begin to learn of Him. You cannot render service to God anyhow because He has an acceptable way of serving Him. His word says in Romans 12:1:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
Jesus served God acceptably when He was here on earth, and that is why you should learn of Him. When you follow the example of His service, you can be sure you are serving God acceptably. In today’s memory verse, the Lord gives a mouth-watering assurance of our reward when we serve Him diligently. This reward cuts across both the temporal and the eternal. It is indeed rewarding to serve the Lord. I am a living testimony of this, and you can be also.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please help me to serve You acceptably, and help me not to miss my reward here and hereafter.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 29-30 Jeremiah 37
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 10: I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS
• I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
• The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.
• Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though- none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.
• My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
• Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.
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