TOPIC: CHRISTIANITY IS PERSONAL
MEMORISE:
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” - (Jeremiah 1:5).
READ: JOHN 10:3-4
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
MESSAGE:
Whenever God wants to talk to a congregation, no matter how large, He will address individuals. Revelations 3:20 was written to an entire Church, but He said, *“If any man...”* John 3:16 says, “God loved the whole world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever...”
We came into this world one at a time.
Genesis 25:21-26 makes it clear that even when twins are born, they come out one at a time. Even if the twins are to be delivered by a Caesarean operation, the doctor will bring one out first before the second.
Romans 14:12 says that we are all going to give an account of ourselves before God. The messages you read in this devotional are not for everybody, they are for you in particular.
Whenever David wants to talk about something very serious, he personalises it.
In Psalm 23:1, he said, *“The Lord is MY shepherd; I shall not want.” He didn’t say, “The Lord is our shepherd.” Whenever some brethren want to close a service, they will say, “Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” I always wonder where they got that from because it is not written in my Bible.
What is written is, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (Psalm 23:6). Goodness and mercy are not for us they are for me. The result of my dwelling is for me, not for us.
In Psalm 27:8, David said, “When you said, seek my face, my heart says, thy face will I seek.” I don’t know what others are thinking, how far they want to go in the Lord, and how hungry and thirsty for God they are. I cannot thirst and hunger for God on their behalf. Don’t let someone else’s lack of hunger for God affect you, even if he is your pastor. Your walk with God is personal.
When you come face to face with God in judgement, you will give an account of yourself individually. So, if you see someone who does not take his Christian life seriously, don’t let it bother you; Christianity is an individual matter.
Seek the face of God and encourage others to do so, but don’t let their laxity influence you.
REFLECTION:
Christianity is completely personal. Don't let anyone's behaviour hinder your individual walk with God.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
1 SAMUEL 22-24
AUTHOR PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMNAL: 7 - I AM THINE O LORD
1 I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
2 Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
3 O the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend!
4 There are depths of love that I yet may know
Ere Thee face to face I see;
There are heights of joy that I yet may reach
Ere I rest in peace with Thee.
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