TOPIC: HOLINESS AND DIVINE BLESSINGS
MEMORISE:
Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Psalm 37:4
READ: Luke 5:1-9
And 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.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
MESSAGE
I always tell my children that holiness is doing whatever God says wholeheartedly and promptly.
When He says, “Sit down,” I respond immediately, “Yes, Lord.”
When He says, “Stand,” my response is, “Yes, Lord.”
When He says, “Eat,” I do not hesitate before saying, “Yes, Lord,” and when He says, “Fast,” my response is still “Yes, Lord”, and I’ll start immediately.
Just do what God asks wholeheartedly and promptly, then leave the rest to Him – that is all holiness is.
It is an aberration for a person to be holy and die in poverty. That is why I do not focus on preaching about prosperity; instead, I focus on preaching about holiness. When you are truly holy, there will be times when God will give you instructions that will lead to receiving blessings from Him if you obey Him. However, anyone who decides to argue with God at such times will miss out on the blessing He has prepared for him or her.
That is why David said in Psalm 37:25:
I have been young and now am old; Yet have l not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
In today’s Bible reading, Jesus needed a boat to preach to the multitude of people who had gathered, as they wanted to hear the word of God from Him.
He got into Peter’s boat and asked him to move a little away from the land. Peter’s response was, “Yes, Lord.”
After the Lord finished His sermon, He turned to Peter and asked him to launch out into the deep.
For lending his boat to the Lord, God wanted to reward Peter, and the reward came in a massive way.
Before Jesus came on the scene, Peter was battling with failure and frustration; he had toiled all night and caught nothing. However, the moment he told Jesus ‘yes’ and released his boat to the Lord, he put himself in position for a windfall of God’s blessing. He caught so many fishes that his net broke.
His blessing was so great that his neighbours partook in it; both Peter’s ship and his neighbours’ were so filled with fishes that they began to sink.
Beloved, you cannot live a life of holiness, which can be seen through your obedience to God, and be frustrated or stranded. When you obey God in everything, He will respond by blessing you in every area of your life.
PRAYER POINT
Father, please help me to obey all Your instructions promptly
and wholeheartedly, in Jesus’ name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Ezekiel 36-38
Hymn 30: WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD
1. When we walk with the Lord
in the light of his word,
what a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
he abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
2. But we never can prove
the delights of his love
until all on the altar we lay;
for the favor he shows,
for the joy he bestows,
are for them who will trust and obey.
[Refrain]
3. Then in fellowship sweet
we will sit at his feet,
or we’ll walk by his side in the way;
what he says we will do,
where he sends we will go;
never fear, only trust and obey. [Refrain]
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