THE IMPORTANCE OF RECORD KEEPING

MEMORY VERSE: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. Revelations 20:12

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Amos 4-8

In heaven, there are books. The Psalmist referred to some of those books in his psalms. Psalm 56:8 says thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? These books contain records. Revelations 20:12 says and I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. In Genesis 12:4-5, we read, what Heaven recorded against Abram’s name at a particular period of his life. His age was mentioned (as a proof that Heaven had a record of when he was born); Sarai and Lot were mentioned (as a proof that Heaven had a record of his family); Haran was mentioned (as a proof that Heaven had a record of his location) and so on. Just as Heaven kept records of Abram’s life, Heaven keeps a record of your life and my life. I encourage you not to relent in doing good. Do not get tired of serving in the vineyard of God, Heaven has a record of your labour of love, man may not appreciate you but God, THE REWARDER, has it all recorded and He will reward you.

Just as Heaven keep records, you and I need to keep a proper record of our life in every department of it. Retail stores keep various records – records of items sold, profit made each month, expenditures, etc. These records are used for decision-making and financial projections. Not only that, these records are used to measure performance and so on. The same thing applies to us, keeping records of events in our life is essential for success. Records highlight milestones or landmarks on our journey to  become who God created us to be. It is important that you know, the day you gave your life to Christ, when you began to speak in tongues, how many souls you have won for Christ, etc. Not only that, you also need to be able to say , this and that happened, when I gave that special offering; on this particular date , this is the dream I had ; on that particular date, this was the vision God showed to me ; in that year , this iswhat God said to me and so on and so forth. If you do not keep records, measuring how you are performing in Christ will be difficult. Your records will tell you, the last time you won a soul for Jesus; the last time you worshipped and felt the mighty presence of God all over you; the last time you heard from God and so on. When you keep records of God’s dealings with your life, monitoring your direction and progress in life becomes easy. In addition, your records will show you, how you spend your time, how often you pray, study the Word, and other important spiritual activities. A good record will open your eyes to see some of the unnecessary activities you waste your time on. Managing your life and time becomes easier when you keep records.

ACTION: Get a book and start recording your dreams. 

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

What is in your record ?

Psalm 56:8 - You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book.

Several years ago I had an experience that changed my life forever. I saw myself in something that looked like a room but there were no walls. I was there waiting to go before God for Judgment. While I was there I had the opportunity to go through my records. I saw all I had done and I was very disappointed. I saw when people evangelized to me and I made fun of them. I saw many other terrible things I did like fornication and clubbing and all that. I also saw when I gave my life to Christ and how I was still not fully committed. Although I had stopped fornicating ,stopped having girlfriends , started going to church more often but my standing with God was still funny. I never witnessed because I was too shy, never participated in church activities because of one flimsy excuse or the other. I was very disappointed in myself. I saw one or two good deeds I did like help an elderly lady carry her bag and others but it was almost zero compared to the wrongs I had done. I knew myself that if I attended judgment that day the decision will not be in my favor so I began to cry and begged God for a second chance. Thank God He answered.

Sir /Ma there is a record in heaven for everything we do on earth. Matthew 12:36, Jesus said “But I say to you that every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment.  A day is coming when we will stand before God to answer. A day is coming when our records will be read back to us. Might I ask you this question today, have you ever considered what is in your record? There are many who say there is no heaven or hell, it is a big lie! There is a heaven and a hell. Many who postpone the day of their salvation will see the number of times they have postponed the day of their salvation on that day. Many who do not evangelize will see on that day. After I saw my record, that day I decided the contents must change. I decided I have to put my records in other. You can do the same too friend.

Today why not re-commit your walk with God .Pray the prayer of repentance again and commit to putting things right with God.

Dear Jesus, I believe that You died for me and rose again on the third day. I confess I am a sinner. I need your love and forgiveness. Come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I receive Your eternal life. Confirm You love by giving me peace, joy and supernatural love for others, Amen.

PRAYER POINT: Father , as from today give me the grace to please You and do Your will.

Pride erodes good record.

Friday 31 August                                Bible in one year: Hosea 11-14

Memorise: A man’s pride shall bring him low;but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit. Proverbs 29:23

Read : Revelations 3:14-22

In today’s reading , the Lord wrote a letter to the church in Laodicea. Let us briefly look at their background. Laodicea was a strong financial centre in those days.It had rich inhabitants who thought since they had virtually all they needed,they did not need God. It was the heart of textile manufacturing ,providing specialised medical care for eyes and ears. The church in Laodicea was equally inhabited by wealthy members who thought they could do anything with money.Being wealthy they could afford the best of clothes and medical care.Their comfort and affluence made them  proud people.

If you look closely, the church in Laodicea was the only one out of seven that the Lord had nothing good to say about.Even as bad as sardis was,it still had some good people.Meanwhile,they saw themselves as the happening church,the rich and the affluent church.Laodicea was a church that had all its physical needs met.They could afford the most fantastic auditorium,equipped with the best and most expensive musical instruments.They could afford to publicise every program on air and do glamorous banners. Their church could be said to be what most of our churches today dream to be.On Sundays, if you saw a sister there, you would think there was  a fashion parade  or beauty pageant. It was a prosperous church with all members physically prospering.The latest cars were parked in their parking lots.What a church without a need!Meanwhile as they were celebrating their “immense success”, the Lord was lamenting their wretchedness. In His eyes, they were the exact opposite of who they thought they were.May you never see yourself through your eyes bu His eyes.One lesson here is that we need to steer clear of pride as it erodes all the good works.Anyone who is adorned with any pride blocks God’s view of his or her deeds,except the object of pride. If you fill up a two storey building with good works but you are proud,it is only your pride that would be seen. Nothing will be recorded for your good.The proud is in competition with God.Are you proud?

ACTION POINT: Search yourself for any elements of pride and immediately deal with them before they spoil your work.

Excerpts from open heavens by pastor E.A Adeboye.