RIGHTEOUSNESS VS SACRIFICE

MEMORY VERSE: To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. Proverbs 11:25

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 22-26

BIBLE READING: Matthew 5:23-24

Lovers love giving gifts to each other. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” He did not give because He was held to ransom, No! His decision to give His son for our sins was motivated by love. Everything He does for us is motivated by love and mercy. So whenever we give back to Him, although we give out of the much He has given to us, no matter how small it is, He appreciates it. All Abraham did was host Him for few hours (Genesis 18). While He was there, He ate bread, meat and milk, and He said “thank you”. Abraham gave a meal and He received a son! Whenever you give to any child of God, I want you to know that it is God you have given to (not man) and He will say thank you no matter how small. When we give something big to Him, He responds and says ‘a big thank you’. Oh yes! King Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings to Him and He said thank you by giving the young man a blank cheque (1 Kings 3:3-13). Verse 5, “In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.” It is not so much the size of the gift but the cost of the gift. That poor widow in Luke 21:1-4 gave the least, yet the Lord said she gave the most. Why? All the big men in the church gave out of their abundance, but this poor woman gave all she had which was two mites. Regardless of the cost of the gift, one must give cheerfully. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

God loves generous people. Proverbs 11:25 says, “The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.” The key to financial prosperity is giving. When you look at countries that are prospering, e.g. England, although they are small in population, they give foreign aids to so many countries. Not only that, they give to the elderly and look after their citizens. While most of the countries that receive foreign aids from them  are struggling financially, they are wallowing in riches. The secret to their prosperity as a nation is giving. They give to charity a lot. Proverbs 21:3 says, “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.” The Lord is more interested in Christians living a life of purity and holiness than giving big offerings. No wonder He says peradventure whilst giving an offering, we remember a brother or sister who we are not in talking terms with, we should drop the offering, run to the person and be reconciled with the fellow. One cannot keep malice and expect God to accept his offering, No! One cannot fornicate and expect God to accept His service in the church, No!

NOTE; Obedience to the word of God is better than fat donations.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please bless me so that I can be a blessing to others.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

WHEREFORE KICK YE AT MY SACRIFICE

MEMORY VERSE: wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but nowthe Lord saith, be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 1 Samuel 2:29-30

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lamentations 4 –Ezekiel 4
There was a prophet in Israel called Eli. This prophet had two sons – Hophni and Phinehas. These boys were rotten, the bible referred to them as sons of Belial (base and worthless). They are everything the sons of a prophet should not be. The custom of the priest was when any man offered sacrifice, while the flesh was boiling, the priest’s servant will come with a flesh hook of three prongs and dip it into the pan; all that the flesh hook brought up, the priest took for himself. In the case of Hophni and Phinehas, it was different, before one boils the flesh, they will come with their big knives and cut whatever they want and go. They will take a very large portion and leave the small one for sacrifice. One dare not argue with them because they are the sons of the priests. Not only that, they defiled any woman that came to the church to worship. People reported the activities of Hophni and Phinehas to Eli (their father), instead of taking serious disciplinary action against them, he will warn them and leave them. These boys kept on abusing their position and dishonouring God. Out of mercy, God sent a prophet to Eli to warn him. 1 Samuel 2:29-30 says wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me forever: but now the Lord saith, be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. At the end, these two perished in one day.
In what way(s) are you kicking against God’s sacrifices? In what ways are you doing God’s work anyhow? Many of us, who serve in the vineyard of God in one capacity or the other, as a worker – usher, prayer warrior, counsellor, sanctuary keeper, etc, or as a minister have forgotten that we are being accessed by God. You are never late to work, but you come to church at any time you want. Some even leave at any time they want. While ushering, you are busy checking football scores. With what heart are you serving in God’s vineyard? Do you attend choir practices at any time you want? Do you travel without taking permission from your leaders? We cannot do God’s work anyhow, although it is voluntary, we have to serve as if God is our supervisor. As a leader, in what way(s), are you directly or indirectly encouraging second-class behaviour in your group? When your pastor asks for someone in your team, you tell a lie to cover up for the fellow. Everything we do in God’s vineyard is a form of sacrifice. Are you the type that if they do not allow you play the keyboard or drums , you protest and do not come to church for weeks. Until the pastor gets involved, you do not do what you have being asked to do and even when you do it, you do it anyhow. The Lord is saying only those who honour Him will He honour, those who despise Him He will lightly esteem.

TO PONDER: In what way(s) are you doing God’s work as you like, please repent today.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

SACRIFICE WHILE AGAG IS STILL ALIVE?

Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God. 1 Samuel 15:30

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 64 -66

Saul’s rejection story is one any reader of this devotional will be familiar with. As instructed by God, Samuel told King Saul to go and destroy the Amalekites. He said yes sir, and left with his armies. When he got to Amalek, he destroyed all the worthless things – sick goats and sheep, lame donkeys and camel, and left the good things – fat sheep and goats, well fed donkeys and horses. He destroyed everyone except King Agag. When he returned, the prophet rebuked him for his half obedience (not destroying all). Instead of Saul to repent and set things right by killing Agag and destroying all he brought back, he said it is true i have sinned against God but come with me to sacrifice to the Lord. 1 Samuel 15:30 says Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God. What is more important, sacrificing to God or obeying God? Saul wanted to disobey God and still offer sacrifice to God. Will God accept such sacrifice? He spared the fellow who the Lord asked him to kill and still had the audacity to offer God a sacrifice.

Saul was more interested in offering sacrifices than pleasing God. Thank God for Samuel, immediately after the sacrifice, he killed wicked Agag (1 Samuel 15:31-33). There are many of us like Saul today, we want to disobey God and offer Him sacrifices. We want to keep Agag alive and yet offer sacrifice to God. Many want to fornicate and still be in the choir. Many want to steal from their employers and still lead prayers in Church. Saul’s sacrifice was a wasted effort because he intentionally spared the life of wicked Agag. Are you and I like Saul in anyway? We want to secretly flout God’s commandment and yet at the same time be a worker in the house of God. Unfortunately, things do not work that way. Saul wanted to be seen offering sacrifices to God in the public and yet secretly keep Agag alive. Are you and I like Saul in this way? We want to openly mount the altar and preach powerful messages and yet in our secret closet live a life that Christ disapproves of? We want to openly play guitar in the church and secretly commit adultery with another woman. We want to publicly sing a special number to the glory of God, yet lie on our time sheets. We want to openly invite people to our church programs and yet secretly speak against the man of God. Are you and I trying to be openly loving at church and secretly wicked to our spouses? Because Saul wanted to openly sacrifice to God and yet, secretly spare wicked Agag, God distant Himself from him and publicly rejected him.

PONDER: In what ways are you secretly hiding Agag and openly sacrificing to God?

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

SACRIFICIAL OFFERING

MEMORY VERSE: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall posses the gate of his enemies, Genesis 22:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 11, Acts 15, Jer 24, Mark 10

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 22:1-18

Everything we have is giving to us by God. According to John 3:27, a man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. It is important to know that God is not a beggar, Haggai 2:8 says silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. Gold represents wealth and silver represents health. By taking a little out of the much He has giving to you to give an offering, you are simply saying God I appreciate you. One of the things that happen when you give God an offering is that, He reverses curses into blessing in your life. After the fall of Adam, God cursed the ground for his sake. A cursed ground cannot produce any result that was why God told Adam that he will sweat before he can eat(Genesis 3:19). This curse was very active until Noah offered a burnt offering and God said I will not again curse the ground anymore for man’s sake, as from today there will now be seedtime and harvest (Genesis 8:20-22). The next time you hear offering time, know it is a blessing time.

There are different types of offering. There is the regular one we give during services and there is a sacrificial offering. Sacrificial offerings are not ordinary offerings; actually you need a strong faith in God to give one because it will cost you something. Such offerings will hurt your pocket or finance. They are not for everyone; they are for those who are ready for a deep walk with God. They are for those who know deep within them that God is their source that even though they give God all, they will never be hungry or lack anything good. There are many who confess that God is their source, but when it comes to sacrificial offering they begin to ask for grace. I pray the Lord will give you the grace.

The first thing I want you to know is that sacrificial offering reveals humility. What is humility? Humility is submitting to the will of God when you don’t feel like it or when it is uncomfortable or inconvenient. An offering that will cost you something is not a comfortable offering at all. At times before you give such offering, you will be wondering if you are doing the right thing because if people hear they might wonder if all is well with you. I am yet to meet a fellow who has regretted giving God a sacrificial offering. From our bible studies, we deduce that sacrificial offering provokes a response from God. After Solomon gave a thousand offering, God responded by asking him to ask for anything he wanted. When push comes to shuffle in my life and I need God to act, while praying and fasting I give a sacrificial offering, sir it has never failed me! Sacrificial offering provokes a divine response to your circumstances. As far as God was concerned, Abraham offered Isaac. God said by myself have I sworn 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 heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall posses the gate of his enemies (Genesis 22:16-17). The sacrificial offering of Abraham provoked such a response from the Almighty. When you give a sacrificial offering, you become a blessing and also receive a trans-generational blessing.

KEY WORD: Sacrificial offerings are for those who are ready for a deep walk with God. They are for those who know deep within them that God is their source

Glory and Sacrifice

Wednesday 5 September                      Bible in one year : Daniel 4-6

Memorise: Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God,than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.Hebrew 11:25

Read:Hebrew 11:24-27

The one who has not fully made up his mind about his relationship with God,might be tempted to compromise the Gospel message or the specific errand he or she is asked to deliver to the affluent in society when given the opportunity to stand before them.When compromise sets in , the glory departs.Compromise is a great deflector of God’s glory.When you stand before kings to tell them the truth,even when they do not like to hear the truth,God increases His glory upon your life.There are several children of God who stood before kings in bible days and never compromised:Young David, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel and Paul, all stood before kings without compromising.In fact ,Daniel was very outstanding. He remained in the corridors of power for a very long time.Successive kings found him so invaluable that they retained him so as to give credibility and add value to their kingdoms. There is a user of this devotional who will soon stand before kings.God is giving you the opportunity to stand before kings.But when the time comes to pass, do not be intimidated , and do not change your message . Speak the truth and God will uphold you.

Can God send you to a palace of pleasure or a dangerous zone without you compromising?if money or self gratification is uppermost in you heart , you will sure forget your main reason for going. It was dangerous for Moses to accept God’s call to go and meet Pharaoh. That errand could have cost him his life,yet he went.He made a choice that could hurt him.What were gains to him,he counted as loss just like Paul. It was a great honor to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter- a prince,yet he told the people to stop calling him that. In other words, he despised the title that would have opened doors to him everywhere he went in Egypt,but rather chose to suffer with endangered species (the Israelite). He preferred the reproaches of Christ greater treasures compared to the sinful pleasures of Egypt.No wonder he carried God’s glory to the extent that people could not look at his shining face. What sacrifice have you made to earn the glory of God you are asking for?Paul gave up his academic achievements just to be a carrier of higher levels of glory. Without sacrifice, you can never climb high on the glory ladder.

ACTION POINT: It is faithfulness that keeps you uncompromising in the midst of pressures. Ask for grace to remain faithful wherever you are.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

LOVE IS SACRIFICIAL

Thursday 16 August                          Bible in one year:2 Kings 7-10

Memorise: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish , but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Read: Genesis 29:18-28

When you are genuinely in love, making sacrifices for the one you love will be a thing of pleasure and not a burden. Jacob was in love with Rachel and asked what he must do to marry her. He told him to serve for seven years and he willingly did so. Because of his love, seven years were like seven days to him. When he was deceived,he yet agreed to serve another serve another seven years for his heartthrob (Genesis 29:18-28). No price is too much to pay for the one you love.If you truly love your wife,you will the pay the price of faithfulness in the midst of pressure to be unfaithful to her in your workplace or even in the ministry. Some husbands are yet to demonstrate their love for their wives by sacrificially giving to her like God gave us His one out of one (John 3:16). If your relationship with your wife is all about convenience - you do things for her only when it is convenient, but nothing for her when sacrifice is required, then you own your wife big time. Wives of such husbands should demand of their husbands the debt of sacrifice.

Sacrifice helps to gauge your love for God. We can say God loves us exceedingly because He was
prepared to part with His only begotten Son on the cross of Calvary.What have you given in return to Him? If you say you love Him, you will sacrifice for Him. You will be ready like Paul to spend and be spent for Him. Some ministers of God cannot take up certain kingdom assignments because they fear they will be totally exhausted.This shows they still want to reserve some energy or resources to themselves. What a mistake! It is when you are spent that you will need to be replenished. As long as you retain your strength or resources they will be no vacancy for God to fill. Stop holding back ! Empty yourself in to God and His kingdom. There is no better place of fulfillment or reward than this. Do it, not necessarily for the returns, although you cannot avoid it, but for love .Can you serve the Lord for 14 years without pay? Can you serve the Lord in the rural areas when you have been used to the comfort of life? Can you serve under an uneducated person when you are a Master's or Ph.D holder? Where is sacrifice in your love for the Lord?

ACTION POINT: There is a level of sacrifice God expects from us at every phase of our lives. Ask God for grace to make that sacrifice.

Excerpts from Open Heaven by Pastor E.A Adeboye