OPEN HEAVENS Devotional – Friday
April 8th 2016
TOPIC: SPIRITUAL PACESETTERS
Memorize: Be ye followers of
me, even as I also am of Christ. 1stCorinthians 11:1
Read: Hebrews 6:9-15,
9 But,
beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany
salvation, though we thus speak.
10 For God is
not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed
toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
11 And we
desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance
of hope unto the end:
12 That ye be
not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the
promises.
13 For when
God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by
himself,
14 Saying,
Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
15 And so,
after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
Bible in one year: 1st Samuel
18:17-20:42, Proverbs 6:28-7:9
MESSAGE
There are certain spiritual
pacesetters in the Church who when a conscientious Christian takes time to
emulate, heaven would be his limit. It is unfortunate, however, that these
spiritual pace setters are very few nowadays unlike in the days of old when an
apostle wrote:
“And ye become followers of
us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of
the Holy Ghost. So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and
Achaia.” 1st Thessalonians 1:6-7
Where are the outstanding
Christian living standards that the early disciples lived by? Some could be
deduced in the above quoted scripture: Firstly, they received the Word with joy
despite the fact that it was hard. Today, Christianity has become a ‘bread and
butter’ affair. Any New Testament injunction that brings about a slight
affliction is thrown away as it comes from the pulpit. This has made many
post-modern preachers not to bother about preaching the hard truth any more.
They see it as an exercise in futility, so you hear them say, “don’t preach
such things; they won’t accept that from you!” At the beginning of this
apostasy, it was the modern day Christians who picked and chose what they would
accept, while they threw the rest back at the preacher. These days, it is the
preachers who ‘carefully’ select the message that will be ‘offensive’ to their
congregation. These are no spiritual pace setters. I will like to warn a
preacher using this devotional with the Words of the Lord in Ezekiel 33:7-8
“So thou, O son of man, I have
set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the
word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked
man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his
way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”
Apart from warning the
evil-doers and sinners against wickedness by word of mouth, a spiritual pace
setter must practice what he preaches. A Christian, and particularly a
preacher, must live as a light in this world. The Bible says:” … of all that
Jesus began both to do and teach” (Acts 1:1). This exactly was the pattern of
life of the early apostles; the reason they were able to admonish brethren to
be followers of them as they were of Christ. In transparent faithfulness,
Christians should set the pace for the unbelievers. In godliness, believers in
Christ must be spiritual pacesetters and perfect examples of their generation.
Jesus Christ said:
“Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is
in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Prayer Point
Father, please make me a
spiritual pacesetter so that millions may come to Your Kingdom through me.
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