DECISION-MAKING II: OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL, 13TH MAY 2018

MEMORISE:
Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. Hebrews 12:16

READ: Genesis 25:29-34

29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:

30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

MESSAGE
The original intention and will of God for mankind is that we would maintain our innocence while still exercising our free will to make decisions in total obedience to His word. His desire is for us to make decisions in conscious and deliberate submission to His authority, not out of ignorance but in innocence.

Life involves making decisions at different levels and under various circumstances. To help us navigate our way through life successfully, the Scripture offers us guidance on how we should make decisions, while providing examples of good and bad decisions and their consequences.

Relying on the human knowledge of good and evil motivates people to reason things out and arrive at seemingly good decisions that are based on prevailing culture, level of intelligence and personal preferences, without any serious consideration for obedience to the will of God. The truth is, decision-making is the most vital aspect of life because the quality of a person's decision determines the level of success or failure he or she attains.

The Bible narrates some classical examples of bad decisions made over the ages and their consequences. The most harmful of this is found in Genesis 3:6:

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof…”

This was the decision that got the whole of humanity into trouble, but thank God for Jesus who redeemed us by His Blood. Another example is Esau who chose to sell his birthright for bread and pottage, and he lost it forever. Samson also made bad choices, including his decision to mingle with strange women, which destroyed his life, made him lose his power and caused him to die in the camp of his enemies (Judges 16:1).

Furthermore, in 1 Samuel 13:8-9, King Saul's decision to offer the required burnt offering in the absence of Prophet Samuel made him lose everything. The Lord will restore everything you have lost today in Jesus' Name.

The Bible also contains examples of those who made good decisions. Joseph refused the sexual advances of his master's wife, and God ensured that his dream came to pass (Genesis 39:7-9). In Ruth 1:15-16, against all odds, Ruth decided to stay with Naomi, her mother-in-law, and the God of Israel settled her.

She became the great grandmother of King David, and our Lord Jesus Christ later came out of her lineage. I pray they you will not make the wrong decisions that will change the course of your destiny for evil in the mighty Name of Jesus.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, please help me depend on You for all my decisions in life in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Samuel 1-2, 1 Peter 1:1-12.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 9: THE OLD RUGGED CROSS

1. On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the Dearest and Best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Chorus:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it someday for a crown.

2. Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

3. In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

4.To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me someday to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.