BEYOND THE MESSENGER: OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 9TH SEPTEMBER 2018

MEMORISE:


And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great. Luke 9:48

READ: Matthew 13:54-58

54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

MESSAGE:

Many times, we miss messages from God and the miracles that accompany them because we fail to look beyond the person that the Lord is working through. To experience the fullness of God, a wise child of God will give heed to the words of 2 Chronicles 20:20, which says:

“……Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.”

Interestingly, it was a king, and not a prophet who gave this message. How beautiful this world would be if our rulers admit, like King Nebuchadnezzar did, that the most High rule in the Kingdom of men, and He gives it to whomsoever he chooses (Daniel 4:25-34).

In today’s memory verse, our Lord Jesus Christ said that if we receive even a child in His Name, we have received Him, and if we receive Him, we have received Him, we have received His Father who sent Him. Regardless of the age or status of a preacher, if you receive him or her in the Name of the Lord, whatever word the Lord has sent through that person will work for you.

Naaman would have lost his miracle if he had not looked beyond the fact that the Prophet Elisha did not receive him personally, or the dirty River Jordan he was instructed to dip in (2 Kings 5:9-14). The story of the born blind in John chapter 9also teaches us a great lesson.

This young man believed that Jesus came from God because God performed a miracle in his life through Him, and even though the Jews maligned Jesus Christ as a sinner, he refused to believe them (John 9:24-25). Because Jesus Christ grew up in their midst as brethren and countrymen, the citizens of Nazareth failed to see Him as anything more than the son of Joseph the carpenter, and for this reason, most of them missed their miracles. Matthew 13:58 says:

 “And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”

In order to help the people of His time to receive their blessings, Jesus often had to encourage them to look into the scriptures to confirm that what He was saying about Himself was true, and sometimes, He performed miracle to show that He was the Messiah (Luke 4:17-21, Luke 7:19-22).

However, most of the people of His time could not look beyond His humanity. Beloved, I encourage you to search the scriptures to ascertain the authenticity of any message and its messenger. Looking beyond the messenger and seeing God behind them will help your faith in the infallible word of God.

ACTION POINT:


Like the Jews in Berea (Acts 17:10-11), begin to search the scriptures to confirm whatever a preacher says. If it tallies with the Scripture, believe and act on it for your own good.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 144-150, Mark 5:1-24

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 4:  TRUST AND OBEY.

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.

o Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

4. 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.

5. 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.