DON’T GAMBLE WITH YOUR LIFE: OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL, 20TH SEPTEMBER 2018

MEMORISE:

The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. Psalm 25:9

READ: Psalm 25:8-14


8 Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.

9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

11 For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.

12 What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.

13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.

14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

MESSAGE:

From the beginning, God’s plan for mankind has been that we should live our lives guided by His counsel and direction in the place of fellowship. When we refuse to consult with God before taking decisions, we end up gambling and fumbling, which more often than not damages a fellow’s destiny irreparably. 

The reality of this truth is visible in the lives of our first parents and Abraham. It would have been a different story completely, if Adam and Eve had told the devil to allow them confirm from God the truth of his counsel. It would have also been a different a different story if the father of faith had consulted with God before consenting to Sarah’s proposal to have a child through Hagar. The world would have been saved the ordeal of the violent tribe which troubles the nations of the world today (Genesis 16:11-12).

You must be divinely guided in your endeavors if you will not fumble. As revealed in today’s memory verse, it takes a heart of meekness to receive God’s guidance. The proud will not seek guidance, and even if the guidance offered freely, the proud will reject it with impunity. For this reason, Proverb 9:8 says:

 “Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.”

Beloved, God can only guide the meek because He does not waste His time with those who despise His counsel, god leaves them alone (Hosea 4:17).

We are told in today’s Bible reading that the secret of the Lord is with them that fear the Him (Psalm 25:14). In other words, the fear of the Lord will also earn us divine guidance, so that we do not gamble with our lives. An example of someone who did not gamble with his life is King David. In 1 Samuel chapter 30, after his camp at Ziklag was raided and he wept with his men for the calamity that had befallen them, David not only encouraged himself in the Lord, he also inquired from Him on the next line of action to take. 1 Samuel 30:8 says:

“And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.”

This assurance from the Lord motivated him to pursue and recover all. This is praiseworthy because he did not allow the emotions of their great loss to push him into taking a gamble by pursuing the raiders without consulting God first. Beloved, I encourage you to begin to entrust your life into god’s hands an never pursue a course of action without first seeking divine counsel about it.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, please guide me in my entire life’s journey, in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ecclesiastes 4-7, Mark 10:35-52

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.