Open Heavens Daily Devotional 18th April, 2019
Theme For Open Heavens Daily Devotional 18th April – GRACE IN STAGES.
MEMORISE:
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18
READ: 2 Corinthians 9:8-14
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.
10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
12 For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;
13 Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men;
14 And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.
MESSAGE
Growth and progressive has been central to God’s purpose and and agenda for mankind from the begining of creation. through His declarations in Genensis 1:22 & 2, God coded growth and increase into the fabric of everything He created at the elemental level, such that the propagation and future development of all created things occurs naturally through the process of growth and progressive multiplication. as a vital ingredient nacessary for actualizing God’s purpose and agenda in man’s life, God’s grace also has the capacity to grow and multiply. God’s grace is His unmerrited favor made known through Jesus Christ, and it is expressed in the redemption and full forgiveness of sinners through faith in Him (Titus 2:11-12). at its basic stage, God’s grace offers to all human beings forgiveness, redemption from sin and adoption into God’s family. after enjoying the benefits of this basic stage of grace, God expects every converted person to grow in grace from one level of glory to another. the spiritual development of believers is a growth of grace that can be likened to the growth of infants into adults. Just as every father wants his baby to grow into the full stature of a man or woman, so does our heavenly Father want us to grow into the full stature of Christ (Ephesians 4:13).
In 2 Peter 3:18, the holy Spirit admonishes us to grow in grace and in the knowledege of our Lord Jesus Christ. This establishes the growth of Gods grace in the life of every believe as a rule of Christians living. in Ephesians 4:13, Holy Spirit further tells us that Christian growth must continue until we become perfect in faith and in the knowledge of God, to the measure of the fullness of Christ. Contrary to this expectation, many individuals in the Body of Christ are like sickly plants with very feeble growth, because they are not ready to put in the work or make the sacrifices that are needed to help them grow at the pace that God desires (James 1:25). Lack of spiritual growth in the Body of Christ is also caused by the reduced emphasis on the teaching ministry in churches and a clear departure from the principles and practice of satisfication by Church leaders. The Christian life is not meant to be stagnant; rather, it must be a progressive experience of encounters with God. Through constant Bible study and emphasis on growth in grace, let us daily aim to perfect in our Christian character (2 Peter 1:5-8). Our love for Christ should was stronger and stronger, even as our will becomes subordinate to the will and purpose of God (Acts 21:14).
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please don’t let me remain stagnant; help me to grow daily in You in Jesus’ Name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 17-18 and Jeremiah 20:7-18
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 7: MY HOPE IS BUILT ON NOTHING LESS
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Refrain:
On Christ the solid rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness seems to veil His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
His oath His covenant and blood
Support me in the ‘whelming flood:
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
When the last trumpet’s voice shall sound,
O may I then in him be found.
Clothed in his righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before his throne.
Credit – Pastor E. Adeboye