Open Heavens Daily Devotional For Today 19th March, 2017
Theme – The Lord’s Seekers
Memorise: “Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.” – Psalm 40:16
Read: Psalm 24:1-6 (KJV)
1 (A Psalm of David.) The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.
Bible in One Year: Deuteronomy 2-3, Galatians 2
MESSAGE
To seek is to diligently search for or pursue after an object or person of value. The greater the value placed on an object or person of interest, the more intense the labour, time and money that will be expended on the search process. God is the Creator of heaven and earth, yet He loves us so much that He gave up His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for sin so that we may have abundant life in this world and spend eternity with Him in heaven. Having done so much for us, His desire is that we all should seek after Him and His kingdom. God has a reward for all those who seek Him with all their heart, but those who ignore Him do so at their own peril. Hebrews 11:6 says,
“…for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
God wants His children to know that seeking after Him and His kingdom is like acquiring a gem of inestimable value; which is why the Lord Jesus Christ in His parables compared the kingdom of God to seeking a treasure (Matthew 13:44-46). In as much as God’s desire is for His people to seek after Him, He also is seeking for those who display genuine interest in fellowshipping with Him (Psalm 14:2, John 4:23). The word of God encourages us to seek the Lord and worship Him always for who He is. He is our Creator, Redeemer, Provider, Healer, the Mighty Warrior and Saviour of the world. We need to show appreciation for His goodness, enduring mercy and great kindness towards us. He is our peace and our shelter in times of trouble. We must seek after God wholeheartedly and with simplicity of heart; we must seek Him continually and without delay. We must also seek Him in holiness and righteousness. Seeking God and His kingdom should be the priority of our lives (Matthew 6:33). When you seek after God, He will offer Himself to you as a gift, just as He did to Abraham (Genesis 15:1). When God gives you Himself as a gift, you have access to everything that belongs to Him, and of course all things in heaven and on earth are His. No wonder the Holy Spirit, speaking to those who seek after God and not men, in 1 Corinthians 3:21b said “all things are yours”. In conclusion, I leave you with the word of a dying father to his son in 1 Chronicles 28:9:
“And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.”
Key Point: Those who seek after God receive God as their reward.
Check Also – Billy Graham’s Daily Devotional
HYMN 2: I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR
1. I Need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.
Chorus:
I need Thee, Oh, I need Thee,
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh bless me now, my Saviour;
I come to Thee.
2. I need Thee every hour;
Stay Thou near by;
Temptations lose their pow’r
When Thou art nigh.
3. I need Thee every hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.
4. I need Thee every hour;
Teach me Thy will,
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfil.
5. I need Thee every hour,
Most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son.