Topic: Be A Perpetual Worshipper! [Sunday 7, May 2017]
Memorise: Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! – Psalm 107:15
Read: 2 Kings 5:8-17 (KJV)
8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.
16 But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.
17 And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules’ burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD.
Bible in One Year: Deuteronomy 5-6, Jeremiah 27:1-15, Hymn: Sing hymn 14
MESSAGE:
If you try to fathom the vastness of the universe and the precision with which all things work together to maintain a balance, you will appreciate the greatness of our God who created it all. When you then contemplate on the micro details of your place in this universe, and how God is still concerned about “little you”, showering you with His love, goodness, faithfulness, mercy and grace, you will be left with no other option than to forever worship Him. God deserves our worship. Worship should not be something you do for a period and then take a break; it should be something you do for the rest of your life. How consistently have you worshipped God? One Bible character who understood this principle of worship is Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-17). Naaman had a physical burden that defiled all medication until he met with the man of God, Elisha. He was asked to go to the River Jordan and dip in it seven times. He did this, and was cleansed. Thereafter, He returned to thank God with a lot of money, but the man of God turned down his gifts saying, “freely I received, and freely I give to you.” Naaman than requested for some of the soil of the land, so that he could take it back to his homeland and build an altar where he would worship God perpetually. He plainly said to the man of God, “For what your God has done for me, I will serve no other god but your God for the rest of my life.”
For a good number of people, God has done several big things for them, and yet they do not have an altar dedicated to worshipping His majesty in their homes. I am not referring to a physical building, but rather a place consecrated to worshipping God and God alone. Some people say that if only they had several rooms, they would dedicate a corner of your room to worshipping Him. Sometime ago, the only place I could worship God without distraction was in my bathroom. There I could sing and dance to God without anybody watching. I could jump and do whatever I wanted in my bid to worship Him. With the door locked, it would just be God and I. if you desire to worship God in spirit and in truth, start by getting a place where you can do that in your home. Also, fix a time or times when you will do this, so that the manifest presence of God will always come down at such a time. Get your Bible, hymn book, notebook and anything else that can aid your worship and get on with it. Be a perpetual worshipper of God!
Action Point: Worshipping God is one of the few activities we will continue to do in eternity. Ask God for grace to worship Him continuously and acceptably.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.
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