Topic: Loving Without Getting Tired [Joyce Meyer’s Daily Thursday January 18th, 2018]

Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets free the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous [the upright in heart]. The Lord protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow; But He makes crooked the way of the wicked. — Psalm 146:7-9

God speaks frequently in the Bible of our responsibility to the oppressed, hungry, widows, orphans, fatherless and foreigners. He mentions those who are lonely, neglected, forgotten and devalued. He cares deeply for the oppressed and the hungry.

People can be hungry in many ways. They may have plenty of food to eat but still be starving to feel valuable and loved. God lifts up those who are bowed down with sorrow; He protects the stranger and upholds the fatherless and the widow. How does He do this? He works through people. He needs committed, submitted, dedicated people who live to meet the needs of others.

Mother Teresa once said, “Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.”

I have come to understand that many people we encounter daily are just trying to survive until someone rescues them—and that someone could be you or me. Let’s allow God’s love for the hurting and broken to work through us, meeting the needs of those who are hurting spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Let’s love without getting tired.

Prayer Starter: Holy Spirit, empower me to love without getting tired. Give me Your heart for the hurting and the needy and show me how to meet their needs.

From Joyce Meyer’s Ministries.

Topic: Complete Obedience [DCLM Daily Manna Thursday January 18th, 2018]

Text: Exodus 24:1-11

Key Verse: “And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.” (Exodus 24:3).

One major undoing of King Saul of Israel was his partial obedience to God’s word. He received divine commission through Prophet Samuel to utterly destroy the Amalekites – sparing no man or animal. He complied but not completely. He spared Agag their king and the best of their animals. By this act, he earned God’s judgment and condemnation.

The resolve of the Israelites, from the passage, contrasts sharply with the action of Saul. Here, who had been away on Mount Sinai got back to the people and acquainted them with all the commandments, laws and ordinances from God; and “…all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do”.

Moses thereupon put the laws in writing, read it out to the people and ratified the covenant by sacrifices. The congregation of Israel reiterated their commitment to obey God. The people’s attitude is quite instructive. The implication of their resolve is that every one of them without exemption was prepared to comply with the word of God. Moses had set God’s terms so clearly before them so that they would take an informed decision. As we are privilege to have the whole counsel of God and to be inheritors of the covenant of grace, we should be more committed to obeying every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

When you choose what to obey from the scripture, you become like King Saul and earn God’s disfavour.”…to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22).

Thought For The Day: Partial obedience to God’s word kindles His wrath.

Bible Reading in one Year: Genesis 19-21

DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.