DATE: THURSDAY 5TH JULY 2018: WEARY IN WELL-DOING? MEMORISE:

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: THURSDAY 5TH JULY 2018
THEME: WEARY IN WELL-DOING?
MEMORISE:
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in
due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Galatians 6:9
READ: 1 Kings 19:9-18
9 And he came thither unto a cave, and
lodged there; and, behold, the word of the
LORD came to him, and he said unto him,
What doest thou here, Elijah?
10 And he said, I have been very jealous for
the LORD God of hosts: for the children of
Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown
down thine altars, and slain thy prophets
with the sword; and I, even I only, am left;
and they seek my life, to take it away.
11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon
the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the
LORD passed by, and a great and strong
wind rent the mountains, and brake in
pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the
LORD was not in the wind: and after the
wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not
in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the
LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a
still small voice.
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it that
he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went
out, and stood in the entering in of the cave.
And, behold, there came a voice unto him,
and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
14 And he said, I have been very jealous for
the LORD God of hosts: because the children
of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown
down thine altars, and slain thy prophets
with the sword; and I, even I only, am left;
and they seek my life, to take it away.
15 And the LORD said unto him, Go, return
on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus:
and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be
king over Syria:
16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou
anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the
son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou
anoint to be prophet in thy room.
17 And it shall come to pass, that him that
escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay:
and him that escapeth from the sword of
Jehu shall Elisha slay.
18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in
Israel, all the knees which have not bowed
unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not
kissed him.
MESSAGE
If good works always yield a good reward,
why is the Holy Spirit encouraging us in
today's memory verse not be weary of
doing good, and what does it really mean to
do good? We will be reflecting on these
questions today. Good works can be
described as those activities that you are
specially endowed by God to do for the
betterment of others in obedience to His
word. Several factors may discourage or
hinder a child of God from continuing to do
the good works that he or she is
empowered to do. Such factors may arise
from the fact that good works sometimes
attract envy, opposition or persecution from
others. Despite the huge investment of time
and resources, good works may be
misunderstood, may go unappreciated or
even be misinterpreted as eye service. In
John 3:19, the Lord Jesus Christ revealed the
reason why good works may be
antagonised by some, saying:
“*_And this is the condemnation, that light is
come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their
deeds were evil._*”
Just as darkness despises the revealing
power of light, so do evil people detest the
testimony of good works, because it
exposes their inadequacies. For this reason,
they usually respond to good works with
hatred and persecution. Consequently, the
Bible admonishes us to endure in the face of
opposition or persecution of our good
works, and ensure that we continue in well
doing.
Are you weary from the opposition you have
faced in spite of your good works? You can
learn one or two lessons from Elijah. The
Lord performed several great exploits and
good works through Elijah, including great
miracles of healing, provision and raising of
the dead. The Lord also used him to
singlehandedly destroy 400 prophets of Baal
in a contest, ignite the fire of revival in the
hearts of men and call down rain after three
years of drought (1 Kings 17 & 18).
However, soon after accomplishing these
exploits, Elijah experienced the worst
discouragement of his life when Jezebel
threatened to kill him (1 Kings 19:1-4). He
was so discouraged that it took God's
assurance and encouragement for him to
continue his life's journey. Similar attacks
and discouragement can come against us
from within the Church. Apostle Paul himself
experienced this (2 Corinthians 7:5, 2
Timothy 3:10-11). Since persecution and
discouragement can come from anywhere,
endurance is a necessary component of the
Christian life. I therefore pray that no matter
what you are passing through right now,
the Almighty God will support, encourage
and see you through those challenges in
Jesus' Name. You need strength and
courage to endure hardness as a good
soldier of Christ. I pray that God will grant
you these in Jesus' Name.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please give me the grace to faithfully
carry my cross as I follow after Your Son in
Jesus’ Name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Chronicles 1-4, Acts 22:12-29
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 10: MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE
1. My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Saviour divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my guilt away,
Oh, let me from this day
Be wholly Thine!
2. May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me,
Oh, may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire!
3. While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside.
4. When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold, sullen stream
Shall o’er me roll;
Blest Saviour, then in love,
Fear and distrust remove;
Oh, bear me safe above,
A ransomed soul!