FRIDAY 8TH FEBRUARY 2019 THEME: WEAK VESSELS

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: FRIDAY 8TH FEBRUARY 2019

THEME: WEAK VESSELS  

MEMORISE:

And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith. Judges 15:15

READ: 1 Samuel 17:38-50

38 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.

42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.

43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands.

48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.

MESSAGE

In Daniel 12:4, the Holy Spirit reveals that as the end of the world approaches, knowledge will greatly increase, and indeed, the world has witnessed an unprecedented increase in knowledge, particularly in the last two decades. Knowledge made available through studies in humanities, science and technology has become so advanced that human capacity for discovery, creativity and invention is at its highest level in history. If knowledge is power, then increased knowledge is a weapon that is highly desirable for achieving results and for doing exploits. Consequently, secular and Christian individuals and organizations now favor intellectual knowledge and advanced strategies and methods as the means for achieving success in life and ministry, and place a premium on those who are strong in this area.

However, God in His infinite wisdom seems to prefer the use of weak and ordinary vessels in achieving His divine purpose. Just imagine what He accomplished with ordinary vessels like the aged Abraham, Moses the murderer, Joseph the slave and prisoner, Rehab the harlot, Samson the one-man army, Samuel the little boy, Ruth the poor widow, Esther the orphan in captivity, David the forgotten shepherd boy, Joseph the carpenter, Mary the ordinary village girl, the disciples who were mostly uneducated fishermen, and a host of orders. 1 Corinthians 1: 26-28 affirms that not many wise people from human perspective, not many powerful people, and not many people of noble birth are called of God to accomplish purpose; but rather, God chooses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise, and He uses the weak things to amaze the mighty ones. Are you despised and considered inconsequential in the scheme of things? Does the world see you as weak or foolish? I have good news for you: you are a candidate for God’s use.

Why does God prefer to use weak vessels? It’s because He does not want anyone to boast in His presence (1 Corinthians 1:29). He does not want His mighty deeds attributed to human ability. His awesome feats done through weak vessels are indeed astounding. Today’s memory verse tells how Samson the untrained civilian used the jawbone of a donkey to kill a thousand armed philistine soldiers. 1 Samuel 17:50 records David the shepherd boy’s victory over Goliath with just a sling and a stone. Joshua 6:20 recounts how the wall of Jericho, which would have taken several days of serious work for bulldozers to demolish, fell down flat at the sound of a great noise from God’s people. God wants our faith to stand in Him and not in the wisdom of men. While knowledge is good, only faith in God through Jesus Christ can result in supernatural and malicious advancements.

KEY POINT:

God only uses vessels He can fill. Are you full of your own wisdom?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  John 1-2

Isaiah 35:1-36:3

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 4: TAKE MY LIFE, AND LET IT BE

1.Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise,
Let them flow in endless praise.

2.Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

3.Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.

4. Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose,
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

5. Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.