WEDNESDAY 25TH DECEMBER 2019THEME: THE GREATEST GIFT.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE:  WEDNESDAY 25TH DECEMBER 2019

THEME: THE GREATEST GIFT.

MEMORISE:

For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Colossians 2:9

READ: Luke 2:8-20

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

MESSAGE 

 

The greatest gift a person can give is the gift of himself. If Abraham understood this, he would not have complained to God about not having a child after God had offered Himself to him as a gift, saying in Genesis 15:1b:

 “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”

In like manner, God has offered Himself a gift to all of mankind in the person of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 3:16). As you celebrate His birth today, you need to understand the magnitude of what God has done in sending Him into the world for the salvation of mankind. No wonder He said to the Samaritan woman in John 4:10:

“If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”

If you catch the revelation that Jesus is God Himself wrapped up as a gift just for you, your perspective will change from asking for petty things to desiring more of Him in your life. Having Him in your life is more than enough for you. This is why Colossians 2:10 says:

“And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:”

Those who know who He is and have received Him into their lives know that they need nothing more. Having Jesus in your life grants you access to all the resources of heaven, so what more do you need beyond Him (John 16:15)? To give us a better understanding of this mystery, the Holy Spirit asks us a question we should ponder on in Romans 8:32, saying:

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

It is one thing to be offered a gift, and it is another thing to accept this gift. It is one thing to accept an offered gift, and it is another thing to know the worth and capabilities of that gift. Ultimately, for a person to benefit from the benevolence of a gift, its content has to be unpacked and deployed to meet the needs of its recipient. Have you accepted the Greatest Gift that God can give into your life? Today is a great day to do so if you haven’t. he is standing at the door of your heart waiting to enter in, if only you acknowledge that He loves and cares for you, and that He shed His Blood on the cross of Calvary to cleanse your sins. After acknowledging this, you need to declare it with your mouth and also confess your sins to him. Ask Him to come into your life and reign over you as your personal Lord and Savior. If you have done this, congratulations! You will begin to discover so many things about this Greatest Gift of God as you begin to study about Him through a Bible, and these will propel your life to the zenith. Hallelujah! 

PRAYER POINT:

Father, I thank You for giving me the gift of Yourself in Jesus, and I thank You that I am complete in Him; I therefore confess that lack, sickness and failure have no place in my life.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 26-28

Zechariah 12:10-13:6

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 6: HAVE YOU BEEN TO JESUS FOR THE CLEANSING POWER.

1. Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing pow’r?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

o Refrain:

Are you washed in the blood,

In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?

Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

2. Are you walking daily by the Savior’s side?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

3. When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Will your soul be ready for the mansions bright,

And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?

4. Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,

And be washed in the blood of the Lamb;

There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,

Oh, be washed in the blood of the Lamb!