Open Heaven Daily Devotional August 6, 2022
TOPIC: Set In Your Ways?
MEMORISE:
“For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare l unto you.”
(Acts 17:23)
READ: Acts 10:9-20 (KJV)
Open Heaven Daily Devotional August 6, 2022 | MESSAGE:
God can move in different ways so we cannot put Him in a box. He can also change His mind once in a while when certain conditions are met. In Matthew 15:22-28, a gentile woman came to meet Him asking for healing for her daughter and He ignored her because she was not a Jew. This woman persisted and met the condition of faith. Jesus changed His mind and healed her daughter, by virtue of her faith.
In John 4:7-30, the Lord Jesus met a Samaritan woman and decided to talk to her about salvation. In those days the Jews considered Samaritans unclean and had no dealings with them, but here was Jesus Christ Himself preaching to a Samaritan woman. The Samaritan woman became an evangelist, bringing people to meet with Jesus Christ.
God could change the way He does things while leaving the end goal constant. It is, however, surprising that many Christians are set in their ways. When you are set in your ways, you limit how much God can use you. The Redeemed Christian Church of God is where it is today because we refused to be set in our ways. When I decided to introduce musical instruments in the early days of the Church, some of the elders were opposed to it, but I showed them Psalm 150:3-5, where musical instruments were used to praise God in the Scriptures, and they yielded.
READ: Anglican Daily Fountain Devotional August 6, 2022 – keep Eternal Life in Mind
Later on, we decided to start model parishes where people who want more comfortable Church environments can worship. In every country of the world that we get to, we don’t insist on doing things the same way we do in Nigeria. For example, the Holy Ghost Service is called the Festival of Life in many other countries because they are afraid of the word ‘Ghost’. Thus we have been able to reach millions more people for Christ.
Once the goal is carefully spelt out, don’t be rigid in the way it is achieved as long as you are not going against the will of God. Paul saw the people worshipping an unknown God; he did not say “Throw this god away and I will introduce you to another”; rather, he said “I want to help you to know this unknown God”. It was the same goal of winning souls, but with different methods.
KEY POINT:
When you are set in your ways, you limit how much God can use you.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Ecclesiastes 9 – Song 2
