Open Heaven Daily Devotional 12 Feb 2025 

TOPIC:  True Riches

READ: Mark 8:34-37 (KJV)
³⁴ And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

³⁵ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

³⁶ For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

³⁷ Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

MEMORISE
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Matthew 16:26

Open Heaven Daily Devotional 12 Feb 2025 Messasge

Many secret societies promise people riches, power, and other good things in life. If you have been invited to join such a group, I advise you to run because all their promises are lies, and once you join, you will realise that it is a trap of the devil and it is usually almost impossible to leave.

You will also find out that the devil will demand your soul in exchange for the glittering things that were used to lure you in. These things, however, cannot measure up to your soul, as shown in today’s memory verse.

Yes, your friends might already be making more money than you thought possible. They will tell you they are enjoying life and might even call you a fool for not joining them in doing things God does not approve of.

Beloved, I can tell you that they are only pretending as most of them wish they never joined in the first place because the prices they have paid outweigh the benefits they claim to enjoy. Why trade your soul for things that have no eternal value? Only God’s blessings make people rich without adding sorrow, heartache, or trouble.

The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. (Proverbs 10:22)

READ Open Heaven Daily Devotional 11 Feb 2025 – True Freedom

The devil doesn’t give anyone free things. If he gives riches, he will take things that money cannot buy, including children, health, peace of mind, and the destinies of future generations. Like Esau who sold his birthright for a plate of porridge and later lost his true blessings, those who chase after riches from ungodly sources and evil associations become shortchanged eventually. They inherit sorrow at the end of the day.

Our Father’s ultimate desire is to give His children all things richly to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17). He gives His children the power to make wealth, but the condition is that they remember and acknowledge Him in all their ways.

But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. (Deuteronomy 8:18)

Beloved, when you seek God first, He will add every other thing you need to live a successful life (Matthew 6:33). God’s ways of making people rich might not be as fast as many people desire, but His ways are sure, proven, and everlasting.

KEY POINT: Those who chase after riches from ungodly sources and evil associations become shortchanged eventually.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 11-13

HYMNAL In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! – who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand:
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.