MEMORISE:
"And he said unto them, Take heed and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesses." - (Luke 12:15)
READ: Deuteronomy 8:11-20 (KJV)
11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:
12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;
13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;
14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;
16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;
17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.
18 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.
19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.
20 As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.
MESSAGE:
If I were to ask you, "Which do you consider more important - the blessing or the Blesser?" you are likely to say it is the Blesser. However, there are millions of self-professing Christians around the world today who prioritise God's blessings above the One who blessed them in the first place. When you begin to choose your job over God, you are prioritising the blessing over the Blesser. I want you to do an honest check within yourself now: which one have you been prioritising - the blessing or the Blesser?
The unfortunate thing about prioritising the blessing over the Blesser is that the Blesser can withdraw His blessings at any time. In (1 Samuel 16:1), God told Samuel to stop pleading on Saul's behalf because He had given the throne to someone else. In Genesis 48:20, we see how Jacob blessed Ephraim above his older brother Manasseh. Ephraim eventually became ten times more successful than his brother (Deuteronomy 33:17). However, when success came, Ephraim forgot God (Psalm 78:9-11). God kept sending prophets to Ephraim, but he refused to listen to the Blesser. After some time, God said, "Let him alone" (Hosea 4:17). By the time we get to Hosea 5:9, God said that Ephraim would be desolate. Ephraim lost his blessings because he prioritised them above the Blesser. When success comes, don't forget God because He has the power to give and to take away.
When I became General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, I decided by faith that God would feed everyone that came for our annual convention. One of the young men who was a baker said he would provide the bread for breakfast. He later on changed his mind and decided not to supply us with bread as he had promised because he didn't like a message I preached. God however, sent help to us and we were able to purchase the bread we required. Years later, my baker friend appeared at my house very early one morning. I said, "What can I do for you? You came very early". He said he would have come earlier but one of his tires got flat and he didn't have a spare. This was a man who used to have numerous cars; now, he didn't even have a spare tire because he placed the blessing above the Blesser.
Beloved, focus on the Blesser and not the blessing.
KEY POINT:
God is more important than all the riches, great positions and blessings of the world. Never forget that.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: EZEKIEL 5-8
AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE
HYMNAL: 18 - PRAISE TO THE LORD, THE ALMIGHTY, THE KING OF CREATION
1. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation;
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation;
Join the great throng,
Psaltery, organ, and song,
Sounding in glad adoration.
2. Praise to the Lord, over all things he gloriously reigneth:
Borne as on eagle-wings, safely his saints he sustaineth.
Hast thou not seen,
How all thou needest hath been,
Granted in what he ordaineth?
3. Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy way and defend thee;
Surely his goodness and mercy shall ever attend thee;
Ponder anew,
What the Almighty can do,
Who with his love doth befriend thee.
4. Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath breath join with Abraham's seed to adore Him!
Let the Amen
Sum all our praises again,
Now as we worship before Him.