The Word

Theme: Your Fruitfulness Can't be Stopped  Text: Exodus 1:15-22 15  Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one  was  Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah;  16  and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see  them  on the birthstools, if it  is  a son, then you shall kill him; but if it  is  a daughter, then she shall live.”  17  But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.  18  So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”  19  And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women  are  not like the Egyptian women; for they  are  lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”  20  Therefore God dealt well wi...

Theme: The Mark of Victory  Text: Exodus 1:8-14 8  Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.  9  And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel  are  more and mightier than we;  10  come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and  so  go up out of the land.”  11  Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.  12  But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.  13  So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor.  14  And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the fie...

Theme: Divine Increase Text: Exodus 1:1-7 1  Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:  2  Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;  3  Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;  4  Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.  5  All those who were descendants of Jacob were seventy persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). 6  And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation.  7  But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them. The descendants of Jacob found their way into Egypt through Joseph during the time of famine when he was made the prime minister by Pharoah. Seventy of them entered Egypt and were given warm reception. The land of Goshen was given unto them and they were greatly blessed by God.  With time, the early generations va...

Theme: What the Lord Does   Text: Psalm 146:8-10 8  The  Lord  opens  the eyes of  the blind; The  Lord  raises those who are bowed down;  The  Lord  loves the righteous.  9  The  Lord  watches over the strangers;  He relieves the fatherless and widow;  But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.  10  The  Lord  shall reign forever— Your God, O Zion, to all generations.  Praise the  Lord ! We are more able to give account of people by mentioning some things they can or cannot do. However with God, there's nothing He can't do. In this devotion, we'd like to look at things the psalmist mentioned to God's credit.  To the psalmist, God is a healer. He opens the eyes of the blind. Jesus' ministry attested to this. He performed lots of miracles in healing diverse illnesses even raising the dead. Dear beloved, if you're spiritually or physically sick, turn to th...

Theme: Hope in the Lord  Text: Psalm 146:3-5 3  Do not put your trust in princes, Nor  in a son of man, in whom  there is  no help.  4  His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;  In that very day his plans perish.  5  Happy  is he  who  has  the God of Jacob for his help,  whose hope  is  in the  Lord  his God.  We're usually preoccupied by life's issues that we tend to push our attentions on specific people to help us out in certain ways. It's not a bad thing to rely on others to get things done, but it is unwise to put all your hopes in man to help you. The psalmist said, we shouldn't put our hopes in man in whom there's no help. Man is but breath. No man has control over his breath for it comes from the Lord. If the Lord should take it, he/she will perish with his/her dreams. Death brings an end to all our plans, however God is active and alive so we must put our trus...

Theme: None Like Jehovah  Text: Psalm 89:6-7 6  For who in the heavens can be compared to the  Lord ?  Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the  Lord ?  7  God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints,  and to be held in reverence by all those around Him. God is immeasurable and uncomparable in this world and even in the realm of the spirit. In the heavens, earth, the seas and all of creation, there's none like God. No man can compare himself to the Lord. For man is but a clay in the hands of God (the Potter). Take this moment to consider nature and how everything takes its natural shape and form. Not to take you far, just look at yourself in the mirror, take a look at the lines in your palm, hair, teeth, eyes, ears, etc. It's different from the millions of people out there. Consider your finger print differs from others (millions of people in the world). God has really made you unique and that makes Him a...

Theme: Free Gift to All in One Man Text: Romans 5:12-21 12  Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—  13  (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.  14  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.  15  But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.  16  And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many   offenses  r...

Theme: Divine Reconciliation Text: Romans 5:6-11 6  For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  7  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  8  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  9  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.  10  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.  11  And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. The greatest reconciliation that ever happened in history is the reconciliation of a fallen man with His Creator. Through the sins of our early pare...

Theme: Building Your Hope  Text: Romans 5:1-5 5  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  2  through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and  rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  3  And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;  4  and perseverance, character; and character, hope.  5  Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. In our Christian journey here on earth, we need to move by faith and not sight. The faith in us gives us peace from God as we have been reconciled with Him through Christ Jesus. We are therefore confident we will be welcomed into God's glory someday. This expectation is our hope and we need to work at it to lead us to the Lord....

Theme: I Will Praise the Lord  Text: Psalm 135:1-4 135  Praise the  Lord !  Praise the name of the  Lord ;  Praise  Him,  O you servants of the  Lord !  2  You who stand in the house of the  Lord ,  In the courts of the house of our God,  3  Praise the  Lord , for the  Lord   is  good;  Sing praises to His name, for  it is  pleasant.  4  For the  Lord  has chosen Jacob for Himself,  Israel for His special treasure. The Lord's praise must be upon our lips daily. We need to ascribe His praise to Him continually for the great and marvelous works He performs in us. We are the handmaids of the Lord and what He requires of us is to praise Him. The psalmist said, whoever stands in the house of the Lord, should praise God. As we have the Holy Spirit in us, we must even praise Him the more. For the house of God is us. God has been good to...

Theme: Diverse Weights  Text: Proverbs 20:23 23  Diverse weights  are  an abomination to the  Lord ,  and dishonest scales  are  not good. In life, there's the need to have a well balanced life. You must be able to manage every area of your life to please God. You can't keep winning at a field of your life and loosing at another. You need to be victorious in all you do be it spiritual or physical to God's glory.  A life that isn't spiritually and physically balanced is a diverse weight. This life is abominable to the Lord. You can't just focus on the physical neglecting your spiritual needs. Likewise can you not also be spiritual neglecting the physical. If you're a leader who is just being spiritual neglecting the physical needs of your followers, you're not meeting God's standard (James 2:14-17). If you're a husband or wife who doesn't see the need to be responsible in meeting the needs of your family, but only usher them to the Lord, your ...

Theme: The Image of God  Text: Genesis 1:26-31 26  Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  27  So God created man in His  own  image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  28  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”  29  And God said, “See, I have given you every herb  that  yields seed which  is  on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.  30  Also, to every beast of the earth, to every...

Theme: God Holds Your Blessings  Text: Genesis 1:20-25 20  Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”  21  So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that  it was  good.  22  And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”  23  So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.  24  Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth,  each  according to its kind”; and it was so.  25  And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and...

Theme: Your Season Will Not Fail Text: Genesis 1:14-19 14  Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;  15  and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.  16  Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.  He made  the stars also.  17  God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth,  18  and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that  it was  good.  19  So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. To everything in life there's a season. This has only been made possible by the Lord's doing. Knowing there's the need for us to know the times of our lives. God...

Theme: Your Fields Shall Blossom  Text: Genesis 1:6-13 6  Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”  7  Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which  were  under the firmament from the waters which  were  above the firmament; and it was so.  8  And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.  9  Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry  land  appear”; and it was so.  10  And God called the dry  land  Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that  it was  good.  11  Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb  that  yields seed,  and  the fruit tree  that  yields fruit according to ...

Theme: Spiritual Revival  Text: Psalm 119:33-40 33  Teach me, O  Lord , the way of Your statutes,  and I shall keep it  to  the end. 34  Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law;  Indeed, I shall observe it with  my  whole heart.  35  Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,  for I delight in it.   36  Incline my heart to Your testimonies,  and not to covetousness.  37  Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,   and  revive me in Your way.  38  Establish Your word to Your servant,  who  is devoted  to fearing You.  39  Turn away my reproach which I dread,  for Your judgments  are  good.  40  Behold, I long for Your precepts;  Revive me in Your righteousness. Revival is a spiritual awakening and desire to draw near to God and walk in His will. A thirst or hunger to know more o...

Theme: Life After Death  Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 13  But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.  14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.  15  For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive  and  remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  16  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  17  Then we who are alive  and  remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.  18  Therefore comfort one another with these words....

Theme: Love Endlessly  Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 9  But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;  10  and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more;  11  that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,  12  that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and  that  you may lack nothing. In our devotion yesterday, we learnt we must desire to live in purity more and more. We are continuing today with love for others. I love it when the Apostle Paul mentioned it that, concerning brotherly love, he need not write on that for God has already taught the church how to love. Yes, the love of God is demonstrated in Christ Jesus that, while we were still sinners, Chri...

Theme: Live in Purity  Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 4  Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God;  2  for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.  3  For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;  4  that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,  5  not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;  6  that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord  is  the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified.  7  For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.  8  Therefore he who rejects  this  does not reject man, but God, who...

Theme: Avail Yourself to Serve  Text: 2 Kings 22:14-20 14  So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke with her.  15  Then she said to them, “Thus says the  Lord  God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me,  16  “Thus says the  Lord : ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants—all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read—  17  because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched.’ ” ’  18  But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the  Lord , in this manner you shall speak to him, ‘Thus says the...

Theme: Serve in Humility Text: 2 Kings 22:8-13 8  Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the  Lord .” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.  9  So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “Your servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the  Lord .”  10  Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.  11  Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes.  12  Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying,  13  “Go, inquire of the  Lord  for m...

Theme: Serve Faithfully  Text: 2 Kings 22:3-7 3  Now it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah,  that  the king sent Shaphan the scribe, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of the  Lord , saying:  4  “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which has been brought into the house of the  Lord , which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people.  5  And let them deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of the  Lord ; let them give it to those who  are  in the house of the  Lord  doing the work, to repair the damages of the house—   6  to carpenters and builders and masons—and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.  7  However there need be no accounting made with them of the money delivered into their hand, because they deal faithfully.” Yesterday, we studied on how t...

Theme: Serve With Dignity Text: 2 Kings 22:1-2 22  Josiah  was  eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name  was  Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.  2  And he did  what was  right in the sight of the  Lord , and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.  We are called at every stage of our lives to serve God and the people He has entrusted in our care. Don't let the fame and pleasures of others hedge you into doing what everyone is doing when especially it goes contrary to God's will. Josiah was only eight years old when he began to reign but did what was right in the sight of God. Godly counsel is one key thing to shape how we carryout responsibilities when serving. Our standard should not be worldly set but rather it must be set according to God's standard. We can emulate the good deeds of our fathe...

Theme: The Potter's Hand Text: Jeremiah 18:5-6 5  Then the word of the  Lord  came to me, saying:  6  “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the  Lord . “Look, as the clay  is  in the potter’s hand, so  are  you in My hand, O house of Israel!  From the dust of the earth, the Lord God formed man and breathed into him to become a living soul. He is our Potter and He knows how best to mould us. We cannot define our existence in the absence of God. If we try to eliminate the God factor in our lives, we only expose ourselves to danger. Just as the potter does what he pleases with the clay in his hands, likewise must we avail ourselves for the Lord to use us in the manner as He pleases. The Potter's Hand can transform our lives, marriages, children, career, business, education, family, ministry, community and every sphere of our lives if we trust our lives into His care. As clay in the Hands of the Potte...

Theme: God is Great Text: Psalm 95:1-3 95  Oh come, let us sing to the  Lord ! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.  2  Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;  Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.   3  For the  Lord   is  the great God,  and the great King above all gods. Dear beloved in the Lord, it's by the mercies of God we are counted amongst the living. We need to give Him praise at all times. As we begin another working week, our praise must be lifted to His name. When we look upon God's goodness in our lives, all we can do to appreciate them is to come before His presence with thanksgiving. For no other God can perform these great works in our lives without requiring anything from us. Cultivate the habit of singing the Lord's praise daily. Prayer: Unto You alone O Lord is my voice lifted to for Your amazing grace in my life. Thank You for the grace of life, provision of basic necessit...

Theme: God is My Sustainer  Text: Jeremiah 17:14 14  Heal me, O  Lord , and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You  are  my praise. God is the giver of life and He sustains it as well. For man to be whole and complete in life, he needs the presence of God. The prophet Jeremiah cried unto the Lord to heal him and he shall be healed. We also ought to cry out to the Lord to heal us. The healing must manifest in every sphere of our lives. By the help of the Holy Spirit, God is able to heal us from physical pain, bitterness, unforgiveness, anger, pride, hatred, etc that defiles our garment. We need to lay it before God and ask Him to heal us of all those pain and toxins. Our saving grace is solely in Jesus Christ. The sacrifice of bulls and rams will not redeem us from our sins. It's only for a temporal moment. However when the Lamb of God was sacrificed on the cross of calvary, buried and arose on the third day, the glory of God brought heali...

Theme: Benefits of the Word  Text: Jeremiah 15:16 16  Your words were found, and I ate them,  and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;  For I am called by Your name,  O  Lord  God of hosts. Jesus is the spoken Word of God. He has been in the beginning and is even unto this day. In the dispensation of Jeremiah, he had an encounter with the scrolls that contain the knowledge of God. And in studying it he found joy and gladness of heart. Praise be to God, we have the full experience with the Word of God.  When we encounter Jesus in our lives, and we allow Him to be a part of us (eat the Word), we will find divine joy unspeakable. Joy not by possession of earthly items but an inner peace and relieve. Our heart will find solace in the midst of evil and raging storms of life. One that cannot be defined or expressed well by words. You have the identity of God through Christ Jesus, don't give room for the enemy to snatch it fro...

Theme: Deal Bountifully With Me Lord!  Text: Psalm 119:17-19 17  Deal bountifully with Your servant, That  I may live and keep Your word. 18  Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law. 19  I  am  a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me. The favour of God reaches us even in our moments of grieve and despair. Often times, people try to gain earthly attention instead of spiritual attention. As the psalmist said, deal with me bountifully that I may live and keep Your law. The power of God will not allow you to witness falsely the saving grace of God. It will rather equip us to proclaim Christ in words and in deeds.  If we will accept God's ways, He will bless us abundantly. He will bless our going out and coming in as well as every field entitled to us. We need God's eye to be upon us to carry out our responsibilities. When we request of God to open our eyes to the wondrous things from the law, we are asking God...

Theme: The Gate of the Lord  Text: Psalm 118:20-24 20  This is the gate of the  Lord ,  through which the righteous shall enter.  21  I will praise You,  for You have answered me,  and have become my salvation.  22  The stone  which  the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  23  This was the  Lord ’s doing; It  is  marvelous in our eyes.  24  This  is  the day the  Lord  has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Gates usher us into cities, building and places we want to visit. In the Christian world, there is but one gate. This gate is Jesus Christ. When we pass through Jesus (the Gate), His righteousness falls on us making us to have a right standing with God. The yoke of sin and damnation are broken for us to have our liberty in Christ Jesus. When we wholeheartedly come to confess our sins and ask for forgiveness, He forgives us and crowns us with d...