Your Refreshing Daily Devotional

Our team had ministers’ conference cum restoration seminar at Akinima, Rivers State, Nigeria sometime in July this year. Before the flag off of the meeting, it was suggested that we should pay a courtesy call on the paramount ruler. On our way, I asked for guidance as to the proper conduct in the palace as custom may demand. That was born out of an experience I had in the palace of a traditional ruler in Mubi, Adamawa State some years ago. Palace etiquette at that place demanded that we remain seated and clap our hands when the king approached.

Purity of heart or motive is one of the conditions to stand before God…Coming to God behooves you to know that He exists and that He can hear and reward those who serve Him.

Now, if earthly kings have ways of approaching them, it should not be considered strange if the King of kings also has guidelines for those who must come to Him.  Thanksgiving is a requirement. “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Psalms 100:4 NKJV. By this, murmurers have effectively cut themselves off from God’s presence. Next is purity of motive. Psalm 24:3-4 states: “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.” Purity of heart or motive is one of the conditions to stand before God. Finally, faith is required to walk with God or obtain from Him. Our text lays it bare. Coming to God behooves you to know that He exists and that He can hear and reward those who serve Him.

When you hear people say, “Your attitude will determine your altitude”, it is not just a rhyme.  Attitude has been linked to the past, present, and future. Speaking on attitude, John Maxwell said, “It is the librarian of our past. It is the speaker of our present. It is the prophet of our future.” Too frequently, people scout around for someone who would give them a prophecy or speak into their future. As good as that seems, nothing prophesied on you will make any significant difference with a poor attitude. From a person’s attitude you can fairly predict their future. Great, positive attitude will lead to great future; a negative one will ruin the best of chances.

…nothing prophesied on you will make any significant difference with a poor attitude…Great, positive attitude will lead to great future; a negative one will ruin the best of chances…We all need an open heart so that the Spirit of God can show us where we need attitude change.

An important lesson about attitude is that it never stays static. It can be poor, fair, good, or great. The good thing, however, is that wherever we might be today on attitude scale, we can choose to work on it. The latter end of Joseph is usually painted in glowing words. However, he had to undergo a restructuring in his attitude. You can hear a note of pride when he declared his dreams to his brothers and fathers. He seemed quite enthused with the idea of his brothers, father, and mother bowing to his sheaves and stars. The hunt that his brothers launch after him may not be unconnected to his cockiness. After years of process under God, it was a different Joseph who stood before Pharaoh. He clearly said that the answer that Pharaoh was looking for was not in him, praying that God would give the king an answer of peace. By the time he became a ruler, he had imbibed the attitude of humility. We all need an open heart so that the Spirit of God can show us where we need attitude change.

The parable in Judges Chapter 9 is a classic lesson on purpose. It is designed to teach us how to jealously focus on our calling and avoid all distractions no matter how well packaged. The setting of the parable showed how the trees went on a mission to anoint a king over them. Their first port of call was first the Olive, but it refused because it found satisfaction in its product being used in honour of God and man. Next to be approached was the fig which was also jealous of its sweetness and would not want to abandon that. The invitation was then given to the vine. On its part, the vine spoke of its wine that brings cheer to God and man and subsequently turned down the offer.

…not all opportunities should be accepted, and not all open doors are to be explored. When an opportunity presents itself, assess it in the light of what God has purposed for you…Distracted people don’t accomplish much.

The first thing to take to heart is that not all that glitters is gold. On the surface, the invitation given to these trees was an opportunity. Who would not want to be a king with all the attendant honour! However, these trees realized that becoming king would take them away from the core of what God created them to do. To accede to the request would mean moving from significance to irrelevance; therefore, they rejected the offer immediately. The moral of this parable is that not all opportunities should be accepted, and not all open doors are to be explored. When an opportunity presents itself, assess it in the light of what God has purposed for you. What has God called you to do? Will that opening enhance your essence and calling or stand as an obstacle? Go only for the openings that will add up one way or another in the overall plan of God for your life. Distracted people don’t accomplish much.

In 2010, 50 Cent was 35 years of age. At that time, he had a body build like that of a heavyweight boxer with imposing ultra-muscular physique. He gave all that up for one mission – a movie role in THINGS FALL APART. That role required that he portrayed himself as a promising college football player diagnosed with cancer. Subjecting himself to an extreme 9-week transformation, the rapper shed about 55 pounds or 25 kg. He shrank from 214 pounds to a skeletal 160 pounds. He achieved this feat by adopting a strict liquid-only diet which he combined with three-hour daily treadmill sessions. The result made him look like a real patient.

We trade off something for something else considered of a greater value…Whenever you have a great goal set, find out what price you need to pay to attain it. A goal without the accompanying sacrifice is nothing but a daydream.

Though the movie did not enjoy the huge success he had sacrificed enormously for, it leaves us with one undeniable lesson. When people have a compelling mission, they are willing to go for the broke to achieve it. This underlies a primary principle of the kingdom of God – losing to gain. We trade off something for something else considered of a greater value. Jesus told a number of parables to illustrate realities of the Kingdom, some of which buttressed the underlying sacrifices required of us. ““Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” Matthew 13:44 NKJV. Whenever you have a great goal set, find out what price you need to pay to attain it. A goal without the accompanying sacrifice is nothing but a daydream.

The writer of the hymn WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS noted that believers forfeit their peace because they neglect to carry everything to the Lord in prayer. If there is any mistake close to that it would be refusal to take God’s word at its face value. Take for instance our text. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things. Most believers have reduced the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit to the Bible alone, whereas what was promised is all-round instruction. The Holy Spirit is as divine as Jesus and the Father. So He has comprehensive knowledge of all things and can be of help if we call on Him. I remember a couple of awkward moments that I needed to cry out. First one was when everybody in our house travelled. I found myself struggling to do routine things that I wasn’t used to. I struggled to open a lock for so long until I, in my frustration, asked the Holy Spirit to help me. Second time was when I was to embark on international trip and could not locate my passport. When I called on the Holy Spirit, my eyes were opened to where it was.

It is one thing to know what ought to be done, but it is quite another to know how to go about it successfully…If we company with the Holy Spirit, there is no reason to be stranded in life.

We are often confronted with different challenges in life. However, there is not a single moment that we are left to wander alone. “I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, desolate, bereaved, forlorn, helpless]; I will come [back] to you.” (John14:18 AMPC). It is one thing to know what ought to be done, but it is quite another to know how to go about it successfully. To win in life, we all must subscribe to the instruction of the Holy Spirit who is the Chief Coach. Apart from teaching us and reminding us all things, the duties of the Holy Spirit also include guiding believers into all truth. If we company with the Holy Spirit, there is no reason to be stranded in life.

An eight-year old boy had a dream which he relayed to his father. He saw Jesus coming down from heaven to earth. Upon landing, the earth turned into heaven! There are so many things to unpack from this boy’s dream. Firstly, it reiterates the words of the angels on the day in which Jesus went to heaven. “And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:10-11 NKJV

If believers will be like Jesus upon His return, there is no reason to doubt the possibility of the earth being like heaven…The thought of Jesus returning to earth is a clarion call for sinners to repent, but it should be the greatest source of hope for the believers.

Secondly, the dream also validates the great transition that is clearly prophesied in the Bible. John wrote that when Jesus returns we shall be like Him. If believers will be like Jesus upon His return, there is no reason to doubt the possibility of the earth being like heaven. Jesus taught us to pray for the arrival of the kingdom and that the will of God be done on earth as it is in heaven. Once His will is done here, the earth invariably will become a replica of heaven as God intended from the beginning. In our text, we see New Jerusalem made from heaven descending to the earth. The sinners and all the wicked ones will have no part in God’s new earth. It shall be the heritage of the saints forever. The thought of Jesus returning to earth is a clarion call for sinners to repent, but it should be the greatest source of hope for the believers.