Open Heavens Daily Devotional For Monday, 23rd January, 2017

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE : MONDAY 23 JANUARY 2017

THEME : AFTER SOWING DON’T SLEEP

Memorise:

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: Isaiah 55:10

Read: Genesis 15:5-18

5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
7 And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

8 And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.

11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.

13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.

18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

Message

When our Lord Jesus Christ walked the earth, in several of His parables, He used the principles of farming to teach His disciples about how God’s Kingdom operates. It is therefore important for us to apply the knowledge of farming principles in our quest to obtain a good harvest from God’s Kingdom. Isaiah 55:10 gives us some insight in this regard.

“For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:”

From this verse of Scripture, we understand that God is the one who gives seed to the sower. He gives you seed, and He expects you to sow it. Never eat your seed! Even physical seeds usually taste bitter or unpalatable to the taste but because they were not designed to be eaten in the first place. May God give you the grace to sow all the seeds you need to sow in order to generate your desired harvests!

Besides giving the sower seed, God also gives the eater bread. There is food for the eater and seed for the sower. After sowing, God expects you to water the seed. Don’t go to sleep after sowing your seed – get ready for some really hard work. As a farmer’s son, I can tell you a few things about farming. Before you can even sow, you have to clear the ground and build heaps. After sowing, you have to do some weeding. As your seed is germinating, weeds will begin to grow alongside; you have to get rid of these. While it may be easy to sow, it is not easy to weed. One fellow can sow on a vast expanse of land, but it will be very difficult for the same fellow to clear that land all by himself. To obtain a quality harvest, God expects you to fellow sound farming principles. Learn from the farmer! Not every harvest is meant for the stomach. Some must be kept aside for the next planting season. After you have sown your seed, water it with prayer, fasting and thanksgiving. After Abraham offered a sacrifice to God, he did not go to sleep. He stood there watching, waiting for God to receive it. While he waited, he saw some birds descending on his sacrifice in order to destroy it. He drove them away and thereafter the fire fell. You can weed your spiritual farm after sowing seeds by living righteously before God. The devil will come craftily to introduce tares of sin into your life so as to destroy your harvest. Hence, after sowing, you must remain holy, prayerful, thankful and completely obedient in order to enter into your harvest.

Key Point:

If you sleep after sowing a seed, your harvest may be a disappointment. Watch over your seed prayerfully.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Mark 15-16 and Isaiah 19:16-20:6

AUTHOR: Pst E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 10: THERE SHALL BE SHOWER OF BLESSING

1. There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

[Chorus]
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

2. There shall be showers of blessing--
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

[Chorus]

3. There shall be showers of blessing:
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing;
Come, and now honor Thy Word.

[Chorus]

4. There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we're confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!

[Chorus]