OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL
DATE: THURSDAY MARCH 21ST 2024
THEME: COMFORT IN SERVICE
MEMORISE:
LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. Psalm 26:8
READ: Jeremiah 29:12-13
12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
MESSAGE
Nowadays, many churches are set up to make the congregants very comfortable; this is fine. However, we must not get carried away such that we prioritize comfort over why we really come to services -to have an encounter with God. Whether there is comfort or discomfort, when you know that God is in a meeting, forget your social status and rush there! Don’t go for Christian programmes to look for comfort; there are no big men in the house of God (James 2:1-9). If you go to church to flaunt your social status, there is something deeply missing in your Christian life.
The first time I went to a Christian programme outside Nigeria was in Kenya around 1975. Our group could not afford a hotel or even travel tickets. We had to pray for God to provide the tickets, and He did. Fortunately, there was a boarding school with dormitories that were made available for free to anybody coming for the programme. I was a university lecturer, and there were so many of us in those dormitories, but I didn’t care; we weren’t there to show off, we went to seek the Lord. Thank God I went through that because I can never forget the experience; that was the first time I saw God’s throne room. I will gladly sleep on the floor to see God’s throne room.
One thing I know about God is that you must search for Him if you want to truly know Him. This is why Isaiah 55:6 says that you should seek Him while He may be found. You have to seek God diligently if you really want to get to know Him. When you are seeking His face concerning something, how comfortable you feel should not be a hindrance.
I remember one time when I had been praying concerning a matter for about two years. I was invited to preach at a meeting, and that was where God answered me. If I had missed that meeting, I might never have heard from God concerning the matter. God shows up when two or three are gathered in His name, so, if you have been seeking Him concerning a matter and He hasn’t shown up, go to a fellowship where people are gathered in His name and remind Him of His promise in Matthew 18:20. After the fellowship, whatever discomfort you may have experienced in seeking Him would be gone, but your encounter with Him will remain forever. Sometimes you may have to choose between getting your miracle and comfort-I hope you choose wisely.
KEY POINT
Don’t miss your miracle because you are looking for comfort.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 1-3
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 11: I’VE FOUND A FRIEND IN JESUS
I’ve found a friend in Jesus,
He’s come to stay with me;
I hear His voice so precious,
His smiling face I see.
o Refrain:O Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Thy love is all our song;
Our Friend so dear and precious
Through all our journey long.
Mid earthly throngs that gather,
I walk with Him alone;
I see and know no other,
And by none else I’m known.
In storms of persecution,
My Friend is ever near,
And sheltered in His bosom,
I rest without a fear.
In daily toils He’s with me,
From early morn till night,
And while in sweet communion,
He makes the burden light.
In twilight’s holy stillness,
How blest the hour we spend,
In sweet converse with Jesus,
My everlasting Friend.
I sink to sleep in Jesus,
Adoring heaven’s grace,
Oft taste His loving visions,
And wake in His embrace.
