OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

THEME: ARE YOU RESPONSIBLE?

Memorise:

To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately l conferred not with flesh and blood. Galatians 1:16

Read: Acts 9:1-6

9:1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,

9:2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

9:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

9:5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

9:6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

MESSAGE

Salvation is great, but you must ensure you are genuinely saved. After having a definite encounter with the Lord that leads to salvation, there are some signs that will confirm to you that your salvation is genuine. One of these signs is that your emphasis would no longer be on what Jesus can do for you, but what you can do for the Lord. The realisation of how close you were to Hell before God's mercy reached out to save you will birth a heart of gratitude in you the moment you are genuinely saved. You will then feel the urge to serve God wholeheartedly in order to reciprocate His love. Genuine salvation births heartfelt service. If you say you are born again and nothing ever prompts you on the need to work for Jesus, that salvation is questionable. In Acts 9:6, as soon as Saul had an encounter with Jesus on his way to Damascus, he asked the Lord, 'What do you want me to do?" Today, after people say they are saved, they only bombard heaven with their petitions and prayer requests. God will definitely meet your needs, but have you ever said, "Lord, thank You for the salvation of my soul. How can l show my gratitude for Your love? What can I do for the One who loved me and died for me?" If you ask the Lord these questions, He would most probably tell you the same thing He said in Mark 5:19b to the erstwhile mad man of Gadara:
"Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee."

Genuine salvation makes you more responsible and responsive to God. After I was saved, I wanted to know what I could do for Jesus, because God had opened my eyes to see how close I was to Hell, and He made me realise l was now on my way to Heaven. This is why l find it distasteful to hear that some people who have been saved for three years have never witnessed Jesus Christ to anyone. After I was saved, l could not keep it to myself. I was ready to tell all who cared to listen that I was saved. I was also ready to serve. On one of such occasions, one of my ex-students drove by me and saw me carrying a big basket of sawdust on my head, and he screamed in surprise that his lecturer could be doing that in a church at Ebute Metta, Lagos. The location of our church at this time was like a slum. However, that did not change anything about my desire to serve my Saviour and Redeemer. Does the realisation of the great things God has done for you motivate you to go the extra mile for Him in witnessing and giving? How committed are you to the expansion of God's Kingdom on earth? I urge you to become a responsible member of God's Kingdom today.

Action Point:

As a mark of genuine appreciation for your salvation, lead some souls to Jesus today!

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Chronicles 7-8
Ezekiel 36:1-15

HYMN 14: TAKE MY LIFE

1. Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise.


2. Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

3. Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.

4. Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow'r as Thou shalt choose.

5. Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.