Open Heavens 30 August 2018 Thursday Daily Devotional by Pastor E A Adeboye
Topic: Raise that Weak Person
Memorise: “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.”- Isaiah 35:3
Read: Matthew 25:34-46 (KJV)
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Bible in One Year: Psalm 88-91, Matthew 27:15-44
MESSAGE:
Weakness can be such a terrible thing. A person who is weak is helpless and even sometimes hopeless. People can be weak in several ways; some are weak financially, emotionally, spiritually, academically and so on. People who are weak are not in a state where they can protect or defend themselves. This is why anyone who oppresses the weak is a coward and a bully. As a disciple of Jesus Christ who Himself was a help to the helpless, if a person is financially weak, you should not use that opportunity to cheat him or her. It is disheartening that some employers look for desperate people to employ so that they can pay them far less than the regular applicable wages. Some other people constantly search for people in financial crises so that they can buy off their properties very cheaply. Are you playing with the emotions of the opposite sex because they are emotionally weak? Do you condemn people because they are not as strong as you are spiritually? You need to have a change of heart today.
Believe me honestly, there is no seed sown that will not be reaped. There was a man who was very good at treating people who had broken bones. Whenever someone with a broken bone was rushed to him, because of their desperation, he would charge their family members an extremely high price that would be very difficult to pay. If they complained about the cost, he would get a cutlass and suggest that if they couldn’t afford his charges, he could amputate the victim’s broken limb at a cheaper price. Not desiring the amputation of a member of their family, they would agree to his exorbitant price and pay. Through these means, this man eventually became very rich and had many houses. Down the line, he fell sick and had to spend so much money diagnosing the cause of his ailment. Before long, he started selling his houses in order to afford his medical bills, but the doctors could still not tell what was wrong with him. After he sold his last house, it was discovered that he had cancer, but by this time, it was already too late for him. He died a poor man. Beloved, don’t be deceived into thinking that you can get away with wicked acts. Whatever a man sows, he shall also reap (Galatians 6:7).
No real Christian should ever turn his back on someone who needs help. That is not the nature of our Father. Our Lord Jesus Christ went about doing good, and He was always full of compassion (Acts 10:38). When He met a widow on her way to bury her son, without being asked, he wiped away her tears (Luke 7:12-15). If you claim to be Christ-like, you must also be full of compassion for the weak around you. As seen in our Bible text, helping the weak is synonymous with helping God, because He feels their pains. So ask yourself: are you helping to reduce Jesus’ pain, or are you ignoring Him?
ACTION POINT: Make a list of weak people around you and reach out to them today.
HYMN 15: NEARER MY GOD TO THEE.
1. Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer to Thee!
2. Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
Darkness comes over me, my rest a stone;
Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer to Thee!
3. There let me see the sight, an open Heaven;
All that Thou sendest me, in mercy given;
Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer to Thee!
4. Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise;
So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer to Thee!
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