Memorise: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou came forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Jeremiah 1:5
Read: Jeremiah 1:1-10
1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,
2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month. The Prophet Is Called
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified[a] you; I [b]ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then said I: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
7 But the Lord said to me:“Do not say, ‘I am a youth, ’For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.
9 Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
10 See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.”
Bible in one year: Isaiah 54-57, Luke 5:17-39
AS REVEALED BY PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE IN TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL
1. The Almighty is a God of plan and purpose. By His wisdom, He preordained events and occurrences right from the beginning of creation to the end of time in eternity.
2. From His words to Jeremiah in today’s Bible reading, we understand that the purpose for which a person is born is hidden in His divine will. It is reassuring to know that irrespective of human objections or the devil’s opposition, the thoughts of God and His predestined plans for things shall come to pass (Isaiah 14:27).
3. It is also humbling to note that whatever God has purposed to do in any circumstance will surely be accomplished with or without us.
4. Let me share a strange occurrence that happened to me as I was growing up in my small village, Ifewara, in Southern Nigeria. I once saw a prophet and laughed at him. As I laughed, the prophet turned to me and said, “Keep laughing at me, but one day you also will be a prophet.” I laughed the more and sarcastically said, “Not just a prophet, but indeed a prayer warrior.” Obviously, this prophet saw a glimpse of what God had in store for me, but I was completely ignorant of it. I pray that the power of God will bring the purpose for which you were born to pass, even in the face of opposition in Jesus’ Name.
5. No one can successfully thwart God’s efforts or frustrate His purpose, especially with respect to predestination. Ephesians 1:11 says: “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:” In light of this scripture, when you cooperate with God in agreement with His divine purpose, you will experience unprecedented success, but when you choose to work against His purpose, the result is bound to be failure.
6. I once told my children that all human beings are only playing their predefined roles in the script written by God before the creation of the world. It is only sensible for wise actors to diligently study the script to properly interpret their roles and memorize their lines, so that their performance will run smoothly in sync with other players and in accordance with the overall purpose of the production. In this regard, Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
7. This means that irrespective of what you are passing through in life, the most important thing is to ensure that your life is in agreement with God’s purpose as revealed in His word. After you do this, you can sit back and watch God crown your efforts in life with success.
8. In order to give you an expected end, He will work everything out in line with His predetermined purpose.
9. What a glorious God we serve! Hallelujah!
SHORT REFLECTION BY THE LIGHT POINTERS
Many believers have missed the purpose of God for their lives. Some other category of believers don’t even know they have a purpose talkless of knowing what their purpose is. A life well spent is simply interpreted as a life of purpose. It means full manifestation of God’s purpose for one’s life. I pray the Lord will help us to fulfill our purpose in life in Jesus name. May God continually strengthen Pastor E.A Adeboye in Jesus name.
Prayer Point: Father, please grant me grace to fulfill Your purpose for my life in Jesus’ Name.
Hymn
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His word,
What a glory He shed on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Chorus:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.
But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
Then in fellowship we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey
RECENT COMMENTS
Joesphine Ehigie
TJ