Memorise: And there was great joy in that city. Acts 8:8
Read: Genesis 18:1-14
Then the Lord appeared to him by [a]the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.
2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,
3 and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. 4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.”
7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it.
8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
9 Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” So he said, “Here, in the tent.”
10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.)
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and [b]Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”
13 And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’
14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
Bible in one year: Job 5-8, Matthew 13:24-44
AS REVEALED BY PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE IN TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL
1. There is a link between divine visitation and laughter.
2. When God comes visiting, He ensures He leaves behind something to laugh about before He departs. We see this manifested when Phillip the evangelist took the presence of God to Samaria with the preaching of the gospel. The aftermath of this divine visitation was laughter (Acts 8:5-8).
3. Today’s Bible reading also narrates how Abraham invited the presence of God into his tent without even knowing it. Because Abraham was given to hospitability, he was just doing what he knew how to do best. Little did he know that he was entertaining the angels of the Lord! After this visit, he and his wife received something to laugh about.
4. When you visit God in His sanctuary, you go home with what your faith can carry. A divine visitation is more awesome than this.
5. During a divine visitation, the Almighty comes to you with His entourage, loaded with blessings, many of which money cannot buy. If God were to judge Sarah by her faith, she would have received nothing from Him. However, as Sarah’s case shows, when God comes visiting, He has already made up his mind to bless you regardless of the level of your faith.
6. Many things happen when you receive an unexpected divine visitation, one of which is that God accepts your offering.
7. When God was passing by Abraham’s tent, Abraham did not even know that it was God coming his way. Nevertheless, he extended an invitation which activated this life-changing visit, which had been preordained by God Himself. It is therefore no surprise that God readily accepted his invitation and also accepted his offerings of food and drink. I pray that God will today accept your invitation of His presence into your life for salvation, healing, breakthrough, joy and great laughter. I also pray that He will accept the offering of your life to Him in Jesus’ name.
8. When the Shunamitte woman invited Elisha into her home, little did she know that she was attracting a divine visitation into her life (2 Kings 4:8-17). Because God wanted to bless her, He accepted her invitation to abide under her roof through His prophet. As a result of this, the man of God was moved by God to consider that this woman who had been meeting his needs and those of his servant must also have a need of her own to be met. When he asked what he could do for her, she said she needed nothing. Thank God his servant recognized the one need which money could not buy in her life: she had no child and her husband was old. Nine months later, she was carrying her baby.
9. You should learn from this woman’s experience that you need cannot be met unless you realize that you have a need. I pray that the Almighty God will choose your home for His abode today, and this gesture will be a point of contact for meeting your age-long needs in Jesus’ name.
SHORT REFLECTION BY THE LIGHT POINTERS
Just as one word from God can turn things around in a minute, one visit from Him can also change one’s life forever. However, holiness and obedience is required for this visit to be experienced. Manifesting the fruit of the spirit will give us access to this visitation. Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” May God help us to position ourselves rightly for His visit in Jesus name. We pray that may God continually strengthen Pastor E.A Adeboye in Jesus name.
Prayer Point: Father, please visit me today and cause me to laugh in Jesus’ Name.
Hymn
(Tune: There shall be showers of blessing)
We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
Sinners will soon be forgiven
Prodigals will come home soon.
Chorus:
Shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
Rivers in desert now flowing
Halleluyah to our king.
We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
Sickness and sorrow will be gone
Bondage will be forgotten.
We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
The barren will be fruitful soon
Failure will be forgotten.
We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
Poverty will be forgotten
Stagnancy will soon be gone.
We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
To all miracles are given
There shall be celebrations
We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
Many will have testimonies
Of prayers answered fully
We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
One of us will chase a thousand
Two will conquer ten thousands.
We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
Songs of praises we will sing
Halleluyah to our King.
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Joesphine Ehigie
TJ