DCLM Daily Manna 21 April 2024 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Shining As Stars

TOPIC: Shining As Stars (DCLM Daily Manna 21 April 2024)

KEY VERSE: “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:3).

TEXT: Daniel 12:1-3 (KJV)

1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

MESSAGE:

In a piece contributed by Sermon Central on the Tale of the Star, it is stated that Eusebius, a scholarly church historian of the early fourth century, evidently made a considerable study of the literature available to him and came to this conclusion about the star: “The star was new and a stranger among the usual lights of heaven, a strange star, not one of the many known stars, but being new and fresh.” Although the tale refers to the star that announced the birth of our Saviour, it also illustrates God’s glory that will be bestowed on faithful believers at the end of life.

Just as stars shine brightest in the darkest of nights, so are the beauties and the qualities of the Christian life best revealed in their darkest moments. Human history is full of many such scenes. During the Holocaust, there were many kind-hearted Christians who at the risk of their lives, helped to rescue and hide scores of Jews until they were brought to safety. Some even paid the ultimate price while trying to help others.

Our passage projects into the coming glory for believers after labouring here and standing faithfully to the end. While we await this glorious culmination, hard times and intense opposition will come but we must remain resolute and resilient in our faith as we continue to demonstrate the love of God to people around us.

We must not allow present-day hardships and difficulties to shut our mouths from preaching the gospel or weaken our hands from doing good to others. We need also to support gospel campaign efforts through prayer and financial contributions. This is the secret of the wisdom and shining as stars that our passage teaches today. Are you ready to pay the price to shine as stars?

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Labour faithfully to shine as stars.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Psalms 110-118

Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.

DCLM Daily Manna 20 April 2024 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — A Day Like No Other

TOPIC: A Day Like No Other (DCLM Daily Manna 20 April 2024)

KEY VERSE: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Revelation 20:12).

TEXT: Revelation 20:11-15 (KJV)

11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

MESSAGE:

In a sermon on “The Signs of Divine Judgment” preached recently, Pastor Matthew Kratz narrates the following story that sounds the alarm on the inescapable approaching day of judgment: ”A Scottish lawyer was a wicked man. Once, he hired a horse and, either through accident or ill-usage, killed the animal. Naturally, the owner insisted on being paid its value, together with some compensation for the loss of its use. The man of law acknowledged his liability and said he was perfectly willing to pay, but at the moment he was a little straightened for ready cash. Would the hirer of the animal accept a promissory note? “Certainly,” he said.

The lawyer further said that he must be allowed a long date. “You can fix your own time,” said the creditor. The wicked man then drew the note, making it payable at the Day of Judgment. Eventually, the creditor took the matter to court, and there, in defence, the lawyer asked the judge to look at the note. He did so, and then replied, “The promissory note is perfectly good sir and as this is day of judgment, I decree that you pay tomorrow.”

The inescapable day of final judgment for mankind is emphasised in the passage today. We are confronted with the reality that everyone that has ever lived on earth will that day come to stand before the judgment seat of God and would be judged based on the way they lived on earth. Only those whose names are in the book of life would be spared this judgment. There will be no room for any excuse or appeal against the judgment and no chance for reprieve. All your actions and secrets will be brought into light.

Note that the opinions of men or noise of false preachers cannot alter the unchangeable decree of heaven. The day of judgment will definitely come and only those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour here will escape the judgment.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Salvation procures escape from the coming judgment.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Psalms 107-109

Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.

DCLM Daily Manna 19 April 2024 Devotional by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — No Cross, No Christianity

TOPIC: No Cross, No Christianity (DCLM Daily Manna 19 April 2024)

KEY VERSE: “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).

TEXT: Luke 14:25-35 (KJV)

25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,

26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,

30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?

32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

34 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

MESSAGE:

On March 14, 1984, The Washington Post reported a war of crosses in Poland. The incident occurred before the collapse of communism. The government of Poland issued an order that all crucifixes be removed from classroom walls just as they had been banned in factories, hospitals and other public institutions. This precipitated a series of protests involving thousands of students who marched with crucifixes held high for Morning Prayer to support the protest. The priest who delivered the message to the weeping congregation that morning said, “There is no Poland without a cross.”

From the passage before us, Jesus told the multitudes of the importance of cross-bearing in Christianity. In a surprising sermon, He told the multitude that cross-bearing is required as part of the conditions for following Him. Required also is the need to ‘hate’ father, mother, wife, children and brethren and their lives before they can effectively follow Him. He told his audience to count the cost before signing up as His disciples. It was a very steep requirement.

Christ was not teaching filial irresponsibility or rebellion against parental authority here. The emphasis is to set Him ahead of everything while we take up the cross and follow Him. The Jews knew what the cross represented. It was the obnoxious means of capital punishment on condemned persons. They knew that bearing the cross meant death. And in the case of Christian disciples, dying to self and the world.

There is no Christianity without the cross. The cross represents sacrifice, pain, persecution, shame and death. Take up your cross daily and follow Him. This is the essence of true Christianity.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The cross is not for decoration but a symbol of crucifixion.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Psalms 105-106

Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.

DCLM Daily Manna 18 April 2024 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Keep Trusting Him

TOPIC: Keep Trusting Him (DCLM Daily Manna 18 April 2024)

KEY VERSE: “And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah” (Exodus 15:23).

TEXT: Exodus 15:22-27 (KJV)

22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.

23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.

24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

25 And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.

27 And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.

MESSAGE:

There’s a great story about Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Russian writer who spent years in a cold Siberian prison during the USSR era. At one point, he had become entirely discouraged and decided to give up and die. He planned to stop working out in the field, lean on his shovel and wait for the guards to come and beat him to death. However, when he stopped, another prisoner reached over with his shovel and quickly drew a cross at his feet, then erased it before a guard could see it. Solzhenitsyn later said that his entire being was energised by that little reminder of our hope and courage in Christ.

In our text, the Israelites had just finished celebrating a great deliverance from Egyptian bondage and the unforgettable miracle of crossing the Red Sea. Then, another crisis occurred. They had no water to drink. When they finally found water at Marah, the waters were bitter. Amid the complaints, Moses prayed to God, who showed him a tree, which, after casting it into the waters, they were made sweet. In a swift change of fate, Israel came to Elim, where they had 12 wells of water and 70 palm trees.

Putting together the chain of events from when the Israelites left Egypt’s borders on their way to the Promised Land, we find a mixed experience. It was not a smooth ride at all. Sometimes, they encountered challenges, complained and murmured. Deliverance eventually came; then they sang and rejoiced. The wilderness was a great test of their faith and on many occasions, they failed that test.

Life is made up of opposites. When passing through those unalterable vicissitudes, we tend to find someone to blame for our calamities – our church leaders, family members and friends, the government or God. We often forget the one most important thing – prayers. Praying rests our weary hearts and restores our hope in God.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Stop complaining; look up and go forward.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Psalms 101-104

Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.