DCLM Daily Manna 18 December 2021 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Half-Hearted Change

TOPIC: Half-Hearted Change

TEXT: 2 Kings 3:1-10 (KJV)

1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.

2 And he wrought evil in the sight of the Lord; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.

3 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.

4 And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool.

5 But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

6 And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel.

7 And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.

8 And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.

9 So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days’ journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.

10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!

KEY VERSE: “And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom” (2 KINGS 3:2, 3).

MESSAGE:

A man on getting home from the supermarket where he had gone to purchase some household items was surprised when he opened the carton containing the goods to discover neatly packed currency notes of the highest denomination. Obviously, the shop attendants had handed him a wrong carton. The next day he headed for the shop to return the money.

Meanwhile, confusion and pandemonium had erupted in the supermarket at the close of the day. Nobody could figure out how the proceeds for the whole day could have vanished. The euphoria that greeted his arrival the next day to return the money was indescribable. The management, overwhelmed by his rare honesty, decided to honour him and even called the media to capture the ceremony. He was asked to invite his wife waiting in his car to join the ceremony. Everyone was surprised when the man declined stating that the woman in the car was not his wife and that gesture will get him into trouble and evoke spiral consequences. He confessed that though he was righteous in the area of money, he was not in the area of morality.

Jehoram, the son of Ahab and Jezebel, was evil in the sight of the Lord, though not like his parents. He attempted to clean up the practice of idolatry set up by his parents by pulling down the image of Baal but he did not stop the worship of calves, which Jeroboam started. The change is a depiction of half-hearted devotion as Israel continued in idol worship and abandoned the true God.

Some people claim that it is not possible to be righteous in every sphere of human activity. Obviously, such people do not recognise the grace of God and the impact of His power to live above sin. Complete heart transformation happens only when one surrenders to Jesus Christ in true repentance.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Complete transformation is possible only in Christ.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
HAGGAI 1 – 2

DCLM 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 17 December 2021 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Uncommon Mercy

TOPIC: Uncommon Mercy

TEXT: 2 Kings 13:1-9 (KJV)

1 In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.

2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.

3 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days.

4 And Jehoahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.

5 (And the Lord gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime.

6 Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria.)

7 Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing.

8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

9 And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in his stead.

KEY VERSE: “And the Lord gave Israel a Saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as before time.” – (2 Kings 13:5)

MESSAGE:

One night in 1935, Fiorello H. La Guardia, former mayor of New York, showed up at a night court in the poorest ward of the city. He dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench. One case involved an elderly woman who was caught stealing bread to feed her grandchildren. La Guardia said “I’ve got to punish you, ten dollars or ten days in jail.” As he spoke, he threw $10 into his hat. He then fined everyone in the courtroom 50 cents for living in a city “where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat”. The hat was passed around, and the woman left the courtroom with her fine paid, and an additional $47.50.

The incident in our text took place during the reign of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king over the northern kingdom. As the nation continued in their evil, the Lord’s anger prevailed and this time, they were delivered into the hands of the kings of Syria who oppressed them. But Israel continued in their sins even after the deliverance.

The mercies and compassion of God are a lesson for every one of us, especially as preachers and ministers of the gospel. We sometimes close the doors of our churches to returning prodigals, thinking they have gone too far and done too much to be forgiven. We cannot be more offended than God by the sins of the people. We must leave the doors of mercy and forgiveness open for anyone who desires to return.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
You can’t be angrier at sin than God.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Zephaniah 1-3

DCLM 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.