DCLM Daily Manna 23 April 2024 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Courage To Do The Right
TOPIC: Courage To Do The Right (DCLM Daily Manna 23 April 2024)
KEY VERSE: “And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 15:8).
TEXT: 2 Chronicles 15:1-13 (KJV)
1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:
2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.
4 But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.
5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries.
6 And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity.
7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.
8 And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the Lord, that was before the porch of the Lord.
9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11 And they offered unto the Lord the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;
13 That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
MESSAGE:
Martin Spoelstra narrates part of the inspiring and intriguing story of the courageous missionary to Africa, Mary Slessor (1848-1915). “…Mary saved the lives of hundreds of mothers and their twins. One evening, Mary heard the screams of an Okoyong woman tied to stakes on the ground. A man was preparing to scald her with boiling oil because the woman had given food to a starving slave man while her husband was away. The Okoyong laws demanded that the woman be punished for her offence. Mary ran to the screaming woman and put herself between the woman and the man holding the oil. The man danced around Mary, threatening to pour the oil. Despite the boiling oil and the size of the man, Mary stood her ground. The man back down and the woman was saved! Mary saved countless other lives, worked to end fighting between tribes and spread the message of Christ throughout Africa. By showing the courage to face her fears, Mary brought real and lasting change to African society and spirituality. What a great way to spend one’s life!”
Asa had just ascended the throne of Judah. He came up at a time the whole land appeared to have been sold to corruption. They had forgotten the true God and for a very long time, they had not had any priest or prophet to teach them the word of God. But Asa was encouraged by the words and prophecy of Azariah to stand with God and carry out the necessary reforms because God would surely reward his efforts. Asa took courage, put away all the abominable things in his kingdom and brought the people back to serve the true God.
If our families, churches and societies will be transformed and enjoy the blessings and favour of God, then we must be ready to demonstrate courage like Asa and root out all the sinful and abominable practices we find around us.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Will you be counted among those who stand for the right?
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Psalms 119:57-176
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.
