DCLM Daily Manna 1 May 2024 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — “Excellence In Labour”

TOPIC: “Excellence In Labour” (DCLM Daily Manna 1 May 2024)

KEY VERSE: “And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you” (1 Thessalonians 4:11).

TEXT: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 (KJV)

9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

MESSAGE:

John Garner, a former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare once asserted that “An excellent plumber is infinitely more valuable than an incompetent philosopher. The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because it is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy; neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.”

Garner’s observation agrees with what may be regarded as the Christian work ethic in today’s text. The Thessalonian Christians were exemplary in their zeal and commitment to the Lord. In this regard, their fame spread and they were highly commended by Apostle Paul. However, it would appear that some of their converts under the pretext of religion waxed idle and resorted to gossiping and meddling in the affairs of others. While exhorting them to commit more to brotherly love, the Apostle condemned the attitude of such lazy, beggarly and busybody fellows in the church. He directed that they should hold their peace, mind their business and have honest means of livelihood instead of depending on other church members.

This instruction is consistent with several other Scriptures that uniformly teach that a Christian must not only work diligently but should have an eye for excellence at work. An idle or lazy Christian is a contradiction in terms and it does not matter how fluent or prayerful he boasts. This is for every Christian except for brethren who are incapacitated by ailment, old age or other uncontrollable factors.

Idling away and depending on others for sustenance is not acceptable. There is dignity in labour. Find a legitimate, profitable and productive activity and do it excellently “as to the Lord”.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Laziness and idleness can never attract God’s blessing no matter their colours.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Samuel 10-11

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 30 April 2024 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — The Power Of “It Is Written”

TOPIC: The Power Of “It Is Written” (DCLM Daily Manna 30 April 2024)

KEY VERSE: “Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matthew 4:10).

TEXT: Matthew 4:1-11 (KJV)

1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

MESSAGE:

On October 7, 1857, C. H. Spurgeon preached to his largest audience ever. A few days before the event, Spurgeon had gone to the huge hall to test the acoustics. Stepping into the pulpit, he lifted up his voice like a silver trumpet and proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Then Spurgeon repeated the one verse again: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Satisfied with the acoustics, he left and went his way. Unknown to him, there were two men working in the rafters of that large auditorium. One of the men was pricked in his conscience by the verse Spurgeon quoted and became a believer later that day! Such is the penetrating power of God’s eternal word!

In today’s text, Satan attempted to trick our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ three times to surrender to his evil antics. Three times, Jesus spoke the Word and shut down the devil’s suggestions.

While it may not be wrong for Jesus to perform these miracles demonstrating divine unction after forty days and forty nights of fasting, the result will not glorify God but the enemy of all that is righteous.

We must never forget that Jesus repudiated the devil with the written word of God. As children of God, the devil will attempt to lure us into sin as he did our Master; but like the Lord, we should use the Word to counter his effronteries. As Jesus got victory over the devil, we are assured of comprehensive victory too if we also firmly and confidently resist him with God’s living, active and wonder-working Word. There is power in the Word!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Use the awesome power that resides in the word of God.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Samuel 8-9

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 29 April 2024 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — A Critical Choice

TOPIC: A Critical Choice (DCLM Daily Manna 29 April 2024)

KEY VERSE: “Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him” (Isaiah 3:10,11).

TEXT: Isaiah 3:1-12 (KJV)

1 For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water.

2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,

3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.

4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

6 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand:

7 In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.

8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory.

9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

MESSAGE:

A religious sceptic once asked the German reformer, Martin Luther, why God created man when He knew he would sin. Luther, the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation, replied, “Let us keep clear of these abstract questions and consider the will of God such as it has been revealed to us.” As a learned priest, Luther knew that God was not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9). He also understood God’s desire that man should choose what is right over that which is evil.

God’s proposition, from the creation of the earth, showed that He wants man to obey Him freely, without force. He rewards such free will obedience, punishing disobedience as seen in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).

Our text chronicles God’s expectations and the abysmal failure of man over the years. As it was in the days of Isaiah, so it is today. Men are still chasing the vanities of life while their lives are fleeting. God cannot be mocked. He diligently rewards the obedient with blessings and those gone astray with just compensation for their sins.

God is always fair to all. If you do what is right, it shall be well with you. For those whose choice is wrongdoing, God will never permit the unrighteous to go free. The only way out is to repent of all sins, forsake all evil ways and make Jesus your Lord and Saviour. Again, the choice is yours:

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
God is always fair to all. He rewards what is right and punishes what is wrong.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Samuel 6-7

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.