DCLM Daily Manna 19 December 2021 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Rise Again

TOPIC: Rise Again

TEXT: Proverbs 24:1-20 (KJV)

1 Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.

2 For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.

3 Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:

4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

6 For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

7 Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.

8 He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.

9 The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.

10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

11 If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;

12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

13 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:

14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

15 Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:

16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:

18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

19 Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked:

20 For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

KEY VERSE: “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” – (Proverbs 24:16)

MESSAGE:

The reason many fail in life is not because they made mistakes; but because they fail to learn from their mistakes and convert their challenges into stepping stones to a greater height. When you hit the rock bottom of your life, make it a new foundation to build and plan a better future. Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computers, one of the most innovative organisations in the world, said, “People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”

The passage today contains several wise counsels and words of encouragement to those who face challenges in life. It starts by warning the pilgrim against imbibing their ways or staying with wicked people to avoid being enticed. The writer encourages believers to utilise the wisdom given to them by God and the counsel of wise men whose experience can be of help in shaping their future. Should they fail and fall as they run the course of life, he encourages them to be confident, rise and try again. Failing and falling are common to man but those who make it to the end are those who have the courage to rise and continue.

We must expect that days of adversity would come to both believers and unbelievers. This is not strange at all. Life is full of ups and downs, mountains and valleys, days and nights, success and failure. When we fail or fall, we should not be discouraged. We should rather take it as a necessary feedback to improve our lives and give us more experience.

The saints we celebrate today who registered much victory through faith and lived wonderful lives made it because when they fell, they rose up again. The Lord is always ready to accept us back but we must not turn “the grace of our God into lasciviousness”.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Be resilient; learn to bounce back when pressed down.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Zechariah 1-5

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 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.