DCLM Daily Manna 11 March 2021 Devotional by Pastor W. F Kumuyi – Punishing The Wicked

TOPIC: Punishing The Wicked

TEXT: Judges 8:4-21 (KJV)

4 And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.

5 And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.

6 And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?

7 And Gideon said, Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.

8 And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him.

9 And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.

11 And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure.

12 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.

13 And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,

14 And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men.

15 And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary?

16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.

17 And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.

18 Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.

19 And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.

20 And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.

KEY VERSE: “And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.” – (Judges 8:16,17)

MESSAGE:

Succoth and Penuel allowed the fear of man to prevent them from participating in a just and reasonable cause. God appointed Gideon to fight the Midianites – the common enemy of His people. However, the people of Succoth and Penuel were too concerned about their safety and welfare that they refused to join forces with God’s chosen vessel to do His work. They had to suffer the consequences of their self-love and faithlessness.

It was right, moral and ethical to help Gideon but they refused because they did not see any personal benefits in doing so. More so, they showed no faith in God’s cause and disrespected the man He had appointed to do His work. They knew how to do good but did it not and were punished for their callous behaviour.

No one is excused from the work of the Lord. When we deliberately refuse to contribute our quota – time, money and talent – to help in the work of the Lord, we cannot escape God’s punishment. “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes” (Luke 12:47). All who know what to do to be saved but refuse to repent shall be punished. Those who have the privileges to be warned often through the gospel, but do not repent and believe, cannot escape severe punishment. All the believers who know about the Great Commission but refuse to warn sinners by calling them to repentance shall not escape divine punishment.

We will fail to recognise God’s call to duty if we are blinded by selfish ambitions and interests. But certainly, we must face bitter consequences and receive severe punishment for failing to respond to the call of God.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Those preoccupied with self-will miss God’s call.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Numbers 11 – 13

DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso 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 9 March 2021 Devotional By Pastor W. F Kumuyi – Growing In Adversity

TOPIC: Growing In Adversity

TEXT: Exodus 1:1-14 (KJV)

1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.

2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,

3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

4 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

5 And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.

6 And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.

7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:

10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.

11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.

12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.

13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:

14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

KEY VERSE: “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel” (Exodus 1:12).

MESSAGE:

Different climatic conditions play their vital roles in the growth of plants in the forest. Winter and summer with the sun and moon were created by our God to fulfil different purposes in life. Life is full of times of sorrow and trouble. Sometimes, it takes storms, trials and temptations to prove the strength of our trust in God. The reality of problems, persecution, pain and perplexity of life cannot be denied. Howbeit, they must never inhibit our growth in life.

Joseph brought his family to Egypt to care for them during the global famine. After their passing, their children grew and multiplied. Many years later, another Pharaoh arose in Egypt who had no respect for the descendants of Joseph and Jacob. He forced them into slavery by engaging them in hard labour. The children of Israel were made to serve in rigour by their Egyptian taskmasters. In the midst of it all, they grew and multiplied. What a paradox of life!

God’s invisible eyes are always watching over His chosen people. He controls the rage of the wicked as He does the rage of the sea. As the children of Israel endured the travails of that time so that God’s covenant with Abraham might come to pass, so must the believer of today do. He never acts in error. Whatever God permits, be it persecution, opposition or even oppression in our communities and places of work, He does so to build us up and separate us from the ungodly ways of the world.

Always remember that God’s desire during adversity is to make us better Christians. Trials and troubles should not be regarded as something that will ruin us. To kick against trials is to miss whatever good it may have for us. We should accept them as part of God’s discipline and programme to bring out the finest and best possibilities of our character when they come.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Difficulties are inevitable for spiritual growth.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 5-7

DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso 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 8 March 2021 Devotional By Pastor W. F Kumuyi – Knowing The Lord Personally

TOPIC: Knowing The Lord Personally

TEXT: 1 Kings 10:1-13 (KJV)

1 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.

2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.

3 And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not.

4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom, and the house that he had built,

5 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.

6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.

7 Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.

8 Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.

9 Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.

10 And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

11 And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.

12 And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the LORD, and for the king’s house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day.

13 And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

KEY VERSE: “Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard” (1 KINGS 10:7).

MESSAGE:

There is a popular axiom that seeing is believing. Many people prefer to see before making public announcements. This was corroborated by Alan Isaacson, a former English teacher in the rural northern part of Nigeria. He later became a full time mission educator, journalist and an adviser in Yorkshire. Many years ago, he heard something remarkable about the extraordinary growth of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. He eventually came to the country and visited many branches of the church to discover much more than what he was told.

The queen of Sheba came to see for herself if everything she heard about King Solomon and his established kingdom were true. After asking the king series of questions and seeing his display of wisdom and abundance of riches, she became convinced and speechless. She could no longer dispute what she had heard before coming to Israel. There was an agreement between what she heard and saw.

It is not sufficient to hear about Jesus; nor is it enough to know that Christ is our Saviour and Redeemer. Personal encounter with Him through genuine repentance from all known sins offers peace and eternal life. His grace transforms our character and destiny when it comes to us. The love of God finds ruined sinners and transgressors and transforms them into glorified saints.

Christ is the wisdom of God and the Light of the world. Those who refuse to come to the Light to obtain salvation will eventually stumble and perish in darkness and deception. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the truest report that offers peace and pardon for a troubled soul. Those who turn to Him will be set free from the guilt of sin.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The just shall live by faith and not by sight.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 3-4

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