Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
MEMORIZE: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it was thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Gen. 3:19).
READ: Genesis 3:17-19
After God created Adam, he ruled as a king over the whole earth. He named all the animals with his God-given, unparalleled wisdom. Everything went well and was peaceful. In addition, he regularly received his heavenly visitor – God. All he needed had been provided ever before he was created. Then came sin! The man who wanted to be like God was reduced to dust. While meting out judgement to them, God told him, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it was thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Gen. 3:19). Nothing debases a man like sin! Sin can relocate the one on the mountain top to the valley! The moment sin surfaced, everything on earth changed. Suddenly, man realized that he was naked. The animals also realized that they could now govern themselves and did not need to be under the control of men. The ground hardened up as it resolved to reduce man’s harvest. The heavens seemed to move farther from man as divine visitations now become a rarity. Sin changed everything!
There are some people who are still looking at their mother-in-law, or at one relative somewhere as the root cause of their problems, whereas they fail to see the real culprit—sin—which they are carrying about with them. They are busy chasing shadows. Face reality! Is sin in your life? If yes, you are the one undoing yourself. It is an irony that people can go to any length searching for invisible enemies, whereas the visible enemy they are harbouring has become ‘invisible’ to them. In the Garden of Eden, sin brought nakedness. It also brought disgrace and sweating. Until man’s fall, there was no sweat. Progress was without sweat. Little effort delivered great results. But when sin came, great efforts delivered very little result. It was all work, much sweat and little or no progress. Have you not noticed that your gossiping, backbiting and jesting are working against you? As long as you refuse to cut off from sin—lies and deceit—you may continue to retrogress. Check yourself and pinpoint the sin that is hindering your life. Repent and ask God for forgiveness, resolving never to return to it. Live right before God while asking for your covenant benefits.
KEY POINT
Sin and righteousness are two things that can rewrite one’s destiny, but from opposite angles. Choose righteousness!
Bible in One year: Is. 7-9
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