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SHINING THROUGH HARD WORK Saturday 16 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye


MEMORIZE: “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men” (Prov. 22:29)

READ: Isaiah 60:1-3

Isaiah 60:1 says it’s time to arise and shine. Anyone who is ready to shine must be ready to pay a price. There are degrees of shining. Depending on the size of each light and its make-up, light rays are beamed towards a particular location, with a specified intensity. And like battery operated torches that grow dim as the battery weakens, so also do the rays that come from the one who shines. In order to shine, you must make up your mind on the level of rays you want to release, the circumference of your glow, and how long it must be sustained. There are categories of glory. 1 Corinthians 15:41 says, “There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory”. Apart from paying the price, it must be commensurate with the level of glory expected. Some believers want to radiate the glory of the sun but cannot even pay the price to carry the shine of an ordinary torch. It does not work like that. You can only carry the level of glory you have paid for on your knees, in praying, fasting, sowing, evangelizing, worshipping, etc. The higher the price, the greater your shine.

Ideally, God is really the one who promotes (Psalm 75:6-7). He can choose a beggar from the dunghill and set him among the greatest (1 Sam 2:8). God has destined you for greatness and you shall be great. One thing I like doing is studying those who have gone ahead of me. I want to learn from their success, and mistakes. Proverbs 22:29 says diligence makes you wine and dine with kings. If you are lazy, you may never come close to the top. During our family devotion one morning, while discussing about Hannah and the birth of Samuel, I told my children that although Eli had already prophesied to Hannah that her request was granted and that she should go in peace, Elkanah still had to do his part by being intimate with his wife. If this was not done, Samuel would not have come. Good news is only the beginning of hard work. To what extent do you work? Do you leave what you should do undone?


KEY POINT:
Your spiritual altitude is determined by the price you are prepared to pay.

Bible in One year: Num. 21-24

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