REJECTING JUBILEE? Saturday 25 August
Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
Memorise: Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and
our shield. Psalms 33:20
Read: Psalms 33:13-22
What is jubilee? Jubilee is a new beginning where the fellow
who was once rich but lost his wealth gets it back; where the house that was
filled with empty vessels begins to have those vessels filled (2 Kings 4:1-7).
What makes jubilee beautiful is the fact that it is by divine decree. It is not
as if the slave owner really wants the slaves to go, but because God has
decreed it, the slave must go. Nobody can stand on His way. God does not need
to take permission from the devil before He sets you free. You do not need to
take permission or plead with your captors to release you on the day of your
jubilee. Has God decreed your release? Then you must be freed! He decreed light
and light came into existence (Genesis 1:3). Psalms 33:8-9 says God should be
feared because when He speaks, it is done. Your release is settled because God
has said it.
Moreover, when we talk of the year of jubilee, people
generally think it must be every 50 years. But when l studied the Bible, I
discovered that people experienced jubilee at different times. For instance,
the man by the pool of Bethesda was in captivity but got his jubilee after 38
years (John 5: 2-9). Also, for the man born blind recorded in John 9:1-7, his
jubilee dawned and he regained his sight after 40 years. In Luke 13:10-17, the
woman who was bent got her jubilee after 18 years. According to Exodus 21:1-6,
the year of jubilee could come to some after 7 years because God is the One who
controls times and seasons, and He is the One who will decide when He wants to
intervene in a matter (Daniel 2:20-21). Your age will not stop your jubilee.
Our God is the God of jubilee and He loves to set the captives free although He
will never violate your will. In Exodus 21:2-6, when jubilee is offered,
captives are free to void it and remain as captives. In a town in Osun State
(South West Nigeria), there was a very wealthy man who amassed much wealth
through extremely evil means. One day, out of mercy, God wanted to save him so
He sent a preacher to tell him about salvation. After listening for some time,
he thanked the preacher and asked him to lead all his children to Christ, but
as for him he had gone too far with the devil that he had chosen to end it up
with him. Even when he was told it was not too late for him, the man resisted.
He turned down his jubilee. Will you accept or turn down your jubilee?
PRAYER POINT:
Pray that God will open the eyes of all those who are
rejecting jubilee to see things from God’s perspective and accept His
salvation.
Bible in one year: Amos 4-6