OPEN HEAVENS 24 MARCH 2015: TUESDAY DAILY DEVOTION BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE TOPIC: ATTITUDES TO WORSHIP

OPEN HEAVENS 
24 MARCH 2015: TUESDAY DAILY DEVOTION BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE


TOPIC: ATTITUDES TO WORSHIP

MEMORISE: God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. -John 4:24


READ: (Isaiah 40:12-22 KJV)

12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

13 Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?

14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

15 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

17 All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

19 The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.

20 He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

Bible in One Year: Joel 1-3, Mathew 7:24-8:17

MESSAGE:

Prayer involves much more than asking God for our heart desires. It also involves praise and worship, both of which are very much related. While praise acknowledges God for what He has done, worship acknowledges God for who He is. We need to understand that God expects all creatures to worship Him (Revelation 5:13). No matter what or who they are, as far as they exist, God expects them to worship Him.

Pretty much everybody in existence has received something from God (Acts 17:28). However, only those who acknowledge what they have received as coming from God can be deemed worshippers. Among this group of people, there are those who feel contented with what they have received from God. If you are in this category, praise and worship God. On the other hand, there are those who feel they have not received enough from God. These are people who feel God has done much but not enough for them. Such people believe they need more blessings from the Lord, and some even feel that God has not done enough to warrant their praises. It's among this category of people you will find those who compare their wealth and other tangible achievements with that of those they think are more privileged than themselves. More often than not, people who engage in such comparisons conclude that God has not been fair to them. No matter how little you think the goodness of the Lord is in your life, it is imperative that you praise and worship Him.

Many people feel as though God has done nothing for them. In their opinion, God is not good at all. This kind of feeling is wrong and dangerous. If the devil is ministering to you that God is not good at all, resist the devil and worship God for who He is. It is easy to fall into this state when you are afflicted. Examples of those afflicted are bereaved,the sorrowful, the disappointed and the discouraged. We should worship God even when afflicted. A classical example of someone who did this is Job. Job was a man who worshipped God in prosperity (Job 1:5) and he also worshipped God in the midst of satanic afflictions. Job 1:20-21 says:

'Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.'

Note that Job still worshipped God at the end of his trials (Job 42:1-5). Worship characterises vessels unto honour. Are you a vessel unto honour? If your answer is yes, go ahead and worship God, whatever your situation might be.

Prayer Point: Father, grant me the grace to worship you, no matter what I am going through.