Tuesday Open Heavens Devotional - Who Are You?

WHO ARE YOU? - 21 October 2014

Memorise: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. 1 Peter 2:9

Read: Isaiah 6:1–8

1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. Continue...

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : 1 KING 1:1-2:12 and PROVERBS 14:32-15:10

Message

Nothing destroys faster than ignorance. History confirms that ignorance has claimed many lives and destroyed more properties than any other factor. Half-hearted obedience is an act of ignorance. In today’s Bible reading, we learn of King Uzziah. Uzziah, king of Judah, was the son of Amaziah. His father did the right thing in the sight of God, but not with a perfect heart (2 Chronicles 25:1-2). Uzziah followed the footsteps of his father, and he died a leper (2 Chronicles 26:1-5, 21). Half-hearted obedience is worse than outright disobedience. Pride, self-exaltation, disobedience and presumption always leads to sacrilege and results in death. It is good to start well, but it is far more glorious to end well. Ecclesiastes 7:8 says:
“Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.”

Isaiah started his ministry as a preacher in King Uzziah’s court. However, it wasn’t until after King Uzziah’s death that he received a vision of the Lord’s glory. If you want to be victorious as a Christian, you should rely on God alone and know that the only throne which cannot be destroyed is the throne of the King of kings. As long as King Uzziah was alive, Isaiah saw nothing; but when King Uzziah died, he saw the glory of God and saw himself as dirty, wretched and despicable. He was broken. When you see the glory of the Lord, you will see yourself in your true state. Who are you? How does the Bible describe you? Are you patient in spirit or proud? Are you a Christian or an unbeliever? Christians are kings and priests (Revelation 1:6). We are a chosen generation, chosen before the foundation of the world. We are a holy nation; a nation of lights. We are the light of the world. Are you showing forth the light of Christ to people living in your neighbourhood? We are also called to show forth the praises of God. We show forth His praises through strength. We are not a nation of weaklings, but a nation of the strong. Where do we derive our strength as Christians? Our strength is drawn from seven main sources. The first of these is joy (Nehemiah 8:10). The second is the strength of the Lord (Ephesians 6:10). The third is the Spirit of the Lord (Acts 1:8). The fourth is the Name of Jesus (Philippians 2:9-10). The fifth is the blood of Jesus (Revelation 12:11). The sixth is the word of God (Hebrews 4:12), while the seventh is the mercy of God (2 Corinthians 4:1).

Key Point: If you do not know who you are as a Christian, circumstances of life will take you for a ride.

Source: RCCG, Open Heavens Daily Devotional.