OPEN
HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY
THE
POWER OF SERVICE
MEMORISE: "He that
receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward;
and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall
receive a righteous man’s reward". Matthew 10:41
READ: 2 Kings 4:8-17(KJV)
8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a
great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft
as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.
9 And she said unto her
husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth
by us continually.
10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let
us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it
shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.
11 And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into
the chamber, and lay there.
12 And he said to Gehazi his
servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.
13 And he said unto him, Say
now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is
to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain
of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.
14 And he said, What then is to
be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband
is old.
15 And he said, Call her. And
when he had called her, she stood in the door.
16 And he said, About this
season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said,
Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.
17 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that
Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Daniel 9-12
MESSAGE:
Today’s teaching may be controversial to some people, but I will
share the complete truth anyway.
When there is an opportunity to serve God through a prophet that
you are sure is sent by Him, no matter how small the service may be, don’t let
the opportunity pass you by.
When you serve or give to a prophet, because of God’s anointing on
his or her life, you will receive a blessing from God.
I
went to a foreign country for a programme, and throughout my stay, a very rich
man drove me around.
When
he dropped me off at the airport, I wanted to show my appreciation, but since
he was richer than me, I put some money in an envelope and said, “Please give
it to your children on my behalf.” He collected the money and said, “Amen”
several times. I
became embarrassed, and I turned to the other pastor who came with us. The
pastor said, “He has been waiting on God for the fruit of the womb.” On hearing that, I said, “Glory
be to God, I don’t have money, but I am connected to the Most High God.”
The
following year, when I arrived in that country for another edition of the same
programme, the man came to drive me again. This time, he had a gift with him and said
that it was from his son. You might have prayed for certain things and not
received them yet, but offering your service to God through a prophet could
bring them to you immediately.
When you check through the Scriptures, you will see that those who
served prophets genuinely got great rewards for their service. Samuel became a kingmaker and
king remover because he served Eli. Elisha got a double portion of the
anointing because he served Elijah diligently.
The Shunammite woman got a child even when she had lost hope
because she served Elisha. Whenever you get a chance to serve God through one
of His ministers, make the most of the opportunity.
Ministers of God, however, should not take anyone’s willingness to
serve God through them for granted. God shows appreciation to those that serve
Him, and His ministers ought to do the same.
However, if you are serving God through one of His ministers and
it seems like you are not being appreciated, as long as you are sure that he or she is a
genuine minister of God, you will surely receive the rewards of your service
from God.
KEY POINT
God never ignores a genuine heart of service to His
representatives on earth.
© 2024 Open Heavens Daily Devotional Lessons was written by
Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of
God, one of the largest evangelical Churches in the world, and also the
President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.