Today’s devotional was culled from an article by Arthur Burt.

Jesus said, Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Is my spirit man being built up with fresh manna? How does my spiritual diet look? What “tree” am I eating from? (Genesis 3) The world’s tree: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?… or God’s tree: the Tree of Life?

We need the Holy Spirit to convict us of “eating from the wrong tree.” We have heard the phrase: “The good is the enemy of the best.” Do I want to settle for second best instead of the “much more” of God? Consider the following which came through Oswald Chambers: We do not debate over things that are obviously evil, but we do debate over what we, (not God), consider to be “good” for us. In our eyes we judge it as “good”, but it is not necessarily “God” for us. O.C. then throws out a profound challenge.

When I insist on having my own will, or choosing not to prefer good for others before myself, I am the “leaking vessel” scripture refers to. My independence, doing things my way instead of God’s, is my glory, producing a poison in my spiritual life and diet. In these situations my pride is revealed and I lose God’s peace and joy in my life, producing a feeling of desolation. 1 Peter 5:5 exhorts us, “…Be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble.” Do I want God to resist me? Heaven forbid! Our loving Heavenly Father has placed the vital key in the above scripture. Along with the warning, He also reveals the way out of the mess we have made for ourselves: humbling! Bow, repent, take the blame and allow the “finished work” of our beloved Jesus to cleanse and change us. Humility is key, self-righteousness has to be buried at the foot of the Cross. Beauty for ashes, as He pours His grace and forgiveness into our hearts.
 
In 2 Corinthians 6:1 Paul beseeches, “…do not receive the grace of God in vain.” God lavishes His grace upon us, His undeserved favour. We wallow in it, swim in it, enjoying the favour of God. But we must also remember to heed the above scripture. Do I receive grace by the bucket load, yet only minister it in teaspoons to others? THE GRACE OF GOD IS FOR THE GLORY OF GOD NOT TO SERVE MY DESIRES! Through Calvary I have received pardon from an offended God, (offended through my sin.) Do I minister grace to those who offend me? Or do I turn away in my pride?….and cause God to resist me again.
 
If I take the credit to myself for the grace of God in my life, or refuse to minister His grace to others, God will withhold His grace to me. The heartbeat of God for this church age is to minister His grace to one another, and always has been. 2 Corinthians 5:15-21 (AMPC/TPT).

Let us die to the right to ourselves and release the transforming, enabling power of the Living Christ from within us. Christ in me…the hope of glory – God’s glory! 

Will you? This is the right time for it. Selah.

Pastor Afolabi Oladele