THE SERVICE AND BLESSING OF OBEDEDOM (PART 6 )

THE SERVICE AND BLESSING OF OBEDEDOM (PART 6 ) 

TEXT:1 Chronicles 16:38 (KJV)
³⁸ And Obededom with their brethren, threescore and eight; Obededom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be porters:

1 Chronicles 26:4 (KJV)
⁴ Moreover the sons of Obededom were, Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, and Sacar the fourth, and Nethaneel the fifth,

1 Chronicles 26:8 (KJV)
⁸ All these of the sons of Obededom: they and their sons and their brethren, able men for strength for the service, were threescore and two of Obededom.

It is amazing what can happen when a life is dedicated to serving God. When we started talking about the man Obededom he was not really known but when the Ark rested in his house for three months he became the talk of the town. If could have imagined the blessing that would go with the Ark that caused the death of Uzza? That which brought about the death of one led to the blessing of the other. What is the difference in the service of Obededom and that of Uzza? Obededom was careful to render his service as recommended but Uzza was carried away in his zeal and in the process ignore divine protocol. This is a serious lesson to every one of us. We must serve and always be mindful to glorify and honour God. When we are careful to do so like Uzza did, we would move from glory to glory.

There is no limit to the blessing to come from faithfully serving God. When God begins to reward a man for being careful to honour him with his service, the blessing can be very strange. From our Bible texts for today you can see the evidence and far reaching impact of such blessing released upon Obededom. In 1 Chronicles 16:38 we read of how this blessing flowed to 68 brethren of his and gave them a place among the people of God. In 1 Chronicles 26:4 the names of his sons were mentioned in the Holy Scriptures and this is an honour given to only a few. In 1 Chronicles 26:8 his family has become great in number and significance from one generation to another. The scripture says they were “able men for strength for the service…” Take note that it says “able men” in other words they had certain abilities that were not common. Then it went on to reveal to us that this ability and strength is for the service of God. When a man makes himself available and becomes willing to bring glory to God, that which he needs to succeed will be released upon him. Obededom opened his doors and heart to the Lord and his life and that of his family was never the same again. What about you? What is your testimony? 

. A PATCHED LAND

.    A PATCHED LAND 

Isaiah 44:3 “for I will pour upon him who is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour My Spirit upon your offspring, and My blessing upon your descendant.” AMP.

                  When you are like a dry ground David called it a “Patched Land”, he said “my soul is thirsty for you like a patched land”, you know a patched land that has been eaten up by draught that is already broken, and he said that is how my soul is, am waiting for as much as you can pour. God said to that one, I don’t just pour a little, I send flood.

                  Some people carry a bucket of the presence, some people carry a cup of the presence, but some people come with the flood. They are not just there for themselves, they are there to fill every other person, and so the glory of God begins to fall upon as many that come in contact with them. Such person manifests the presence of God wherever they go. They do not need to be in church before they manifest it, you meet them you’re wondering there is something about this person, it’s the presence of God.

PRACTICAL ISSUE                                                                                                                                

What happens when people come in contact with you?

(Transcribed from Fragrance of Glory, copy right, march 3rd, 2012)

THE SERVICE AND BLESSING OF OBEDEDOM (PART 5)

THE SERVICE AND BLESSING OF OBEDEDOM (PART 5) 

TEXT: 1 Chronicles 15:25 (KJV)
²⁵ So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the house of Obededom with joy.

1 Chronicles 16:5 (KJV)
⁵ Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obededom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals;

The beginning of verse 25 is such an encouragement to every true labourer passionately serving God in spirit and truth. The verse says David the king and other elders of Israel who would not have had the time to notice the house of Obededom have to joyfully prepare in their very best with all zeal to go over to Obededoms’ house. According to verse 5 of chapter 16, Obededom was suddenly found among those with psalteries and harps. When you faithfully serve the Lord you cannot completely predict the next place you will find him. Others may be trying to manipulate their way through but in the eyes of others he will suddenly begin to rise like an eagle because “they that wait upon nthe Lord shall renew their strength… the shall mount up with wings like the eagle. When a man is able to discipline himself to wait on the King of Kings it is not uncommon to find him dinning with kings. As he spends his time serving the king of kings he begins to learn and imbibe the protocol of the palace. He learns the wisdom of the wise as he becomes privy to the counsel and administration of the palace and in no distant time he becomes an asset to any who seeks to find favour with the king. The most important blessing of service is not the money you earn but the wisdom you learn. Are you a faithful servant?  

THE CULTURE OF THE KINGDOM (PART 2)

THE CULTURE OF THE KINGDOM (PART 2) 

TEXT: Matt. 6:9-10

9, After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Worship is not enshrined in the traditions and religion of men, these are unreliable because they are susceptible to the influences of human philosophies and culture which are unstable and fallible, but the word of the Lord endures from one generation to the other.

When we pray, we say thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In other words, the culture of the kingdom swallows up all the various traditions.

Worship has been in heaven from eternity past and will continue forever and it’s not boring. It truly goes to say that the experience is renewed every single moment and that is why for us to say a worship experience here on earth is awesome, it has to be dynamic. It has to be Spirit inspired, it has to be as it is in heaven. In other words, the only one who shows us how it is in heaven is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came from heaven to show us how it is in heaven.

ACTION POINT

Any worship that the Holy Spirit leads, directs and controls is an exciting event. It never gets bored.

A PATCHED LAND

.                                                                   A PATCHED LAND  

Isaiah 44:3 “for I will pour upon him who is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour My Spirit upon your offspring, and My blessing upon your descendant.” AMP.

                  When you are like a dry ground David called it a “Patched Land”, he said “my soul is thirsty for you like a patched land”, you know a patched land that has been eaten up by drought that is already broken, and he said that is how my soul is, am waiting for as much as you can pour. God said to that one, I don’t just pour a little, I send flood.

                  Some people carry a bucket of the presence, some people carry a cup of the presence, but some people come with the flood. They are not just there for themselves, they are there to fill every other person, and so the glory of God begins to fall upon as many that come in contact with them. Such person manifests the presence of God wherever they go. They do not need to be in church before they manifest it, you meet them you’re wondering there is something about this person, it’s the presence of God.

PRACTICAL ISSUE                                                                                                                                

What happens when people come in contact with you?

(Transcribed from Fragrance of Glory, copy right, march 3rd, 2012)

THE SERVICE AND BLESSING OF OBEDEDOM (PART 3)

 THE SERVICE AND BLESSING OF OBEDEDOM (PART 3) 

TEXT: 1 Chronicles 13:11-14 (AMP)
¹¹ And David was offended because the Lord had broken forth upon Uzza; that place to this day is called Perez-uzza [the breaking forth upon Uzza].
¹² And David was afraid of God that day, and he said, How can I bring the ark of God home to me?
¹³ So David did not bring the ark home to the City of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite [a Levitical porter born in Gath-rimmon].
¹⁴ And the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that he had.

From the previous devotional lessons on this particular topic, it became clear that the life of Obededom and his family turned around for good when they opened their home and their heart to serve God by accepting the Ark of God into their house after a tragic worship service. Against the negative expectations of many, Obededom and his family did not die but lived to witness a greater glory upon their family and all that they had. They were enjoying the presence of the Lord in their lives and it became common knowledge that that God is answering all their prayers and granting even their desires they did not pray about. It became obvious to their friends and neighbours and those who had stopped visiting before because of the ark started looking for ways to come close. Those who were avoiding them before are now saying to Obededom and his family “what is happening? We no longer see you” and I can hear Obededom family say “O I am sorry, but I have to get going because it is time for worship before the Lord. Bye!”

When their neighbors observed the positive changes and blessing upon Obededom and family, they saw the need to say “please pray for me: and as he did their prayers were answered. The news began to spread and as people who came received answers to their prayers some must have seen the need to thank him by showing appreciation with some material blessings. Within three months the blessing of God upon Obededom and his household became so great that everybody including the king heard about it. For someone reading this devotional, people will soon hear of the favour of God upon your life because of your faithfulness in serving the Lord and so shall it be in Jesus name. Amen. 

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO WORSHIP 5

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO WORSHIP 5 (Hebrews 12 :1-2)

The hymn “How Great Thou Art” is such a sweet reminder of the awesome power of God revealed in creation. It is also a reminder of the great privilege given us to have this same God as our saviour and friend. “Then sings my soul my saviour God to Thee. How great Thou art” Let gratitude be your attitude no matter the circumstance you find yourself. Rejoice, the creator of the universe is your Father.

CONTEMPLATION

 No matter the obstacle, make up your mind to spend quality time preparing your heart to encounter God. There will always be distraction and detractors but the only factor that matters is your undivided attention on the Almighty. “When we are recognized among men as learned or as an authority in certain fields of study, we must be careful not to act as if we have been given the right to validate the worship others offer to God, for worship is in spirit and only He who sees and knows the true content of our spirit has the right to validate the worship that is offered to Him.” P.42 FFPW. In John chapter 4, when the Lord met the Samaritan woman by the well she did not want to have anything to do with him and she held on to her tradition and the water from Jacob’s well until she heard of the water that will quench her thirst then she suddenly cried out “Give me this water”    

The Azusa street revival was the response of God to the cry of hungry soul but its end was the response of God to the attempt by man to box him. Once the sign post “Apostolic Faith” was added over the place of meeting God left.  “When we try to lay claim to what is only possible by the hand of God, He will walk away leaving us empty and frustrated” p.47 FFPW.

PRACTICAL ISSUES

There is always a divine strategy for every opportunity that comes our way. Look out for it and you will always succeed.

A church focused on membership drive seldom produce worshippers in spirit and in truth because the priority is the number not the nurturing of souls (Matt 23:15).

God will have no problem walking away from what we are trying to build in His name if it becomes the reason for our lost of focus and passion to worship. 

-          REV. IGHO Y.