Open Heaven [11 January 2019] The gains of pain I

Open Heaven 11 January 2019: [Friday] Daily Devotional By Pastor E.A Adeboye –The gains of pain I

THE GAINS OF PAIN I – Friday January 11^th 2019

Memorise: Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

Read: Jonah 3:1-10 (KJV)

1 And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

² Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

³ So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.

⁴ And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

⁵ So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

⁶ For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

⁷ And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

⁸ But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

⁹ Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

¹⁰ And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

Bible in one year: Matthew 22:23, Isaiah 9:8-10-4, Hymn: Sing hymn 2

Message:-

When our Lord Jesus Christ taught the words of today’s memory verse, He was referring to those who experience the pain of alienation from their Maker and so groan under the godly sorrow that brings genuine repentance.

Open Heaven 11 January 2019 The gains of pain I

We see a clear example of this in our Bible reading today. After hearing the massage of impending doom delivered by Jonah, the people of Nineveh demonstrated genuine repentance by openly mourning for their sins. Jonah 3:6 says:

“For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.”

When we allow the Holy Spirit to convict us, the end result is godly sorrow as manifested in Jonah 3:10:

“And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”

The Holy Spirit put it more directly in 2^nd Corinthians 7:10 saying:

“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

Which the first part of this scripture describes the experience of the Nineties, the latte part is true for the like of Judas Iscariot, who after betraying the Master, had ungodly sorrow and changed himself. Like Judas Iscariot, Peter was also pained for betraying him Master, but his pain was the result of godly sorrow which led to his repentance, and he became one the foremost apostles. How true the word of God is! His word cannot be broken because it is settled in heaven for ever (John 10:35, Psalm 119:89).

Beloved, are you undergoing a kind of godly sorrow because you realise you have failed God in one way or the other? God has a message for you in 1^st John 2:1-2:

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Open Heaven 11 January 2019: [Friday] Daily Devotional By Pastor E.A Adeboye –The gains of pain I

Don’t let your sorrow for sins committed be like that of Judas Iscariot; rather, let it be the godly kind that leads to genuine repentance. Don’t feel sorry because you were not clever enough to escape being caught in that sinful act. Rather, feel sorry that you have disappointed your Maker, and repent quickly before it is too late. There is gain in godly sorrow: it produces repentance that opens the door of receiving divine forgiveness of sin and acquittal from judgement. When your sins are forgiven, you are blessed (psalm 32:1-2). This blessing is manifested in prompt answer to your prayers, and having the Almighty God as your Father. Do you experience godly sorrow for committing sin?

Action Point

Repent of your sins today, engage your soul in godly sorrow and tell God you are truly sorrow. The ungodly pleasure of the moment pales in comparison to the gains that repentance will bring your way.

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.