Open Heaven 9 November
MEMORISE: O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. 1 Chronicles 16:34
BIBLE READING: Luke 17: 11-19 (KJV)
11. And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13. And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16. And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17, And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18. There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Read yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional here
There is one thing that irritates God which many don’t pay attention to and that is ingratitude.
In my village – Ifewara, in the South-Western part of Nigeria, our people would say Don’t follow-up on your benevolent act so that it would not appear as if you are seeking gratitude or worship.
God however, demands both from us and rightly so too, because we all owe everything we have to His benevolence. As a matter of fact, God follows up on His benevolent acts and that is why He told the children of Israel to bring one-tenth of His blessings upon their lives (Deuteronomy 14:22) and the first fruits from their farmlands and livelihood, to Him.
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you…” “Leviticus 23:10-11”
The Psalmists knowledge of the dangers of ingratitude led him to say in Psalms 103:1-2 “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”
In our Bible reading today, the Lord Jesus asked ..Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? (Luke 17:17). The Lord then perfected the healing of the grateful man, making him whole.
It is most unfortunate that many children of God are already so used to miraculous acts of God as to take them for granted. They are no longer moved by these acts, invariably leading to an ungrateful attitude.
Newcomers to the Church who know what they have suffered at the hands of the devil and his cohorts give thanks to God for their miracles, whereas some pastors don’t testify of how God healed them of a headache because they don’t see it as a big deal.
Such people have forgotten that the headache they consider as ordinary has claimed the lives of millions of other people. My prayer is that you will never be ungrateful again, in Jesus name.
PRAYER POINT: Father, please forgive me for all actions or inactions that have amounted to being ungrateful to You. Please Lord, help me to be grateful to You at all times, in Jesus name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ISAIAH 23:1-18, ISAIAH 24:1-23, ISAIAH 25:1-12, ISAIAH 26:1-21, ISAIAH 27:1-13, ISAIAH 28:1-29
Thank you for studying today’s Open Heaven – We Owe God Gratitude – written by Pastor Enoch A.
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Open Heaven 9 November 2021
