Wednesday October 26 2016 Open heavens devotional

WHAT ARE YOU LIVING FOR?

Memorise:
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecclesiastes 12:13.   

Read: Luke 12:15-20
Luk 12:15  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Luk 12:16  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
Luk 12:17  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
Luk 12:18  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
Luk 12:19  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
Luk 12:20  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

Message
To know what you live for, you need to consult the Holy Scriptures and this is what we shall briefly do in today's reading.  The Bible says:
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
Revelation 4:11

The unfortunate thing about life is that, people live as if they own their lives. Our Lord Jesus Christ told us the story of a certain rich man who in one year had so much money that he started boasting of many years of enjoyment. While he was ranting and boasting, God said to him:
"...Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. 
Luke 12:20-21

Beloved, we are expected to live for God the Father, through Jesus Christ the Son. We are not supposed to live for ourselves anymore, because we have been bought with a price.  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ admonished us as peculiar people to show forth the praises of Him (Jesus) who hath called us out of darkness into His marvellous light. (1 Peter 2:9). Moreover, Paul, another apostle corroborated this when he wrote:
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Galatians 2:20






The apostle further wrote that, after we have given our lives to Christ, we should live a new life as becoming the saints. We should put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. This is the only way we can live for God and not for ourselves. May the Lord grant us the grace to live acceptably before Him in Jesus' name.







Prayer Point:
Father, help me to live for You in Jesus' name