Open Heavens Devotional Wednesday September 6 2017

STOP DISHONOURING GOD!

Memorise:
Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.
Psalm 66:2

Read: 1 Samuel 2:27-30
1Sa 2:27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?
1Sa 2:28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?
1Sa 2:29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?
1Sa 2:30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

Message:
"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings."
Malachi 3:8
In the above passage of Scriptures, God complained about His children, who had suddenly turned into robbers. How can a worker in the Church of God or a minister of God be a thief? How can you claim to be a born-again Christian and keep on stealing? Those who rob God are no ordinary thieves. Boy, such people are really brave! Their victim is not a fellow human being but God Himself. You can be certain that such people are the worst kind of thieves in the universe! Can you imagine that idolaters fear their idols so much that they do everything possible not to break their rules? If anything is dedicated to an idol, who would dare steal it? Yet, these people throw all caution to the wind and steal what is dedicated to the Most High, and they expect Him to do nothing about it, because He is a God of mercy. This is bravery gone awry! Are you one of such "holy thieves"? Are you defaulting in your tithes and offerings?




In the same vein, there are some foolish and ignorant people, particularly in the universities, who insult God and Jesus Christ occasionally. I know this because I used to be one of them before I got saved. The opposite of honour is disrespect. If you are not honouring God, it means you are insulting Him. Everyone who robs God of first fruits dishonours God, and if you dishonour God, you can compel Him to change His promises and plan for your life (Proverbs 3:9). This was what happened to the house of Eli. Hear what the Lord told Eli in 1 Samuel 2:30:
"...I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed."
May the Lord not change His great plan for your life. Do you honour Him? If you refuse to honour God, He will refuse to honour you. If you ignore Him, you will be of no consequence to Him. At the end of the day, you will undo yourself by your refusal to comply with divine instructions. Refusal to honour God can turn the desirable into something detestable. It can push the good things of life that were at a person's fingertips miles away from him or her. Dishonouring God can separate you temporarily or even permanently from your blessings. Have you been paying your first fruits yearly? How often do you honour God?






Key Point:
The instruction to honour the Lord is not a suggestion but a command.