DAILY MANNA DEVOTIONAL BY PASTOR W.F.KUMUYI, SUNDAY 19TH MAY 2019.
TOPIC: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
BIBLE TEXT: 1 Kings 20:31-43
31. And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings; let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; peradventure he will save thy life.32. So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother.33. Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily catch it; and they said, Thy brother Benhadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Benhadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot.34. And Benhadad said unto him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away.35. And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.36. Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.37. Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.38. So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.39. And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king; and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man; if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.40. And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.41. And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets.42. And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.43. And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.
DAILY MANNA DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE FOR TODAY
“And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.” – (1 Kings 20:40).
The consumer culture of the modern age has eroded all the traditional values in the society. Everyone is on the move. Everyone wants to be upward mobile. Everyone wants to “make it” now! Everyone is “busy, here and there”.
The businessman is busy, chasing contracts all over the country and the globe in order to acquire the latest brand of car. The man on the street wants to keep three jobs at a time to compete with his neighbors in acquiring the latest stereo gadgets.
The youth engage in a new styled night vigil; browsing the internet all-night to nail some covetous foreigners, who want to make cheap quick money. Next time you see the lucky ones, they are cruising the town in 4-wheel runners. It is a culture of the rat race.
The rat race has crept into the church. The church is busy, yet unproductive and unprofitable. King Ahab of Israel went to war with the Syrians. God gave them resounding victories on two separate occasions.
Unfortunately, Ahab refused to seize the high ground when the situation presented itself. Benhadad, the king of Syrian, was forced to retreat and take refuge, after the second conflict. Though he was sort of smoked out of his hideout, Ahab inexplicably let him off the hook. The man escaped to fight bigger and more bitter wars another day.
One of the sons of the prophet came to Ahab after the folly with a satire. Ahab, very much like David, gave an impulsive judgment. Unfortunately for him, he pronounced a damnable judgment upon himself. He allowed a man appointed to death to escape.
Christians today cannot gloat over Ahab because we are as guilty. Most times, we raid the kingdom of Satan with the gospel and evangelism, and God has always been faithful. The problem with the church is not in winning converts, but keeping them in the church. Why? The consumer culture – the rat race of course. While we are “busy here and there”, the converts are gone. We need to repent today and go back to our first love of visitation and follow-up of our brethren.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: He who claims to love Christ, willingly feeds His sheep.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ruth 1-2
DAILY MANNA devotional shared via www.thedevotionals.com
