ALL THINGS WORK FOR GOOD – Thursday October 19th 2017
Memorise:
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love
God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
8:1 And
Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great
persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all
scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except
the apostles.
8:2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
8:3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
8:4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
8:5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
8:6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
8:7 For
unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were
possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame,
were healed.
8:8 And there was great joy in that city.
MESSAGE:
When
we look at the situation of the world today, we can be tempted to think
that God has withdrawn from the world He created, but nothing could be
further from the truth.
Our God is very much in charge of His created
order. He has never and He will never lose grip of His created universe.
Open Heaven 19 October 2017: Thursday daily devotional by Pastor E. A.
Adeboye – All things work for good. One reason
why some people think it is immoral to link God with what is happening
in the world today is the evil that permeates the world as a result of
sin being perpetrated by the men and women of this age. Such people
believe that if God is involved in the affairs of this world, then the
terrible things we are witnessing today should have triggered His direct
intervention. Such opinions are not new; they were also expressed by
some people at the time of the early Church, to whom Peter responded
with the words of 2nd Peter 3:9:
“The
Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;
but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance.”
The
events described in today’s Bible reading showed God’s people living in
a very difficult time.
The persecution of the early Christians by the
Jews, which claimed the life of Stephen, caused the believers to scatter
all over the then known world, in a bid to escape further persecution
by the Jews. However, the dispersion resulted in the spread of the
gospel. Philip, who was initially commissioned to minister to the widows
of Jerusalem, became a city-wide evangelist in Samaria. The Bible
testifies thus about him:
“Then
Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip
spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.”
Acts 8:5-6
You
can therefore see that indeed, all the things that happened in
Jerusalem, including the scattering of the disciples, worked together
for the salvation and deliverance of the people of Samaria and other
parts of the world. My prayer for you is that all the things you are
passing through this season will work together for your good in Jesus’
Name. However, only those who love God have all the assurance of all
things working together in their favour,, especially those who are
called according to God’s purpose. Therefore, ensure that your love for
God is sincere, so that your expectations will not be disappointed
Prayer Point
Father, in accordance with Your word, let all things begin to work together for my good in Jesus’ Name.
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 Church in the world and also the President of
Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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