WHAT KIND OF GROWTH? Wednesday June 28th 2017
Memorise: But speaking the truth is love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: Ephesians 4:15
Read: Ephesians 4:10-16 (KJV)
4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
4:13 Till
we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son
of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the
fulness of Christ:
4:14 That
we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about
with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning
craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
4:16 From
whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which
every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure
of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself
in love.
Bible in one year: 1st Samuel 1-2, Lamentation 1:13-2:2, Hymn: Sing hymn 6
MESSAGE:
If
you are a sheep in the fold of the Great Shepherd, you will not lack
rest or what to eat. Beyond these, you will not thirst, as He leads you
beside the still, calm waters. This is another way of saying that your
thirst will be quenched. The Lord in Matthew 5:6 spoke of this when He said:
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
Hunger
and thirst are part of the mechanisms that have been programmed into
the human body to produced growth. How you respond to these impulses
will determine the quality or type of growth you experience. Prolonged
starvation and refusal to eat both lead to death. Open Heavens 28 June 2017: Wednesday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye- What kind of growth? Similarly,
while taking only a particular kind of food, some people experience
abnormal growth patterns, due to the absence of the required quantity of
nutrients, vitamins, fatty acids, and so on, needed by their body. This
is why children who are exclusively fed a diet full of carbohydrates
tend to have oversized heads and stomachs, rickety legs and hands – a
growth problem known as “Kwashiorkor”. For growth to be even and
progressive, all the needs of the body must be provided.
The
observed effect of food on physical growth in the natural world also
applies to what happens in the spirit. Today, spiritual growth is so
distorted in the Body of Christ as a result of the nature of food being
fed and the attitude of believers towards spiritual food. There are
different stages of growth in the Kingdom of God. 1st Peter 2:2
says baby Christians should be fed with milk, so as to grow normally.
Today, you have those who claim to have been saved for 5, 10 or more
years still insisting on being fed with milk. If a 10 year old child
still wants to be breastfed, what kind of growth would result from this?
Also, there are so many false doctrines being propagated through the
airwaves and in churches today. What kind of growth will such doctrines
deliver to these who receive them? In addition, a number of those who
are being fed the sound, undiluted truth of God’s word do not have
enough time to receive it. What kind of growth do you think will result
from such spiritual eating pattern? When you do not grow as you are
expected to, you become a problem to yourself and others around you. How
are you growing today? What are you feeding on? How often do you feed
on God’s word?
Action Point
Change your spiritual diet and feeding pattern to reflect the desire for health spiritual growth.
Open
Heavens Daily Devotional guide 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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