OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SATURDAY AUGUST 3RD 2024
TOPIC: DISCIPLINE SHAPES YOUR FUTURE
MEMORISE:
“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” – (Hebrews 12:11)
READ: GENESIS 25:29-34 (KJV)
29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint:
therefore was his name called Edom.
31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
3
And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
24 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
MESSAGE:
While I was in secondary school, my teacher told us that every human being came into the world with a pillow of suffering which they must use before they leave the earth. You can choose to use your pillow of suffering when you are young so that you can enjoy your life when you are old, or you can keep it intact and enjoy yourself when you are young. However, you must understand that you will surely use the pillow when you are old.
If you decide to use your pillow of suffering when you are young, you will put yourself through strict discipline. You will study while others are playing, attend vigils while others are partying, build a good character while others are engaging in vices, and save while others spend all their income. The memory verse for today says that periods of discipline may not seem pleasant, but they bring peace of mind in the future. Those who do not put themselves through discipline early in their lives will surely have their pillows of suffering waiting for them in the future. The choice is yours, go through the suffering of discipline now, or face the consequences of indiscipline later.
Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. – (Ecclesiastes 7:8)
Your end is more important than your beginning. It doesn’t matter if you are from a poor background; what matters is that you don’t die poor. It doesn’t matter if you were heading to hell; what matters is that you end up in heaven. Don’t trade your tomorrow for the short-term pleasures of today. Esau was hungry, and he traded his right as the firstborn for a plate of porridge; he traded generational blessings for a single plate of porridge! Today, we would have been talking about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Esau, but Esau gave his position to Jacob because he wanted to eat porridge. You might say that Esau was foolish, but many people are doing the same thing today. There are people who were destined to be great prophets but never fulfilled their destiny because of five minutes of sexual immorality. Some potential owners of multinational businesses trade working on their business ideas for a little more sleep every night.
Beloved, the cost of discipline today is nothing compared to its gains in the future.
REFLECTION:
Am I going through the discipline that is necessary for a better future now?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: JEREMIAH 4-5
AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE
HYMNAL: 28 – GUIDE ME, O THOU GREAT JEHOVAH
1. Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven,
Feed me now and evermore;
Bread of heaven,
Feed me now and evermore.
2. Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing waters flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.
Strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.
3. When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of death, and hell’s destruction,
Land me safe on Canaan’s side.
Songs of praises, I will ever give to Thee;
Songs of praises, I will ever give to Thee.
