Tuesday, April 28, 2015

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL (WEDNESDAY 29 APRIL 2015)

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
Wednesday April 29

RESTITUTION

Memorise:
And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
Luke 19:8

Read: Luke 19:1-10
1  And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  
2  And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.   
3  And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.    
4  And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.   
5  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.  
6  And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.    
7  And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.   
8  And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.  
9  And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.  
10  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. 

Message
Restitution is the act of making right that which has been wrongly done to the injury of others. It involves restoring what has been wrongly taken, and repairing or giving the equivalent of any loss or damage. This is a very important aspect of Christianity that proves genuine salvation. Even though this teaching is not popular among preachers today, the word of God is forever settled on it. If we are to experience a clear conscience and have a good testimony among those within the Church and in the world, we must obey the teaching on restitution. 

Restitution is not a 21st century teaching. It has been in practice from Bible days. While salvation is aimed at making your ways right with your Maker, restitution is aimed at making your ways right with your fellow man. One is not complete without the other. It is the desire of God for us to correct all past wrongs which are correctable. It may be difficult to carry out restitution for wrongs done in the past, but the mercy of God is always available to help, even when it looks difficult.

If you have been genuinely converted, you should return those things that you may have stolen or converted to your own use which belong to others or to your place of work. This includes your tithes and first fruits, the non-payment of which is robbery. There are things that belong to others which you may have destroyed. These must be replaced. Restitution includes reconciling with people who may have quarrelled with you in the past. We must make restitution for all lies and things wrongly said about anyone which have resulted in causing trouble for the person involved. 

Every marriage contracted contrary to the standards of the Bible must be visited and reviewed. There are some sensitive cases of restitution that you do not carry out alone. In such cases, you must seek counsel from those who are spiritually more mature than you. They will guide you through the help of the Holy Spirit on the appropriate way to go about it.

When you obey God by making restitution, you will receive His favour. The favour of God removes all your years of labour and makes your life a blessed one. Also, when you restitute your ways, you will experience speedy answers to all of your prayers. This is because you have made peace with God and you have a clear conscience towards man. When you make restitution, you will no longer live under the bondage of fear, because there is nothing else to hide.

Action Point:
Prayerfully take steps to carry out restitution in every applicable area of your life.

Bible in a year: Judges 19 & Matthew 27:45-66... Read after the cut:

Judges 19; 

Jdg 19:1  And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehemjudah. 
Jdg 19:2  And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father's house to Bethlehemjudah, and was there four whole months. 
Jdg 19:3  And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father's house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. 
Jdg 19:4  And his father in law, the damsel's father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there. 
Jdg 19:5  And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel's father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way. 
Jdg 19:6  And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel's father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry. 
Jdg 19:7  And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again. 
Jdg 19:8  And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel's father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them. 
Jdg 19:9  And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel's father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home. 
Jdg 19:10  But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him. 
Jdg 19:11  And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. 
Jdg 19:12  And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah. 
Jdg 19:13  And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah. 
Jdg 19:14  And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin. 
Jdg 19:15  And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging. 
Jdg 19:16  And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. 
Jdg 19:17  And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? 
Jdg 19:18  And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house. 
Jdg 19:19  Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing. 
Jdg 19:20  And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street. 
Jdg 19:21  So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. 
Jdg 19:22  Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. 
Jdg 19:23  And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly. 
Jdg 19:24  Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing. 
Jdg 19:25  But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. 
Jdg 19:26  Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light. 
Jdg 19:27  And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. 
Jdg 19:28  And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. 
Jdg 19:29  And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel. 
Jdg 19:30  And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds. 


Matthew 27:45-66

Mat 27:45  Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. 
Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 
Mat 27:47  Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. 
Mat 27:48  And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 
Mat 27:49  The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 
Mat 27:50  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 
Mat 27:51  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 
Mat 27:52  And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 
Mat 27:53  And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 
Mat 27:54  Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. 
Mat 27:55  And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: 
Mat 27:56  Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children. 
Mat 27:57  When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: 
Mat 27:58  He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. 
Mat 27:59  And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 
Mat 27:60  And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. 
Mat 27:61  And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. 
Mat 27:62  Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, 
Mat 27:63  Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. 
Mat 27:64  Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. 
Mat 27:65  Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. 
Mat 27:66  So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch. 

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