OPEN HEAVENS (TUESDAY, 24TH DECEMBER 2013)

TOPIC: LOOK UP TO JESUS ONLY

MEMORY VERSE: And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me(Luke 9:23)

READ: Luke 9:23-26

23. And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

24. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

25. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

26. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

MESSAGE:
Besides prosperity and comfort, another thing that can divert your attention while running the race is resting before you reach your goal. Your goal is Heaven and on earth we have no resting place. The wise men of Matthew 2:1-16 kept on travelling for a period of two years following the star. A period of resting would have been appealing to them, but because they had to reach their goal, and the star they were following was still moving, they kept on going for that whole period. If they had called for a rest, they would have missed their trail. Why are you declaring a rest when you have not reached your goal? Calling for rest before its time will always lead the fellow into trouble. When David was jumping from cave to cave, he did not commit adultery. But in 2 Samuel 11:1, he was resting when he should be at war, so Satan gave him another assignment which he did very well and lived to regret. That short period of rest led him into certain sins that brought the sword upon his generations.

Moreover, another diversion from the race is taking your eyes off the star. When the wise men entered Herold’s palace, they could no more see the star. All they were seeing was the glittering glory of an earthly king, while they were supposed to be on their way to the King of kings. When you take off your eyes from the Lord and place it on someone else or something else, you have diverted. When we were young Christians, we learnt not to look unto our leaders but Christ because human beings can disappoint you. I have been severally disappointed by people I looked up to, those I thought were better than me. I got the greatest disappointment from the fellow who brought me to Christ. Never look up to your pastor, minister, general overseer, etc. They can disappoint you any day. Look up to Jesus. Many pastors are living in sin on a regular basis today. If you put your hope on them, you may get the greatest shock of your life. Look up to Jesus and He will never fail you. Follow Him always!

KEY POINT:
Jesus is the perfect mould – the ultimate Mentor. If your leader is a bad example, pray for him but look up to Jesus. He is God’s standard.