Bishop Mike Okonkwo Devotional 3 February  2025 The Redeemed Evangelical Mission | Topic:  GOD MUST COME FIRST

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GOD MUST COME FIRST

“And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing that thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.” (Genesis 22:12 KJV)

God is the giver of all good things, and He must come first before the gifts He gives. From our text, Abraham chose to obey when God instructed him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham knew that God, the Giver, must come first. Many people are running after the gift. That is why they say no when they are told to do something in their local assembly! “I have budgeted my money for something else”, they say. Beloved, the Giver must come first. Don’t be in the company of those who prefer the gift to the Giver?

Solomon bombarded heaven with one thousand oxen because he knew God as the Giver. He chose to put God first before the gift. God asked him what he wanted, and Solomon said to God, you have given me a vast kingdom to manage. I am a child; give me an understanding heart so that I can know how to lead these people in the right way to honour you. Not money and not the life of my enemies. Just give me an understanding heart. And God said to him, I will give you an understanding heart. You didn’t ask for riches and honour, but I will give them to you as well.

Many of us talk about Jehovah Jireh as the name of God. Abraham didn’t call God Jehovah Jireh; rather it was the place where he preferred the Giver to the gift. The place where the lamb was caught in a thicket. Beloved, your lamb has been waiting in that place; caught and disarmed from fighting so that you can just take it cheaply. Many believers are struggling, yet they have a place where the lamb is waiting. Toiling and struggling continue until you get to that place where you say: “Lord I surrender. If you need it, take it. I prefer You to the gift. If I have You, I have everything.”

Further Reading: Genesis 22:10-18, 1 Kings 3:5-14
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Exodus 31-33; Evening- Matthew 22:1-22

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