Open Heaven 6 October 2021 Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Topic: PRACTICAL GRATITUDE
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Open Heavens 2021
Date: 2021-10-06
Topic: PRACTICAL GRATITUDE
Memory Verse: 2 Samuel 6:21 – And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.
Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 6:14-22
Message: We must consider practical ways of saying ‘Thank you’ to the Lord. When you are truly grateful to someone, it will be difficult to hide it. Your gratitude will be evident in everything you do and this truth is confirmed in today’s Bible reading. When David considered how he had been surviving both seen and unseen battles of life, he could not help dancing and leaping for his God.
The Almighty God has kept us alive to date, and like David, we must practically demonstrate our gratitude through dancing and offering of heartfelt praises to Him. For the preservation of our lives alone, we must bless the Lord. In Psalm 144:1, the Psalmist blesses the Lord for teaching his hands to war and directing his fingers to fight right. We must realise that not all fighters win the battles of life. This is what made David write:
Bless the Lord O my soul…Who redeemeth, thy life from destruction… Psalm 103:4
Considering the numerous battles David fought in his lifetime, particularly against King Saul and his own son – Absalom who staged a coup against him, one should know that but for God, David would have died a premature death. This is why he described God’s benevolence as “lovingkindness” and “tender mercies”. Oh, how I wish we all would appreciate God’s kindness as much as David did. Moreover, David recognized that the mercies of God to him were of tender types – not one but many. Little wonder that in our Bible reading of today, he literally praised the Lord to the consternation of his wife who despised him for dancing passionately for the Lord.
Apparently, Michal had never seen her father – the former king praise God in that manner before so it was strange to her. Little wonder God replaced him with David, who would genuinely praise and worship Him.
A practical application of a heart of gratitude brings to mind the manifold blessings of God. It leads to genuine thanksgiving and appreciation of all the miracles and wonders of God that we receive daily. Let somebody shout Hallelujah!
Points: Take a minimum of fifteen minutes to thank Cod for His goodness and mercies over your life and those of your loved ones.
Bible in one year: 2 Samuel 20, 2 Samuel 21, 2 Samuel 22, 2 Samuel 23, 2 Samuel 24
Hymn: Praise To The Lord The Almighty
1 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation!
Come, all who hear; now to his temple draw near,
join me in glad adoration.
2 Praise to the Lord, above all things so wondrously reigning;
sheltering you under his wings, and so gently sustaining!
Have you not seen all that is needful has been
sent by his gracious ordaining?
3 Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;
surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriends you.
4 Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him.
Let the Amen sound from his people again;
gladly forever adore him.
Open Heavens 2021 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. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.