TODAY’S DEVOTION (FRIDAY 6TH MAY 2022)
“The elderly elder [of the church addresses this letter] to the beloved (esteemed) Gaius, whom I truly love.
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.” 3 John 1:1-2 AMPC
WELCOME TO THE 126TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE
It is another weekend of the year and we give God the glory for all the weekends we have seen in our life time. We appreciate Him for the air in our lungs, the breath in our nostrils, the blood that runs in our vein, and for all the seen and unseen things He has done in our lives; all the known and unknown things.
Gratitude is something that should not cease coming out of us to the Most High God, who lives for ever and ever. Ingratitude should not be given a place in our lives because the faithfulness of our God towards us reaches the skies.
Come to think of it, when David made that statement, there were no aircrafts. So, why the skies and the clouds? I believe it was prophetic.
The statement makes more meaning today because of some of us who fly planes from nation to nation, and many others who literally lives in the skies and clouds.
If His mercies and lovingkindness were not extended to the skies and His faithfulness to the clouds, we would have all been dead long ago. The hazard of flying or living in the skies and clouds without God’s mercies and faithfulness in the skies and the clouds would have consumed us.
For instance, sky scrapers can fall. Terrorist can hijack a plane. Religious fanatics can take over flights and cause so much harm. Pilots can even miscalculate and kill everyone on board. Planes or private jets can malfunction and destroy everyone’s life. There is a lot that could happen in the skies and clouds.
So, David was very prophetic when He made that Psalms. That is why the Bible is not a book for Christians like it is being treated, but a life saver for mankind. That scripture says;
“Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, extend to the skies, and Your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God, Your judgments are like the great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of men take refuge and put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
They relish and feast on the abundance of Your house; and You cause them to drink of the stream of Your pleasures.
For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light.
O continue Your loving-kindness to those who know You, Your righteousness (salvation) to the upright in heart. Psalm 36:5-10 AMPC
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL PSALM TO MEDITATE UPON THIS MORNING. SO MANY LINES TO GLEAN TRUTH FROM.
But why did the man of God said to the LORD that He should continue His lovingkindness only to those who know Him? It is because God’s loving-kindness can be used by some who do not know Him and are not upright at heart as a fertility ground for wicked deeds. The Bible says in the land of uprightness they will deal unjustly.
Do not forget, David was a man of war and he must have seen what the wicked did in the lives of others because GOD would not move against them swiftly, because of His mercies and loving-kindness, hence saying that prayer.
Another line in that Psalm said;
“They relish and feast on the abundance of Your house; and You cause them to drink of the stream of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light.” Psalm 36:8-9 AMPC
The LORD through this platform has been a fountain of life to us. He has been causing us to drink of the stream of His pleasure. In the light of His word on this platform, we have been seeing light. We believe He will continue to give us light as we seek Him for it.
Today is the 6th day since we started our journey with the Cry of the Spirit on practical Christian living. For the past two days the LORD’s emphasis has been on our health. As we can see in our devotional text, one of the letters that one of our Bible fathers wrote to their immediate spiritual sons contain the will of GOD for us. It says;
“The elderly elder [of the church addresses this letter] to the beloved (esteemed) Gaius, whom I truly love.
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.” 3 John 1:1-2 AMPC
These men and women of God in the early Church were so synchronized with God that you could see God’s plans and purposes for our lives in what they wrote and shared.
THE SCRIPTURE ABOVE WAS A LETTER FROM JOHN THE BELOVED TO ONE OF HIS, CALLED GAIUS.
Let me move a bit from health issues and bring an aspect of practical Christian living that many of us have twisted.
John was the last leader of the Church during the church’s first hundred years on earth. Remember, Jesus had taken three of them (Peter, James and John) up the mountain many years earlier and got transfigured before them. James became the first leader of the Church immediately after Pentecost, but was killed very quickly. Then Peter took over. After Peter’s death, John took over.
Now, their experience on the mountain of transfiguration teaches that no one is qualified to be a church leader until they have experienced Christ, the head of the Church up the mountain of the revelation of who He is. That is one aspect of practical Christian living we have twisted and in most quarters ignored.
If Christ has not been revealed to you, you are not fit to play any leadership role in His Church. You will mess things up. That is the message.
The message explains why the Church is messed up today. Many leaders have not met or experienced Christ in His resurrection form, hence running the Church either as a social club, metaphysical cult, money-making machine, political party or places of theatrical performances.
But those three – Peter, James and John – had to experience Christ in a dimension that others did not to be able to lead them. They had to be put ahead of those they were to lead by that encounter because a leader must be a thousand times ahead to be able to lead people in God’s design. If you are being led by a spiritual leader who is not ahead of you in holiness, prayer, fasting, grace, spiritual fitness, revelation, stature, friendship with God, intimacy with Christ, and etc. you are already doomed.
Sadly, many are led by leaders who are only ahead of them in nations they have visited, money they have accumulated, people they have around them, years they have seen etc. They are not ahead of them in any spiritual thing. That was not the standard the LORD Himself laid.
Jesus took the three – Peter, James and John – up the mountain to place them ahead of those they will lead, not in money matters, international trips, or any earthly consideration but in kingdom matters; ahead in revelation and spiritual experiences with Christ. Yes, He wanted to place them ahead of others in what GOD was doing in the now.
IF OUR LEADERS ARE NOT AHEAD OF US IN KINGDOM MATTERS, OR IN WHAT GOD IS DOING IN THE NOW, WE WILL BE DOOMED.
The young prophet died because He submitted to a leader who was not ahead of him in prophetic accuracy and kingdom matters. The young prophet was the one ahead. The young prophet was ahead of the Old Prophet in what God was doing in the now. But he sadly went against the rule of submission and humility and submitted to someone he was head of in what God was doing in the now, and lost his life.
We must understand that Humility is not stupidity. Humility is not submitting to people of lower spiritual stature or fitness, or people you are ahead of in what GOD is doing in the now. Humility is respecting and honoring them where necessary, but submitting only to who is ahead of you in what God is doing in the now.
So, God does not make spiritual misfits leaders; even if they are rich in material things. Pastors may do that to retain them in Church but GOD will never do that. That is a major take away in what Jesus did with the trio.
Sadly, some church leaders make misfits leaders even lying that GOD told them to. But the standard we see in Christ shows He will never tell them to do that. The standard is part of practical Christian living. Jesus established it on that mountain. Our job is to uphold it and keep upholding it from generation to generation.
But many of us in ministry have failed in upholding it, that is why the church is sick. Making spiritual misfits leaders, and anointing them to serve where they do not have the consecration to serve, will not just defile us in the process, it will defile those they lead.
As a leader, I learned this truth in a very bitter way; it took me tears and spiritual losses to know that you do not put misfits in places designed for those who have been tested and approved by the LORD to do such things. When they are not there yet, keep the place vacant until they are raised.
You do not allow sentiments to rule your heart when functioning as a church leader. Principles must guide you all the time else you preach to others and become a cast away yourself.
CONCERNING THE THREE THAT JESUS TOOK TO THE MOUNTAIN TO GRANT ENCOUNTERS THAT WILL PUT THEM AHEAD, THE BIBLE SAYS;
And six days after this, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.
And His appearance underwent a change in their presence; and His face shone clear and bright like the sun, and His clothing became as white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, who kept talking with Him.
Then Peter began to speak and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good and delightful that we are here; if You approve, I will put up three booths here—one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah.
While he was still speaking, behold, a shining cloud [composed of light] overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is My Son, My Beloved, with Whom I am [and have always been] delighted. Listen to Him!
When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were seized with alarm and struck with fear. But Jesus came and touched them and said, Get up, and do not be afraid. And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
And as they were going down the mountain, Jesus cautioned and commanded them, Do not mention to anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead. Matthew 17:1-9 AMPC
Do not let any spiritual leader who is not ahead of you in what God is doing in the now to be your leader. Do not let anyone Christ has not placed ahead of you through encounters to lead you. That is the message in this scripture. It is part of practical Christian living.
We were sharing about the letter John the Beloved wrote. In this scripture, we see clearly that John the beloved was one of those who saw the LORD in dimensions that most of us leaders are yet to see; which is why we are failing. By way of reminder, he wrote saying;
“The elderly elder [of the church addresses this letter] to the beloved (esteemed) Gaius, whom I truly love.
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.” 3 John 1:1-2 AMPC
As of the times of writing this letter, John had become an elderly elder, a father of fathers, an elder of elders.
In the scripture we can see that God wills that we prosper in every way, and that our bodies may keep well even as our souls keeps well and prospers. Which means the prosperity of our spiritual lives needs the prosperity of our health to make impact on earth.
However, none of that is possible if we are not under leaders that are ahead of us in what GOD is doing in the now!
I believe the message of today has been passed. Practical Christian living involves choosing those the LORD has prepared for us to lead us; people He has placed ahead of us in what He is doing in the now. If we are not led by them, we will not prosper in our relationship with the LORD.
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers.
His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ’s body (the church),
[That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ’s own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.
So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.
Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). Ephesians 4:11-15 AMPC