THE BLESSING AND THE BLESSER
MEMORISE: And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Luke 12:15
READ: Deuteronomy 8:11-20
11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:
12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;
13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;
14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;
16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;
17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.
18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.
20 As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.
MESSAGE
If l were to ask you, "Which will you consider more important - the blessing or the Blesser?" you are likely to say the Blesser. However, there are millions of self-professing Christians around the world today who prioritise God's blessings above the One who blessed them in the first place. When you begin to choose your job over God, you are prioritising the blessing over the Blesser. I want you to do an honest check within yourself now; which one have you been prioritising - the blessing or the Blesser?
The unfortunate thing about prioritising the blessing over the Blesser is that the Blesser can withdraw His blessings at any time. In 1 Samuel 16:1,
God told Samuel to stop pleading on Saul's behalf because He had given the throne to someone else. In Genesis 48:20, we see how Jacob blessed Ephraim above his older brother Manasseh. Ephraim eventually became ten times successful than his brother (Deuteronomy 33:17). However, when success came, Ephraim forgot God (Psalm 78:9-11), God kept sending prophets to Ephraim but he refused to listen to the Blesser. After some time, God said, "Let him alone" (Hosea 4:7). By the time we get to Hosea 5:9, God said that Ephraim would be desolate. Ephraim lost his blessings because he prioritise them above the Blesser. When success comes, don't forget God because He has the power to give and to take away.
When l became General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God. I decided by faith that God would feed everyone that came for our annual convention. One of the young men who was a baker said he would provide the bread for breakfast. He later on changed his mind and decided not to supply us bread as he had promised because he didn't like a message l preached. God however, sent help to us and we were able to purchase the bread we require. Years later, my baker friend appeared at my house very early one morning. I said, "What can l do for you? You came very early". He said he would have come but one of his tires got flat and he didn't have a spare. His was a man who used to have numerous cars; now, he didn't even have a spare tire because he placed the blessing above the Blesser
Beloved, focus on the Blesser and not the blessing.
KEY POINT
God is more important than all the riches, great position and blessings in the world. Never forget that.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 5-8
HYMN 18: 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
