Glory and Sacrifice

Wednesday 5 September                      Bible in one year : Daniel 4-6

Memorise: Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God,than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.Hebrew 11:25

Read:Hebrew 11:24-27

The one who has not fully made up his mind about his relationship with God,might be tempted to compromise the Gospel message or the specific errand he or she is asked to deliver to the affluent in society when given the opportunity to stand before them.When compromise sets in , the glory departs.Compromise is a great deflector of God’s glory.When you stand before kings to tell them the truth,even when they do not like to hear the truth,God increases His glory upon your life.There are several children of God who stood before kings in bible days and never compromised:Young David, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel and Paul, all stood before kings without compromising.In fact ,Daniel was very outstanding. He remained in the corridors of power for a very long time.Successive kings found him so invaluable that they retained him so as to give credibility and add value to their kingdoms. There is a user of this devotional who will soon stand before kings.God is giving you the opportunity to stand before kings.But when the time comes to pass, do not be intimidated , and do not change your message . Speak the truth and God will uphold you.

Can God send you to a palace of pleasure or a dangerous zone without you compromising?if money or self gratification is uppermost in you heart , you will sure forget your main reason for going. It was dangerous for Moses to accept God’s call to go and meet Pharaoh. That errand could have cost him his life,yet he went.He made a choice that could hurt him.What were gains to him,he counted as loss just like Paul. It was a great honor to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter- a prince,yet he told the people to stop calling him that. In other words, he despised the title that would have opened doors to him everywhere he went in Egypt,but rather chose to suffer with endangered species (the Israelite). He preferred the reproaches of Christ greater treasures compared to the sinful pleasures of Egypt.No wonder he carried God’s glory to the extent that people could not look at his shining face. What sacrifice have you made to earn the glory of God you are asking for?Paul gave up his academic achievements just to be a carrier of higher levels of glory. Without sacrifice, you can never climb high on the glory ladder.

ACTION POINT: It is faithfulness that keeps you uncompromising in the midst of pressures. Ask for grace to remain faithful wherever you are.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.