Open Heaven 24 August 2020 Devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye
TOPIC: Rejected Even In Death
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TEXT: 2 Chronicles 21:12-20
12. And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
13. But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father’s house, which were better than thyself;
14. Behold, with a great plague will the LORD smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods;
15. And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day.
16. Moreover the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians;
17. And they came up into Judah, and brake into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king’s house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.
18. And after all this the LORD smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease.
19. And it came to pass, that in process of time, after the end of two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness; so he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers.
20. Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being desired. Howbeit they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.
KEY VERSE:
“Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being desired. Howbeit they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchre of the kings.” – (2 Chronicles 21:20)
Open Heaven 24 August 2020 Devotional MESSAGE:
The way people react at the news of a person’s death often reveals what the deceased meant to his people when he was alive. In Nigeria, there was a time that the death of a particular leader was greeted with cheers and jubilation. He was not mourned by the generality of the people; rather, his death was viewed as a good riddance. What this means is that the person when alive, did not live a good life that was appreciated by the people.
Jehoram was that kind of person too. His ascension to the throne brought about all forms of atrocities and wickedness. The first thing he did was to kill all his brothers for fear of being rivalled. He went on to rubbish all the good works that his father Jehoshaphat did and reintroduced idol worship in the land. His evils were so great that God sent a warning of judgment to him through Elijah the prophet but he never bothered. He eventually died according to the words of the man of God, but the people did not mourn his death.
Death is always a strong reminder that our life on earth is a short one. No matter who we are, what we have and where we have reached in life, an end will come one day. What will matter then will not be what we had but how we lived our lives.
How do you live your life now that you are alive? Do people groan under you because of your wicked and oppressive nature? Or, is your life such a pleasant one that everyone rejoices to basks in its sunshine? What will people say about you when death finally takes you away? Would they heave a sigh of relief or mourn that they would miss you? Remember, if men reject you for the kind of wicked life you lived, heaven will never accept you!
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Heaven cannot welcome you when the world rejects you for your wickedness.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Psalm 24-30
Open Heaven 24 August 2020 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.
