Be Praise Positive

 An Emoji Devotions for Thu 31st, 2021

Topic: Be Praise Positive

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. James 3:10

Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?

Can both fresh tea and stale bread be served on the same table?

Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.

James and John wanted to call fire from heaven because they were angry but Jesus rebuked them. As a born again Christian we are made of Holy Spirit and we are advised to be praise Positive.

Luke 9:54-55

When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 

Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;

    praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power;

    praise him for his surpassing greatness. ... Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 150:1,2,6

Prayer: Let me remember all what God has done and praise him for his mercy endures forever.

I wish you all a happy New year. Remain focused.

Bad Gang with No Respect for God

 An Emoji Devotions for Tue 30 December, 2020

Topic: Bad Boyz with No Respect for God

Highlights:

Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of boys from the town began mocking and making fun of him. “Go away, baldy!” they chanted. “Go away, baldy!” Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them. 2 Kings 2:23-24

Since inception people tend to practise discrimination, favouring certain people and not others. You know it when you see it. The bad Boyz dress with swag , they go in groups and they don't want to respect anybody. They influenced social media critism and see elders as slow poke. Some formed cults and have guns and will intimidate both young and old so no one could challenge them.

But One day they saw an old man. They felt they can intimidate him too and they started shoulting "go away baldy" which is a derogatory word to body shame bald man in their latest slang. They didn't recognise the man was Elisha the prophet of the most High God. They paid for looking down on someone with anointing. There may be many of them and so they feel it safe to trend with mischief because they were the bad Boyz in town. To them it nothing to interrupt a peaceful elderly man's quiet walk. That same hour Two female bear mauled at 42 of them and the rest of the story would remind the horror of terrific  day in the mind of their family and friends.

1 Samuel 2:30 But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me.

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40 NIV

If you are disrespectful fellow bullying and looking down on others because of your social status. Repent now and pray for mercy. This is a subject common to both genders. God will help parents to train their kids to treat others kindly with respect.

Prayer: Have mercy on my soul and help me with to treat others nicely.

Testify Jesus

 An Emoji Devotions for Tue 29th December, 2020

Topic: Testify Jesus

Highlights:
You search and keep on searching and examining the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and yet it is those [very Scriptures] that testify about Me; John 5:39

God created the universe out of nothing. However, the Most High [the One infinitely exalted above humanity] does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet [Isaiah] says, ‘Heaven is My throne,
And the earth is the footstool for My feet;
What kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord, (exerpts from Apostle Stephen)

‘Or what place is there for My rest?
‘Was it not My hand that made all these things?’

What is have you just concluded about God within your mind? Just like Apostle Paul fighting against the will maker In one of his speech to King Agrippa.

Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus. I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down in foreign cities.

 “One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests.  About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.

Same thing happened to Moses.

So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. Exodus 3:3-5

God would have told Adam about Jesus since the beginning of age but it would be of great advantage that these events takes their place to show us that "That same God is still the same Jesus the scriptures is talking about and He is the one to come. The earth and all it entails revolves around this.

Prayer: I once was lost but now am found. Jesus I testify first to myself today that you are the way, the truth and the life according to John 14:6 and I believe that through you alone will everything be for me.  May I and those who fear you be on the right side of our King always and forever more. Amen

Truth about loving God

 An Emoji Devotions for Mon 28th December, 2020

Topic: Truth about loving God

Highlights:

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 1 John 4:20

The Bible verse highlighted above shows us your character and how God is perceived through you. People can perceive God through you by the way you behave. John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”

Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.” Matthew 11:1-6

The theory of John the beloved about loving God summarises that Anyone who does not love a brother or sister, whom he has seen, cannot possibly love God, whom he has never seen. 

Therefore "If someone claims, “I love God,” but hates his brother or sister, then he is a liar.  

Prayer: May I not be a liar towards you O Lord. Help me to show love the true way in Jesus name. Amen.

The expensive worship

 An Emoji Devotions for Sun 27th December, 2020

Topic: The expensive worship

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.  He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.  “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.  All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4

Worship comes with sacrifice. Jesus Christ in the place of worship to God entered into the Holies of Holies as a sacrificial lamb with His own blood. When a Worship is in adulation of ambience of wealth and riches what much can it do?

A rich devout man went home sad when he was told to give all his wealth to the poor and follow Jesus. Matthew 19:21

A woman came to Jesus with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. Jesus said, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Romans 12:1

Prayer: Lord please position my worship to you as a true and living in Jesus name.

Borrowed mercy

 An Emoji Devotions for Sat 26th December, 2020

Topic: Borrowed Mercy.

Highlights:

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Hebrews 10:26-27

Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.

“But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

“But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars.[d] He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.

“His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

“When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.

 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

Our existence was borrowed from God's breath, we should try to make heaven out of it for others.

Prayer: help me Lord to use my time well everyday no matter how forces of life rage. Amen in Jesus mighty name.

Take note of pressure

An Emoji Devotions for Thu, 24th December

Topic: Take Note of Pressure

Highlights: Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; Matthew 24:32

Before falling into trap of getting to the point of exhaustion when pressure has set in. Do not put your inner eyes to sleep. It is not easy to strife when being weighed down by owned weakness. Remember to take note of pressure. Take note of pressure to be weak and lazy. Take note of pressure to be rude to others. Take note of pressure to lie or exaggerate. Take note of pressure to shed innocent blood. Take note of pressure to device wicked schemes. Take note of pressure to be quick to rush into evil and take note of pressure to stir up conflicts. Proverbs 6:16-18

But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:26

Take note of pressure to look back. fix your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

Prayer: Help me Lord to take note and overcome unrighteous pressures in Jesus name. Amen