Open Heaven 23 January 2024 Tuesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Friends Stronger Than Brothers
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Open Heaven 23 January 2024 TOPIC: Friends Stronger Than Brothers
MEMORISE: “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” – Proverbs 18:24 (KJV)
READ: 1 Samuel 18:1-4 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that Jonathan’s soul was knit with David’s, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
2 And Saul took him that day and would let him go no more home to his father’s house.
3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his soul.
4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, bow, and girdle.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 24-27
Open Heaven 23 January 2024 MESSAGE
Friendship is a susceptible topic to discuss, especially in these last days when many have become lovers of themselves (2 Timothy 3:1-2). Despite this, however, everybody still needs good friends. Some friends can be closer to you than a brother – you need one or two friends around you. Such friends will challenge you to do more for God and can tell you the truth when everyone else is afraid to do so. They are people that you can have as a shoulder to lean on when the chips are down.
Also Read: Open Heaven 22 January 2024 – God’s Best Friends (4)
Acts 3:1 says that Peter and John went to the temple. You may ask yourself, after the Holy Ghost descended on 120 people in Acts 2, why is the Bible bringing only these two to our notice? The reason, I believe, is that they were friends who were part of Jesus’ inner circle. There were three in that circle – Peter, James, and John. Out of these three, Peter and John had a close relationship even before Jesus died. If you read John 13:21-26, at the last supper, when Jesus said somebody was going to betray Him without telling them who it was, Peter beckoned to John and told him to ask Jesus. That is an example of a friend you can request to pray for you concerning a matter you are not clear about, and he will hear from God for you.
The link between them grew stronger after Jesus died and rose from the dead. In John 20:1-8, when Mary Magdalene discovered that Jesus had risen and came to tell the apostles, two of them ran to the tomb: Peter and John. It’s interesting to note that John is the one who wrote the story, and he stressed that he outran Peter and got to the tomb first – in fact, he repeated it twice! I wonder, “Why are you telling us you beat him so emphatically?” There seemed to be a friendly competition between them who loved Jesus more.
You need friends you can have healthy competitions with, such as who can pray the longest, who reads more Scriptures, who wins more souls, and so on. The link between Peter and John was strong and rested on their relationship with Jesus. You need friends whose link with you is majorly based on your link with Jesus Christ.
Open Heaven 23 January 2024 REFLECTION
Do you have a friend who challenges you to draw closer to God?
Open Heaven 23 January 2024 HYMN 11 – I’ve Found A Friend In Jesus
1 I’ve found a friend in Jesus; he’s everything to me,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
The Apple-tree of trees, in Him alone I see
All I need is to cleanse and make myself entirely whole.
In sorrow, He’s my comfort; in trouble, He’s my stay,
He tells me every care on Him to roll:
He’s the Apple-tree of trees, the Bright and Morning Star,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.
2 He all my griefs has taken, and all my sorrows bore;
In temptation, He’s my strong and mighty tower;
I’ve all for Him forsaken, and all my idols torn
From my heart, and now He keeps me by His power.
Though all the world leave me, and Satan tempt me sore,
Through Jesus, I shall safely reach the goal:
He’s the Apple-tree of trees, the Bright and Morning Star,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.
3 He’ll never, never leave me, nor yet forsake me here,
While I live by faith and do His blessed will,
A wall of fire about me, I’ve nothing now to fear,
With His manna, He shall fill my hungry soul.
Then, sweeping up to glory to see His blessed face,
Where rivers of delight shall ever roll:
He’s the Apple-tree of trees, the Bright and Morning Star,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.
Open Heavens 2024 Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical churches in the world, and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile, and PC. Open Heaven for Today 2024
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Lord Jesus, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart. You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You, Lord, for keeping me, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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