COME YE APART II – Friday August 4th 2017
Memorise: If a man therefore purge himself
from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the
master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. 2nd Timothy 2:21
Read: Acts 13:1-3 (KJV)
13:1 Now there were in the church that was at
Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called
Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod
the tetrarch, and Saul.
13:2 As they ministered to
the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for
the work whereunto I have called them.
13:3 And when they had
fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Bible in one year: 1st Kings
16-17, Ezekiel 20:14-26, Hymn: Sing hymn 6
MESSAGE:
As discussed
yesterday, “Come ye apart” is a call to cease from daily work in order to come
before God in a solemn assembly. Such calls by God to a solemn assembly are not
mere religious exercises, by a time of settling important issues with Him.
Hence, they are sometimes called during times of serious emergencies, as seen
in Joel 1:14,
where God said:
“Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn
assembly, Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house
of the Lord your God, And cry unto the Lord,”
While the
general purpose of calling a solemn assembly is to gather the people of God
together for special time of worship in a state of purity, we also see God
sometimes using terms as “deny yourselves” or “afflict your souls” when He
calls for a holy convocation (Leviticus 23:27). These terms refer to fasting
or abstinence from food, drink, entertainment, sexual pleasure or other things
that delight the flesh. By making a deliberate effort to subjugate our body to
the dictates of the spirit at such times, we are able to devote ourselves more
fully to worshipping God during the special occasions. It’s in light of such
self-denial that the Bible in 2nd Timothy 2:21 says,
“If a man therefore purge himself from
these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s
use, and prepared unto every good work.”
Individually,
each of us is only one out of the billions of vessels available for God’s use. However, as vessels, we are each made of different kinds of resources, ranging
from precious gems like gold and silver to cheaper materials like wood and
clay. Obviously, some vessels are deployed for honourable use, while some
others are to dishonour. What is of utmost importance is the fact that the
Master will only use the best. The vessel that would be found suitable for the
Master’s use must be purged of all errors and purified from all
unrighteousness. In the Bible, purging refers to the confession and
renunciation of sin, while purification refers to the process of removing
impurities that interfere with a disciplined spiritual life. Are you interested
in having a divine encounter with the Almighty God? Would you want to be a
vessel of honour in the hands of the Master? Are you looking forward to being
prepared to every good work? Then, come ye apart in a holy convocation purge
and purify yourself so that you can become a vessel of honour in the hands of
the Almighty. As you make effort to separate yourself unto God this season, He
will find you suitable as a vessel unto honour and fill you up with His
anointing in the Name of Jesus.
Prayer Point
Father, help me to purge and purify
myself, so that I may be found suitable for Your use.
Open Heavens 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 Church in the world and also the President of Christ the
Redeemer's Ministries.
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