LIKE THEOPHILUS? – Sunday August 6th 2017
Memorise: Because he hath set his love
upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath
known my name. Psalm 91:14
Read: Luke 1:1-4 (KJV)
1:1 Forasmuch as many
have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which
are most surely believed among us,
1:2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which
from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
1:3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect
understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order,
most excellent Theophilus,
1:4 That thou mightest know the certainty of
those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
Bible in one year: 1st Kings
20-21, Ezekiel 20:39-49, Hymn: Sing hymn 1
MESSAGE:
The name which a
person is identified is very significant. The Jews and a good number of African
cultures attach great importance to the names they give to their children. It
is amazing that God Almighty also recognises the influence of names on the
lives of their bearers. For example, while entering into a covenant with Abram,
God changed his name to Abraham, and He gave reasons for this (Genesis 17:5).
Also, at Bethel, God changed Jacobs’s name to Israel (Genesis 32:28). The Lord Jesus
and His apostles also gave people new names (Mark 3:16-17, Acts 4:36).
In our Bible
reading today, we read about a man whose name was Theophilus. ‘Theophilus’ in
Greek means “lover of God”. It is amazing that this man loved God so much that
he earnestly sought to know about Him and His Christ. His curiosity about God
produced two of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament: the gospel
according to St. Luke and the Acts of the Apostles (Luke 1:1-3, Acts 1:1). When you
love someone, you would seek to know more about that fellow. This was exactly
the attitude of Theophilus towards God. His drive to know God more, led Luke to
write his gospel on the life of Jesus. However, his continued thirst made him
unsatisfied with just one book about Him, thereby necessitating the need for a
second book to be written by Luke, which is now referred to as the Acts of the
Apostles.
There are
several lessons we can learn from the life and attitude of Theophilus, one of
which is that in spite of his highly exalted position, Theophilus still sought
to know the truth about Jesus Christ. The Bible says you shall know the truth,
and the truth shall set you free (John 8:32). Wherever you are confronted with
an idea, be it religious or philosophical, try and find out the truth embedded
in it. Some people completely fall for some religious ideas without first
finding out their authenticity; hence, they have been deceived to believe lies.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, yearned to know more of Jesus (Philippians
3:10). If you love Jesus, you would want to know more of Him through
regular Bible study and fellowshipping with genuine Christians. The benefits of
loving God and His Christ are obvious from our memory verse. When you love God,
he will deliver you from erring from the truth (John 10:1-14). He will also
promote you because you personal relationship with Him will avail for you.
Beloved, do you love God? To what extent do you love Him? Jesus Christ, in John 14:15,
said:
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
By this
benchmark, can you say you truly love Him?
Prayer Point
Father, help me to love You as I ought to:
in deed and in truth.
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.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
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