OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. WEDNESDAY 17 SEPTEMBER 2014

THEME : THE TESTIMONIAL CODE.
MEMORISE : Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
MATTHEW 5 : 16.
READ : MATTHEW 5 : 13 - 16.
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is
set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it
under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it
giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : JUDGES 3 : 7 - 4 : 24 &
JOB 39 : 13 - 25.
A testimonial is an official report about the
abilities, qualities and character of somebody.
It is often written by a former employer or the
head of an academic institution where the
person has studied. Sometimes, a person is
given an opportunity not because of his
credentials or qualifications, but based on his
testimonial. This is also applicable to us as
Christians. We also have a testimonial by
which we are judged. A testimonial could be
written in a coded language that only an
intending employer can decode. What may
seem harmless to you in your testimonial may
signal danger to another person reading it.
Sometime ago, I came across my own
testimonial at Ilesha Grammar School while
searching for some documents. What my
principal wrote about my character seemed like
he was prophesying because he described me
as “cool, calm and collected”. I am not quite
sure I had those qualities back then. The
qualities Jesus outlined for us in today’s Bible
reading constitute the code of our testimonial.
The Lord’s first testimony about you is that
you are a child of God. Galatians 3:26 says :
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in
Christ Jesus.”
What is said about you is your
recommendation to the world. When our
brethren applied for jobs in those days and the
employers were considering giving them
sensitive positions, they would come to the late founder of the church (The Redeemed
Christian Church of God) to get his
recommendation about the applicant. Our
father-in-the-Lord usually described the
applicant as a Christian or as a child of God. If you have sincerely given your life to Jesus, the
voice of your testimonial is that you are a child of God. The testimonial of a child of God has
special significance. We are called kings and
priests in Revelation 1: 6. A child of God is a
chosen one. He or she is a saint, a holy
person and a peculiar person, and is therefore
uniquely different. The child of God is the salt
of the earth, the arrester of decay and
preserver of what is good. As salt, you are to
be the end of corruption wherever you are.
Jesus expects us to prove Him right by living
according to His description of us. All the
descriptions and titles he bestowed on us are
guaranteed by Him. Writing a testimonial is a risk because people base their judgment on what they know about the writer of the
testimonial. Jesus demands that we prove Him
right. We should not embarrass Him or put Him to shame by living contrary to His testimonial about us. We should earn our testimonial by a life conformed to His
specifications.
PRAYER POINT :
Lord, everywhere your descriptions of me have been questioned, please forgive me.
AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE.

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