The Resting Place

August 31 (One-on-one with Jesus Devotional)

Topic: The Time of your Favour is NOW!

Text: 2Co 6:2 (NET) For he says, “I heard you at the acceptable time, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Look, now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation!

In the NIV, this verse is rendered ‘For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.’

It will be helpful to explain, in our consideration of today’s text, that this verse is a direct quote from Isaiah 49:8 (NIV) where the Bible says: “This is what the Lord says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances,..”

To explain the sentiment behind the quotation of this verse in 2 Cor 6:2, I would like to take us to John 5. In vs 4, the Bible says that at particular times determined only by God, an angel enters the pool in Bethesda and troubles it, and whoever jumps into that pool at that particular time would be healed and delivered of whatever was his or her sickness. There was no discrimination at all and no holding back. Once you enter at the right time, your answer is assured.

So in our text for today, God is saying, just like in the case of the pool of Bethesda, there is an existing decree, an established intention of God as prophesied is that if you will ask at a time when His favor is active, or in a period God has declared as a time of salvation, God is bound to answer you.

And here is the revelation – the Apostle says NOW, right now, is the time prophesied in Isaiah 49:8. Your faith can make THIS day and right NOW your accepted time and the time for your salvation. Your solution and salvation do not have to wait till tomorrow, you can receive it NOW. Your miracle is ready whenever you are READY to receive. Jesus has been ready for you since before now, and even now is ready and willing to make available the help that you need.

So, today I pray for you, May the light of revelation go on in your heart. May this light birth in you the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ concerning the truth in our text today. May the Spirit of the Most High produce in you those results that you need. May His hand grace your faith to arise to receive every good thing He so desires to release into your hands and life. Amen!

God bless you!

Writer: Kayode Adewakun

("One on one with Jesus" is a daily devotional for you from The Resting Place Abuja)

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August 21 (One-on-one with Jesus Devotional)

Topic: His plan, His way, is best

Text: John 21:3 (GNB) Simon Peter said to the others, "I am going fishing." "We will come with you," they told him.

The situation in our text today happened shortly after the death of Jesus on the Cross. That day, seven of Jesus’ disciples were together when Peter suddenly told the others he was going fishing, and they all followed. In itself, this decision did not seem in any way significant, for some people take joy in fishing as a hobby, often using it as a therapeutic activity to take their minds off other more stressful issues. But after reading the passage to verse 17, and seeing the play of events and the question that Jesus repeatedly asked Peter at the end, in my opinion, verse 3(a) had much more weight than it seems at first reading.

I think what happened here is that Peter, in a discouraged state, considered a return to his previous trade of fishing, which he had abandoned in the hope that something more significant had come up and he was going to be part of a greater future than he had thought. If you remember, in Luke chapter 5, he had in much excitement and conviction, made the life-changing decision to stop catching fish as a career and focus on following Jesus in the hope of now “catching men.” In my opinion, the statement in John 21:3 was not that of a man trying to remove stress by revisiting a hobby, but a man abandoning a dream because to all intents and purposes, it was over and no longer attainable. In order words Peter gave up, and the other disciples joined him to give up. They were not going fishing to relax, they were going back to work!

So, they went out in a boat, but no matter how much they tried all that night they did not catch a thing! This is what the second part of John 21:3 tells us. After 6-8 hours of serious activity, not one tiny fish found its way into their nets! Imagine the frustration! It was in this scenario that Jesus taught them the powerful lessons I believe we need to know today. Firstly, He appeared to them in that state of “backsliding”. He didn’t abandon them. Though they were not doing exactly what He wanted them to do, He never abandoned them. Beloved, the Lord is ALWAYS near to the “sincere of heart”. In fact, your mistakes never mean He will abandon you! If Jesus came and was willing to die for sinners who had no desire or knowledge of Him, do you think He will easily throw away the one that got washed in the blood and then tripped and fell? No, that will be foolish! You don’t throw away a piece of very expensive cloth just because it got a stain that you can easily remove! Why would he waste all He spent on you in the first place?

Secondly, He told them to throw the net to a particular place, and when they did, all the fish around ran into the net! All of a sudden there were fish all around! Thirdly, when they came back to the shore, the Bible said there was already a fire on the beach and fish was already being grilled on it, the fish they had spent hours trying to catch and got none, was being grilled already by a man that didn’t even have a fishing hook with him talk less of a net!

Jesus was teaching them, especially Peter a big lesson in a couple of parts. No. 1, “that job you are trying to run back to, you need me to succeed there!” No 2, “Whatever you are running to get in that place, I can give it to you without you having to run out of my will.” No 3. “What is most important in your life is what I want”, and in the case of Peter, Jesus needed him to feed His lambs. Lastly, “the only way you will be able to get the best of God is if you love Him more than any other thing!”

So, when Jesus said, “Peter, do you love me more than these?” He was asking a big question and is asking us all that same question even now. Do we love Him enough to trust our lives and future into His hands? Do we love Him enough to commit to hearing Him and follow His will for our lives? If we do this, I assure you beloved, the results will be beyond our previous plans and imagination, for as stated in Jeremiah 29:11, there is a glorious intention behind every plan and thought of God for our lives!

I pray in Jesus’ name that as you continue on your journey of loving God, His Spirit will direct you into that beautiful plan of His for your life!

Writer: Kayode Adewakun

("One on one with Jesus" is a daily devotional for you from The Resting Place Abuja)_

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