Anglican Daily Fountain 27 October 2023 (Devotional Today)

TOPIC: THE TRUE RELATIONSHIP

TEXT: Micah 6:1-16(KJV)
6:1. Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.
6:2. Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD’s controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel.
6:3. O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.
6:4. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
6:5. O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.

6:6. Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
6:7. Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
6:8. He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
6:9. The LORD’s voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.
6:10. Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?

6:11. Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?
6:12. For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
6:13. Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.
6:14. Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.
6:15. Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.
6:16. For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

Anglican Daily Fountain 27th October 2023 STUDY:

True religion is nothing but the enjoyment of a personal relationship with God through faith and sincere prayer. This truth is emphasised over and again in the Bible and taught in many different ways: By precept in the commandment (Deut. 6:5); by example in the life of a) Enoch who ‘walked with God’ (Gen. 5:22), b) Abraham who was called the ‘friend of God’ (James 2:23), c)King David who was known as the ‘man after God’s own heart’ (Acts 13:22). It is also taught through the recorded praises and prayers of people who had communed with God(Psa.27:4).

However, despite the above, many still reduce religion to nothing but the holding of certain beliefs, following a set of rules and regulations, performing certain rituals, observing certain days for fasting, or chanting certain prayers and by doing these, they feel most spiritual. However, they still lack the very essence of all spirituality, which is to enjoy a personal relationship with God. Often times, even Christians who already know this truth deviate and begin to concentrate on the outward forms of devotion, including church attendance, singing, praying and participation in church activities. They become content with a veneer of godliness, without experiencing the real substance and power thereof.

Some even get so fanatical about the outward forms, that the forms become more important to them than God Himself! According to Apostle Paul, they have a tremendous ‘zeal of God, but not according to knowledge’ (Rom. 10:2). To avoid this as a Christian, your primary focus must be to build a personal relationship or walk with the Lord. Without this, church attendance, payment of tithes and offerings or serving in church, will be a waste.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, may your Spirit water me continually with the Saviour’s blood that I may be fruitful, Amen.

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