OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL FOR TEENS
SATURDAY, JUNE 22ND, 2024
TOPIC: BOUND BY LOVE
BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE & PASTOR (MRS) FOLU ADEBOYE
MEMORISE: And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? Genesis 4:9
READ: 1 John 4:20
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
MESSAGE
*"A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."* Proverbs 17:17
The Bible text above does not rule out love from friends; in fact, it says that they love always. However, some friends are rarely or never around to help when hardship comes. You cannot deny the truth in this text because it happens in the world we are living in today. My dear child, you are expected to be concerned about your siblings because, unlike friends, you share blood ties.
The Bible further says in 1 John 4:21 that if you claim to love God, you must love your brother. You cannot love God, whom you do not see physically, and hate your brother or sister with whom you share the same roof. Before you can love God and other people, you must love the people you live with your parents and siblings. It's not enough to say that you love them; show it in your actions. You can pray for them, correct them without judging them, forgive them when they offend you, look out for them, give them moral support, let them know that you hear and see them, be their confidant and best friend, et cetera.
Beloved, friends will come and go, but your family will remain the same. Do not shut your siblings out of your life; it is the love you show them that will determine how your relationship with them will look like over time. Don't be like Cain.
ACTION POINT
Make a conscious effort to improve your relationship with your siblings.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
2 Kings 3:1-4:17 Acts 14:8-28
HYMN 2 - GOD GIVE US CHRISTIAN HOMES
1. God give us Christian homes
Homes where the Bible is loved and taught
Homes where the Master's will is sought
Homes crowned with beauty Thy love has wrought
God give us Christian homes
God give us Christian homes
2. God give us Christian homes
Homes where the father is true and strong
Homes that are free from the blight of wrong
Homes that are joyous with love and song
God give us Christian homes
God give us Christian homes
3. God give us Christian homes
Homes where the mother, in queenly quest
Strives to show others Thy way is best
Homes where the Lord is an honoured guest
God give us Christian homes
God give us Christian homes
4. God give us Christian homes
Homes where the children are led to know
Christ in His beauty who loves them so
Homes where the altar fires burn and glow
God give us Christian homes
God give us Christian homes.