Set your house in order - Open heavens devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Gal 4-6
SET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER Saturday, July 31, 2010
MEMORIZE: “But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would  come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up” (Matt. 24:43) READ: Isaiah 38:1-5 If there is one lesson God made crystal clear to me from the day of my conversion, it is the need to be ever ready for His coming. As a result, I never leave anything that can facilitate my making it to Heaven to the next day.  I have cultivated the habit of always planning ahead. If you are still procrastinating over issues that border on eternity, you are playing with fire.  Be always prepared. How? Put your house in order.  In Isaiah 38:1, when Hezekiah’s time was up, God sent prophet Isaiah to tell him to put his house in order.  This refers to securing your family against your demise. Your departure should not put your family in problems like it happened to the prophet’s widow in 2 Kings 4:1. Settle your debts. Let your family not inherit debts and liabilities. When some parents die, those left behind never have any good memory of the dead because of the untold hardship that they leave as their legacy. If you are 40 years and above, see a lawyer and draft your will. Even when you may still live up to 80 or 100 years, still do it. It is a mark of preparation. Some people are afraid that if they write their will now, that means that they are about to die. Oh, how wrong! It only means that if death comes suddenly, you and your family are already prepared. Have you written your will? Part of putting your house in order entails teaching your children basic things about God and the Christian faith which you have left undone. Consider areas you have been a bad example to them and make corrections. If you have ignored them like Eli, immediately employ the rod of correction and begin to put them back on line. Putting your house in order also means insuring your family against the scourge of poverty.  If you are poor and unable to offer something financially or materially beneficial to your family, you are not yet prepared to go. Do you have investments in their names? Have you invested in shares, stocks or real estate that could put some comfort into their life style? Proverbs 13:22 says if you can leave an inheritance that transcends your immediate family,  you are a good man. Such inheritance includes a good family name, cherished memories, godly life-style, and material things too. What legacy are you leaving behind? ACTION POINT: Within the next two weeks, see a lawyer and write your will.