Wonderful Jesus!

Tag: Grace

• The Changeless Promise!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on January 25, 2021

  Galatians 3:18 – For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. NKJV

  

  the-changeless-promise_.mp3

  Most people have a childhood memory of pinky promises. Promises to be best friends forever. Promises to keep each other secrets no matter what. Promises to never date someone who your friend is interested. Promises and more promises. Yet, I can’t remember any of the promises or people I made pinky promises with. I just remember doing it.

  As humans, we can be a little sloppy with our words, making promises that we have no intentions of keeping. Or making promises we are incapable of keeping. We’ve all experienced the disappointments of broken promises. And we know all too well that the best promise from some people is no promise at all!

  I think that is why living together, without the benefit of marriage, may have come into place. It gives you that sense of, not making a forever promise, so you don’t have to worry about it when the other person leaves. I’m just guessing here, but that’s fear. Fear of being hurt, disappointed, abandoned, and no longer wanted or needed. I get it!

  The thing that has me blogging tonight is this: because our word can be so weak, and our promises even weaker, we have a tendency to think God is the same way. Thinking like this, is what causes us to live beneath our privilege in Christ; and weakens our ability to live to our fullest in Him!

  I can give you example upon example of people not keeping their word. Children go to bed hurt at night because of the parent who didn’t come by to see them or pick them up like it was promised. Spouses cry themselves to sleep because of the other one, who walked away without looking back, although they promised a forever after. Bosses promise promotion that never happens, or raises that never seem to materialize. Companies makes promises with their products that we keep buying, even when we don’t get what they promised. Politicians who run campaigns on promises that they know are unrealistic, unattainable! Don’t you just get tired of it all! And so I get how difficult it may be to trust God at His word! God has this to say about Himself in the word:

  “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?Numbers 23:19 – NKJV

  We learn about Abraham in Genesis. Abraham was brought up in a polytheistic, multiple gods, culture. He didn’t know who the one true God was, but he must have been interested in Him. One day God called out to him and made him a promise:

  Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” -Genesis 12:1-3 – NKJV

  And yet, in Galatians, Paul is still referring to the promise that God made to Abraham. Not weeks later! Not centuries later! But millennials later! Paul reminds us of the promise God made to Abraham, that we are partakers of! Everything God promised to Abraham happened. Abraham not only became a great nation, but two nations. His name is known, even today, worldwide. Today, all the families of the earth is being blessed because of the promise made to Abraham.

  God was so serious about this promise to Abraham, that it was said:

  For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” Hebrews 6:13-14 – NKJV

  That’s a strong promise! A promise made to Abraham in Genesis 22:16, when Abraham did not withhold Isaac from God on the mount. It was then that God swore by Himself saying that He would surely bless Abraham!

  Our text for today, references the inheritance that was promised to Abraham. The Greek word “kleronomia” means the actual enjoyment of the benefits already promised under the will. That’s powerful all by itself!

  Most people understand the concept of a will. Someone dies and leaves us an inheritance. We all wish we were related to people who are really wealthy, so we can get just a slice of the pie! But the King of Glory, God of the Universe has decreed that we are heirs (kleronomos) with Abraham! And that doesn’t excite most people! Well, it should! I’m getting stirred as I write!

  If you follow Abraham’s life, everything wasn’t easy. As a matter of fact, he didn’t get to see all of what God had promised to him and his descendants while on earth. The reason being, the promise is still being fulfilled. Even though Abraham is no longer on the earth, God’s promise set things in motion for him and He hasn’t changed His mind about that promise. Because Abraham isn’t around to partake of it, his descendants get to enjoy the benefits of this changeless promise.

  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:29 – NKJV

  Let’s stop and think about the word promise. In the Greek it is “epangelia”. In the Vine’s dictionary we learn that:

  It frequently stands for the thing “promised,” and so signifies a gift graciously bestowed, not a pledge secured by negotiation…”

  Abraham’s only contribution to receiving this promise was to obey God’s command to leave and to go where he was led. As he did this, he demonstrated his willingness to place his trust in God. Then God blessed Abraham as he promised, and never stopped blessing him. God bestowed favor on Abraham. God bestowed riches on Abraham. God provided protection to Abraham. Every where Abraham turned, he was blessed or getting blessed. Even in his mess ups, they were turned around for his good. Because the blessing from God was upon his life!

  God’s promises to Abraham are just as available as they have always been, to the descendants of Abraham. Our part is the same as Abraham’s part was: we simply believe. We don’t have to negotiate with God, or even look for a better promise. Everything that God promised to Abraham is obtained through Christ! And those promises, called great and precious promises, better promises. are waiting for us today!

  Look at how faithful God was to His promise to Abraham. There was just no stopping that blessing from happening once it was set in motion by God’s decree. God has made some pretty amazing promises to us in His word. It’s up to us to decide if we can trust His word or not! I will trust God and His unchanging promise! What about you? Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Blessing of Abraham, God’s Blessings, inheritance, Jesus | 0 Comments | Tagged Abraham, blessings, Christ, Faith, faithfulness, favor, God, God’s word, Grace, heirs, inheritance, obedience, promise, trust in God, unchanging

• Celebration Time!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on January 22, 2021

  Luke 4:18-19 -“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” NKJV

  

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  For me, it’ really been an interesting time looking at the ministry of Jesus through Luke 4, which is really an echo, or fulfillment, of Isaiah 61. Isaiah’s list is longer than the one Jesus read, so since Jesus stopped here, for now, so will I!

  Tonight’s blog is on the acceptable year of the Lord!

  The word acceptable, in the Greek, is “dektos”. According to the Vines, “dektos” “denote that most blessed time when salvation and free favors of God profusely abound”. This expression would have meant nothing to a Gentile in that day, but it held great significance for the Jews.

  Leviticus 25:10-12 -“And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family. That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine. For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field.” NKJV

  The year of Jubilee was significant in that it provided three major benefits: personal liberty, restoration of property, and blessings.

  In the year of Jubilee, if you were a slave you would be set free. No matter how many years were left to your bondage, you would be free! If you had to sale your property, for whatever reason, it was restored to you in the year of Jubilee. And the harvesting of the land was halted, that everyone could enjoy the fruit of the land, representing blessings or favor to all.

  The only drawback to the year of Jubilee was that it came every 50 years. So if you were in year 45 or closer to the Jubilee, I am sure that you could look forward to it and the blessings it brought. If you were at year 2 to 5, after the year of Jubilee, you might have pleasant memories. But if you went into slavery, or lost your property 10 years after Jubilee, or the year after Jubilee, the road ahead would not be filled with hope! Jesus came and announced that in Him was the fulfillment of the year of Jubilee. No more waiting for Jubilee, because Jubilee had arrived and was looking at them! It’s celebration time! But in truth, they didn’t see it that way!

  First, and foremost, He came to liberate us from the bondage of sin.

  Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness— by whose stripes you were healed. 1 Peter 2:24

  His death, burial, and resurrection provided us with liberty from that bondage. He who knew no sin, became sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

  This reconciliation of man to God, restored us to our rightful place in God, giving us an inheritance with Jesus.

  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:29 – NKJV

  Once we were made righteous, we had access to all that was Jesus’, thus all that the Father had! Every promise, every blessing, and immeasurable favor, was opened up to us! This was the best news of all! Jubilee personified! For us! Let’s celebrate!

  Two things that stood out to me in this study: Jesus is our Great Physician. Physical healing, emotional healing, mental healing, social healing…if it has a name, Jesus heals us of it! And He is our Redeemer! Salvation, deliverance, protection, reconciliation is all wrapped up in Him. The entirety of the gospel message is really encapsulated in these two truths. It’s a theme repeated over and again throughout scriptures. However we find ourselves in life, we will need Him as our Physician or our Redeemer. And we will always find Him available.

  I’ve written some pretty long posts during this study, so I’ll be brief tonight. Schambach had a saying, while he was ministering on the earth: “You don’t have any trouble! All you need is faith in God!” For some reason this saying just came to me tonight. I will say it like this: When you have trouble, of any kind, reach out with your faith to God! Jesus has paved the way with the cross and has come to give us all of Him and all of the Father!

  Let us not be like the Pharisees! Let’s recognize the truth of Jesus’ words spoken so long ago and recorded for us to have! He has fulfilled the scripture that says He is our all in all! Let’s receive Him for the truth that He is and begin to celebrate Him like never before! And then, let’s just celebrate! Celebration time, come on! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in favor, Jesus, Luke 4:18, ministry of Jesus | 0 Comments | Tagged acceptable year, Believer, blessings, encouragement, Faith, freedom, God, Grace, Healing, Jesus, ministry, reconciliation, restoration, righteousness, Salvation, slavery, Year of Jubilee

• Grace That Grows!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on November 7, 2020

  2 Peter 3:18 – “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” NKJV

  

  grace-that-grows_.mp3 (Note: I changed the title after I recorded it!)

  I’ve shared several blogs on the grace of God. If you have kept up with them, you know that I have repeatedly spoken of grace as God’s unmerited favor that cannot be earned and is not deserved. This is all true! Today I want to bring up a very important point about grace, it grows!

  In 2 Peter 3, Peter addresses several tough issues: the delay of the end times, mockers, false teachers, and the return of the Lord. He concludes this chapter by telling the believers that to be forewarned about these issues is to forearmed. Sounds like great advice! The last thing he says is that we are to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus! This verse captured my interest. So I asked myself, like an student of the word would, “If grace is given freely, because we can’t earn it, nor do we deserve it, how can we grow in it?

  It really goes back to what I have been trying to explain. Grace is powerful! The word of God talks about exceeding riches of grace and yet many believers only understand saving grace, the grace given to us to obtain salvation, and that reservations. Peter writes that we can grow in the grace of God. I believe that what he means is that we are to grow in understanding what grace is, how it operates in our lives, and experiencing it to its fullness. As we grow in grace we can’t help but grow in the knowledge of our God.

  I found an article, written by Bob Hoekstra, Grace for Knowing God. In the article he wrote:

  The more we know about the grace of God, the more we know about one of the great, great truths of our Lord God. He is a God of grace.

  Another word for grow is increase! God is a God of increase! Paul wrote a similar verse about growing in grace:

  2 Corinthians 8:7 -But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us— see that you abound in this grace also. NKJV

  In other words, we grow in everything, we should grow in grace! And in case abound needs explaining, the Merriam-Webster dictionary describes it in this manner:

  1 : to be present in large numbers or in great quantity…2 : to be copiously supplied —used with in or with…

  In our verse, abound is used with the word “in”, taking on the meaning that we are to be copiously supplied with grace. And copiously simply means “yielding something abundantly. This is such an important concept about grace. God wants us to get that His grace, His favor towards us is abundant grace! As we understand it and it expect it, we can experience it in greater abundance!

  Ephesians 1:7-8- In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, NKJV

  Even saving grace comes with abundance. Paul wrote that we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sin according to the riches of His grace. Grace abundantly forgives, and our redemption came with abundance of grace. He continues in the next verse by saying that He made this grace to abound toward us! It was given in great quantity, copiously supplied! However, if we don’t understand the extent of God’s grace, endeavor to know more about it, we cannot grow in it.

  God’s grace is a sufficient grace for all that we need and all that we experience. But God’s grace is also clearly abundant. It takes care of whatever it is released in our lives to do, and to do so lavishly. We spend far too much of our lives and our times, living on pauper grace. Just enough to get by! We think of ourselves as “dirty ole dogs”, “wretched individuals” and “unworthy sinners” when He has poured out abundant grace to us! Grace that loving embrace us into His family!

  Think of it like this, if I may try to naturalize something so supernatural. You were homeless, living on the streets, eating out of trash cans, and didn’t know if you would see tomorrow. Suddenly Bill Gates passes by and is drawn to you, for no particular reason that you know of. He walks over to you, converses with you, and invites you to dinner with him. You’re hungry as all get out, but you won’t eat with him, so you just tell him if he’ll give you a few coins, you’ll find something to eat. He says, no way! I want to take you across the street to the Hilton where I am staying tonight. I will get you a room, so you can sleep, take a warm bath, and put on some new clothes that I will have sent to your room. Then we’ll go to eat and I’ll tell you the great plans I have to help you get reestablished in life. But you refuse his assistance, because you don’t want to cause others to look at him badly, or be seen as taking advantage of his kindness, or you don’t believe that he is doing it out of the joy of giving. Whatever! But you’ll take a few dollars, and tonight eat a little better, but nothing in your life has changed. Pauper grace!

  Saints! Too often that is exactly how we treat God. I say, if God wants to do great things for us, then we should get with the program and let Him! Let Him buy me dinner, put me up in the hotel, give me a job, a car, and a house, too! Anything wants to do, and everything He wants to do, I am onboard! I am free from the drudgery of sin that I once lived in and I am more than ready to experience all that He wants to bestow upon me!! Maybe that’s why grace is on my mind!

  As I have been sheltering in place, I have had a lot of time to connect with God. I read the Bible of a loving, giving, abundant God, and I haven’t always expected abundance of grace in my life. Maybe you can say the same thing, and now you want to live differently! Well, it will start as we learn to grow in grace. As we open our eyes, our hearts, and our minds to His exceedingly abundant grace, I believe that we will begin to see it happen in our lives. I’m ready to grow in grace! How about you? Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in favor, God, Grace | 0 Comments | Tagged abound, abundance, favor, Forgiveness, God, Grace, grace of God, Paul, Peter, Salvation, Sin

• Grace Through Jesus!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on November 4, 2020

  Romans 3:24 – being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, NKJV

  

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  The topic of grace is an extensive topic. I know that I can’t exhaust it, nor can I completely cover it. But I do want to make the case for grace. It’s free, it’s precious, it’s abundant, and it’s available to every believer!

  My last blog was about grace coming through Jesus. Today, I want to tackle the truth of justification by grace through faith in Jesus. The Vine’s Dictionary explains justification in this manner:

  Justification has three distinct meanings, and seems best described comprehensively as “a concrete expression of righteousness;” it is a declaration that a person or thing is righteous…

  According to this verse, and the definition of justification, we can conclude that we are made righteous before God by His favor which He extended to us through Jesus! We were trapped in our sin with no hope of ever being set free, but God, through grace, and because of His love for us, made us righteous. In the Amplified Bible this scripture reads:

  and are being justified [declared free of the guilt of sin, made acceptable to God, and granted eternal life] as a gift by His [precious, undeserved] grace, through the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, Romans 3:24 – AMP

  It’s important to note that justification is an important reality to the believer. Each of us came to the Father burdened with sin. Some of us had so much guilt over what we had done, what we should have never done, and what we wish we could do differently. Yet, God’s grace is made available to us to even deal with the guilt of sin. That’s pretty powerful! Paul made this statement:

  Although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 1:13-14 – NKJV

  Paul had much to be ashamed of, knowing that he persecuted believers, watched Stephen get stoned to death, and declared war on the believers. And here he is saying, he obtained mercy and exceedingly abundant grace in Christ. This is probably why he could write so poetically about grace because he understood the richness of what he received from God through grace. I know of no scriptures in the Bible, off hand, where Paul repeatedly said, “I’m so sorry for what I did! I can’t believe I was so blind and persecuted people who believed in Jesus!” He saw God’s grace for what it was, a lifeline, and he hung on tightly!

  Paul wrote to the church in Rome. He reminded them that they had been justified by faith, a faith that gave them access to the grace of God:

  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2 -NKJV

  Grace must be accessed. It’s freely given, but we must believe that it is available to us and we have access to it. When we trust Jesus for salvation, grace is activated. Not just grace to be saved, but grace to be made righteous, and much more! This is clearly seen in a familiar verse, that I will share from the Amplified Bible:

  For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation]. Ephesians 2:8-9 -AMP

  God’s remarkable compassion and favor is what draws us to Christ. It’s His undeserved, gracious gift of grace that brings us to a state or place of salvation. We can’t brag about it as something we have done, because it’s as a result of His favor towards mankind, and it is free! If we don’t gain any other understanding about grace, we must realize that God gives it to us even though we don’t deserve it.

  I’ve talked with people who just won’t except God’s grace. They feel so unworthy of His grace and mercy. They believe they can never be redeemed and there is no hope for them. But this is so wrong, and my heart aches for them. Too many people are living their lives in a state of unworthiness. News flash! At one time we were unworthy.

  Paul wrote in Ephesians 2, that we were just like everybody else was, at one time in our lives. We walked according to the world and the way things were done in the world. We were more concerned about fulfilling the desires of our flesh and our mind; and we were children of wrath and sons of disobedience. Paul went on to say that at one time we were without Christ, without hope, and without God. That’s a pretty miserable place to be!

  But God’s great loved prompted Him to pour out grace and mercy, instead of judgment and punishment. He not only wants to save people, but He also wants to free us of the guilt of sin, declare us righteous and free from the penalty of sin, and favor us with His glory! Embracing grace is the best thing that we can do for ourselves, and when we realize the greatness of it all, it will radically change our perspective and our relationship with God! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in favor, God, Grace, Jesus | 2 Comments | Tagged encouragemnt, Faith, favor of God, freedom, Grace, Jesus, justification, Paul, Salvation, Sin

• The Promise of Grace Fulfilled!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on November 2, 2020

  John 1:14 – And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. NKJV

  

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  I’ve been sharing about grace! It’s really been in my spirit and on my mind! In the Old Testament, God showed favor to Abraham and his descendants, His chosen people, through special attention and miraculous interventions. He elevated them, He did ridiculous and mouth opening feats before their very eyes, and caused many to have a fear and respect for His people, all because of His grace. In the New Testament, God demonstrates His Grace towards mankind, all of mankind, in the Person of Jesus Christ! Let’s get into our topic for today!

  The Logos Bible commentary defines grace in this manner:

  The unmerited favour of God, made known through Jesus Christ, and expressed supremely in the redemption and full forgiveness of sinners through faith in Jesus Christ. (Logos)

  This unmerited favor of God, through Jesus Christ, is God’s promise of grace fulfilled. If we take a look at our key verse, we see that Jesus Christ, the Word, made manifest in the flesh, came with grace and truth. He is the embodiment of God’s grace extended to all of mankind. The favor that God extended in the Old Testament, pales to the favor He extended in the person of Jesus! Many find themselves wishing they could “know” the God of the Old Testament in the same way that Abraham, Isaac, Moses, and Elisha did. However, the grace demonstrated to them in the Old Testament was only a glimpse of the grace to be poured out in the New Testament!

  Grace and mercy can be confusing to some believers. Therefore, let me share the difference of the two, in case you need clarity. Mercy is what God extends to mankind, instead of what he deserves for what he did. We are as guilty as can be in regards to sin and its punishment, but instead of giving us what we deserve, He grants us mercy. Grace, however, is what God gives us, even though we did nothing to deserve it, and can do nothing to deserve it.

  I like the way William Barclay, a theologian during the 1900s, wrote about grace in his commentary on the book of John:

  It always has the idea of something completely undeserved. It always has the idea of something that we could never have earned or achieved for ourselves. The fact that God came to earth to live and to die for men and women is not something which humanity deserved; it is an act of pure love on the part of God. The word grace emphasizes at one and the same time our own helpless poverty and God’s limitless kindness.

  Paul, in Ephesians chapter 2, expresses a similar mindset when He writes about the great love that God has for us, even when we were still in our sins. A love that caused Him to extend grace to us, to give us what we did not deserve, because He loves us so much! A love that didn’t wait for us, but a love that drew us to Him. We love Him because He first loved us! 1 John 4:19

  The Greek word for grace is “charis” and it simply means favor. I like the way the Strong’s Dictionary defines grace:

  of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude):—acceptable, benefit, favour, gift

  John wrote that when Jesus came, He came full of grace and truth. He came full of divine influence, full of benefits, full of the reflection of God’s purpose and will in the lives of humanity. No other person was an acceptable means of delivering God’s grace to mankind, so He came Himself, in the embodiment of Jesus, to give us access to His riches: salvation, peace, love, joy, hope, prosperity, strength, deliverance, and wisdom to name a few.

  John uses an interesting phrase in verse 16 of the first chapter:

  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:16-17 -NKJV

  Grace for grace. I looked the phrase up and it is said to be a poetic phrase reflective of the Greek language and culture. Simply put it means grace that is never ending. I always thought it meant, grace to receive grace, but I like this rendering just as much: never ending grace, full of wonder, full of amazement, mind boggling grace. A poetic sense of sheer loveliness. That’s what God gave us in Jesus!

  It is also said, that this phrase is more accurately rendered: grace instead of grace. How is it possible to receive grace instead of grace? The implication here is that grace varies to meet our needs. The grace I need as a young mother, I don’t need as a mother of teens, I need a new grace! The grace I need when things are well is a different grace than the grace I need when there are challenges in my life. God’s grace is not fixed in place, but it rises triumphantly to deal with every situation! Either way you understand this or interpret this, it’s all good!

  This reminds me of the situation with Paul, when he asked the Lord to take away the thorn in the flesh. It was not sickness, for Paul said it was a messenger of Satan, buffeting him. In other words, he was under extreme attack, yet again, and he asked God to remove it. But God replied:

  “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

  This is a perfect example of grace for grace, or grace instead of grace, as it reads in this commentary. I’ll have to do some more study, but I like the idea rendered, nevertheless!

  Can I just add what I thought it meant? I think I will! Grace for grace to me meant that God gives us the grace to understand His grace, and to receive His grace! We can easily understand that grace is His undeserved and unearned gift for salvation, and somehow find it difficult to believe that He wants to favor us in this life. If we are honest, we can easily justify why God would grant favor to Jesse DuPlantiss, Andrew Wommack, Bill Winston, or even our pastor, thinking that they have earned the right for His favor. If this is how we are thinking, we have already forgotten what favor is: it is unearned or undeserved!

  I have already cut this blog down, so I will stop here! I am so excited about His grace! I’ll just have to continue with some of this next time! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in favor, God, Grace, Jesus | 0 Comments | Tagged blessings, favor, favor of God, Forgiveness, God’s riches, Grace, grace of God, Jesus, Paul, Salvation

• God’s Promise of Grace!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on October 30, 2020

  Leviticus 26:9 – ‘For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you. NKJV

  

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  In my previous post, I made mention of the grace of God being distributed to the children of Israel through His favor. Again, grace means to be favored by God or to be acceptable to Him. In the Old Testament, this definition is sufficient, but in the New Testament, we will look at a more complete definition that is encapsulated in the person of Jesus Christ!

  God’s favor to the children of Israel was displayed in Exodus through preferential treatment, when He would not allow the plagues upon the Israelites that were on the Egyptians. His favor was demonstrated in divine protection, again, when He passed over them, on the night of the Passover. His favor was seen when He told them to borrow gold and silver from the Egyptians, knowing full well that He would cancel their debt. And His favor was shown when He brought them out of 430 years of bondage to have a relationship with them in the land He had promised to Abraham.

  I would be remiss to have you to think that I believe that the precious grace of God is about us being loaded with material goods. It’s not far fetched to see that His grace will bring material prosperity in our lives, but as I have already said, it is so much more!

  Our key text is taken from Leviticus, and in this verse God states that He will look on the children of Israel favorably and make them fruitful, and cause them to multiply, and confirm His covenant with them. This promise was fulfilled naturally and spiritually for them, and He wants to do the same for us!

  As they journeyed in the wilderness, it was evident that He caused them to increase. Former slaves were now warriors, artisans, worshippers, leaders! They multiplied as a people, they multiplied in influence, and they multiplied in land. Over and over again He fulfilled that promise to them because of His abundant grace. He established covenants with them to let them see how very special they were to Him. He chose them and set His love and favor upon them. And He hasn’t changed!

  Jeremiah 32:40-41 – And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.’ NKJV

  Again, God promised His favor on His people. He said that He would make an everlasting covenant with His people, and that He would not turn away from doing them good. This sounds like favor, and it sounds like God’s heart towards us. He even said that He would rejoice over His people to do them good. And if that’s not enough, He promises to plant them in the land with all of HIs heart and with all of His soul! This is some good stuff! It’s a totally different picture from the God that you probably heard about “who works in mysterious ways” or “who you never know what God will do” from religious people. For here, He promises to make an everlasting covenant of doing good to His people! And He did! That’s for another day!

  In Psalms, chapter 30, David said that God’s favor is for life! (V.5) Isn’t that amazing? God promises us His favor, to do good for us, and it’s for life! David also said that God will surround us with His favor!

  Psalm 5:11-12 – But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield. NKJV

  This all ties in together with my first blog about grace. When God speaks of grace, or when His people testify of that grace or favor, it’s always in abundance. There’s no slacking on His ability or His release of favor towards His people. He’s not stingy, nor is He withholding good things from us. Not when grace is His idea! God’s word says that His favor would surround us as a shield would surround us. That definitely sounds a lot like divine protection! I’ve seen it again and again!

  Looking at the concept of grace is eye opening. Many see grace as “carte blanche” to live life as they wish, and still be okay with God. It’s not so! Neither is it a ticket to wealth and fame and living life in self-indulgence! It’s God’s deepest desire to shower His favor on our lives, starting at the door of salvation and reaching throughout eternity. We can’t earn His grace! We don’t deserve His grace! It’s not given based on our merit! It’s given as a free gift! Maybe it’s time to move on to the gift of grace? More next time! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in favor, God, Grace | 2 Comments | Tagged blessings, carte blanche, children of Israel, favor, Grace, protection, provision, wealth

• When God Favors You!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on October 28, 2020

  Exodus 3:21 – “And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.” NKJV

  when-god-favors-you_.mp3

  We all know or have heard the account of the Exodus! Both Jews and Gentiles hold this event as an important event in their faith. However, it’s more than just a cute bible story, or a great miracle of deliverance! It’s also a powerful demonstration of what it looks like, when God favors you!

  God favored Abraham. The Bible doesn’t tell us a lot about him before God called him to go to a land that He would show to him, but we do see that God’s favor is immediately upon him. It didn’t matter where Abraham went, or what he did or didn’t do, the “chen” or grace of God was upon his life. This favor was extended to Isaac, and Jacob, and then to Joseph. All of their lives are wonderful pictures of the favor of God, but it’s their descendants that I want to focus on today.

  Joseph, Jacob’s son, was sold into slavery by his brothers. Joseph went from slavery, to prison, because he was falsely accused of attacking Potiphar’s wife. He was put in prison, and while he was in prison, God favored Joseph:

  Genesis 39:21 – But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

  God caused everything Joseph did to prosper. He ran the prison, even though he was a prisoner. The prison guard didn’t check up on him or tell him what to do. All because God gave Him favor, or chen, which is grace!

  God’s favor didn’t stop there! He had bigger things in store for Joseph. Pharaoh sent two prisoners to the prison where Joseph was in charge. They both had a dream and Joseph shared the outcome of the dreams. Later, Pharaoh had a dream, and the cupbearer, who was restored to his position, remembered Joseph. Joseph was sent for and the next thing Joseph knew, he was no longer a prisoner, but he was second in command. That’s how favor looks! Suddenly, out of nowhere, you are favored by man, because God has favored you! It causes people to look at you and wonder, “how did that happen”?

  Years went by, and Joseph, still flourishing in the land of his captivity, gets the opportunity to once again be with his family. The favor of God, that was upon him, enabled him to extend favor to his family. They were given the best land in Goshen, and were well provided for until Joseph was no longer a memory in the minds of the Egyptians. Then the descendants of those who sent Joseph into slavery, became slaves themselves.

  Approximately 430 years later, God returns to show favor upon the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He sends Moses to tell Pharaoh to let His people go! And then he tells Moses:

  “And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.”

  Before the children of Israel are delivered from Egypt, we begin to see the favor of God upon them. There are ten plagues that God puts on the Egyptians. Four of the plagues, the children of Israel endured with the Egyptians, but when the fifth plague hit, God favored His people:

  Exodus 9:4 – And the Lord will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.”’ ”

  The word favor isn’t mentioned, but the concept is still there. For the remainder of the plagues, God made a difference between what happened to the Egyptians, and what happened to His people. But He wasn’t finished yet!

  Remember, He said that He would cause the children of Israel to have favor with the Egyptians! He surely did it!

  Exodus 11:2-3 – Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.” And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.

  By this time, they could have asked the Egyptians for anything, and they would have gotten it! Not only did God give them favor with the Egyptians, but He scared them to the point of no resistance! They left Egypt filthy rich! How do I know this? In the wilderness they gave Aaron gold to make a golden calf. When asked to provide for the tabernacle they gave so much to the building of the tabernacle that Moses had to tell them to stop giving. And they still had stuff left!

  I’m telling you true, the favor of God is not like the favor of man, although His favor can give you favor with man. His favor, His “chen”, His grace, knows no bounds! It’s excessive! It’s abundant! And when God favors you, you don’t need a tee shirt to announce it! It will be evident!

  Now’s the time to dare to believe that God’s abundance of grace is more than for salvation! It’s for living! He is such an amazing God, His grace can only be amazing! I don’t have to be jealous of the children of Israel or anyone else because God has given His grace to me! And you don’t have to be jealous of me, because His grace is extended to you! We just need to trust in that truth and dare to believe God wants to display His grace in our lives. It won’t look like it did for the Israelites, but you will still recognize it; because when God favors His people, others are left gawking!Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in favor, God, Grace | 5 Comments | Tagged Abraham, favor, God, Grace, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, prison, slavery, the Exodus

• Such Wonderful Grace!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on October 26, 2020

  Genesis 6:8 – “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” NKJV

  (Photo of the Ark in The Ark Encounter Theme Park)

  such-wonderful-grace_.mp3

  Not only are we living in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, we are also living in the dispensation of grace. I believe you and I would be hard-pressed to find someone who has not heard the song, “Amazing Grace” because it’s a classic in the world. But just in case there is one:

  Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
  that saved a wretch like me,
  I once was lost, but now I’m found,
  was blind, but now I see!

  The word “grace” is first mentioned in our key text, where Moses wrote that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. There are several important events in the Bible where grace is mentioned, and through this study, over the next few blogs, I intend to take a closer look at grace, zeroing in, on the grace of God.

  The word for grace, in this verse is “chen”, the Hebrew word for favor, or, to find favor in the eyes of someone, to be acceptable to him”. If you know what happened to Noah, then you definitely understand this picture of grace.

  God was upset with the human race because all they did and thought about was sin. Genesis 6 gives us a picture of world bent on life without God. But not Noah! Noah was of a different mindset, and in that crazy world in which he lived, he stood out as one who loved God.

  From Adam to Noah, mankind lived ridiculously long lives. Noah was five hundred years old when he started having kids. We can’t imagine this, but he was probably in the prime of his life. In the book of Genesis we learn that Noah was a just man who walked with God, and according to scripture, was perfect. Therefore, he found grace, and was acceptable to God. When God had enough of the violence and corruption that filled the earth, He judged the earth and found it lacking, deciding to flood the earth and destroy it. But because of the favor that God had towards Noah, He chose to save Noah and his family from destruction.

  God, therefore, tasked Noah with building the ark. This ark would keep Noah, his family, and the animals safe from the flood. Everything else had to be destroyed. It took Noah somewhere between 55 to 75 years to build the ark, but after carefully obeying God’s instructions, the ark was complete! When God instructed Noah to build this ark, it was a tangible picture of the grace God extended to Noah. Without this ark, Noah and his family would have also perished in the flood!

  In the book of Hebrews, the writer tells us:

  By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

  Although Noah and his family were the only humans to be saved that day, God’s grace towards mankind was the bigger picture. God had condemned the world, and as such, every man, woman, boy, and girl, deserved His wrath, and thus, death; but because of His great love, mercy was extended when Noah found grace in His eyes.

  Abraham was another person in the Old Testament who found favor in the eyes of the Lord. In Genesis 18:3, Abraham said:

  “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.

  This word for favor, is the same word, “chen”, used when Noah found grace. Abraham wasn’t sure if he had found grace, but he said, “If I have…”, and the fact that the angels remained as he requested was a sign that he had found favor, or grace in the eyes of the Lord. It was during this encounter that two significant things happened. The first, was that Abraham and Sarah were told that they would soon have a son. The second, was the news about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

  Here, Abraham pleads for the mercy of God upon the city if there can be found 10 righteous souls. God obviously desired to extend His mercy, but there wasn’t even 10 in the two towns combined.

  Lot was spared because of Abraham, and because he found “favor”, but the others perished. And again, when Lot didn’t want to go to the mountains, he appealed on the basis of grace, which was extended to him.

  Three different incidents of three men who found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Lot! Abraham! Noah! Each time, God’s judgment came into play, and every time there was someone who found grace in His sight.

  God’s grace is abundant grace. The word of God speaks of it in a sense of excessive grace towards us. As I have been meditating in Ephesians, I am awed by how much Paul speaks of the grace of God, using phrases like:

  • Exceeding riches of His grace
  • Abundance of grace
  • Grace abounded
  • All grace
  • Exceeding grace
  • Glory of His grace
  • Riches of His grace
  • Gift of grace
  • According to the grace
  • Throne of grace
  • Fall short of the grace
  • Manifold grace of God

  Yet, it seems that we still have difficulty in realizing how very much God has extended His grace towards us who believe. I look forward to digging into His grace and hope you will join me in the days to come. Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in God, Grace | 0 Comments | Tagged Abraham, abundant grace, exceeding grace, God, Grace, Lot, Noah’s ark

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