Faith is a bold, living confidence in the grace of God, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life a thousand times. ~ Martin Luther
Have you ever done someone a favor? Any no-strings-attached gifts or chores? How did it feel to know that you had the power and ability to be a blessing?
Now here’s a thought. How do you think God feels when you receive grace and favor from him? Do you think that He only does things for you if you do something for Him? Can he ever earn or repay his grace?
The answer, of course, is no. He doesn’t expect it either. Even sincere gratitude from him is insufficient. You couldn’t pay him back if you tried all your life! That’s why it’s called a ‘favor’.
The definition of ‘grace’ is unmerited divine assistance. It includes approval, favor, mercy, forgiveness, and privilege. Grace is love exemplified. It was the impetus for God to send Jesus to earth. He gave the Son to him because he loved you. The Gospel (which means ‘good news’) IS The Blessing, the eternal promise of God’s grace and favor.
God has granted you a privileged status. You are his adoptive son. He named you Ambassador of his Kingdom. In addition, he has been granted the power of attorney of Jesus to use his Name, the Name above all names. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords; and you are one of the kings and lords of which He is the head. You are royalty!
Royalty has power, right and status. You are ‘sitting in heavenly places’. God told you to ‘have dominion’. All of God’s power is available to you through his Word, his grace, and his favor. To help you understand the breadth, depth, length, and height of God’s infinite Love and favor, here is a partial list of the benefits you receive through his gift of grace.
wounded grace. The Bible says that the Lord blesses you continually. That blessing is grace, the divine favor of God. The Blessing was pronounced on mankind in Genesis when God empowered man to ‘be fruitful, multiply and dominate’. Now, that doesn’t mean you’re supposed to accomplish those things. There is no difference between “Be light” and “Be fruitful.” God spoke The Blessing into existence. Fruitful IS-and he is as sure as light to any of his children that he will avail himself of The Blessing by faith.
Jesus delivered the same message everywhere he preached. He said that he came to give you ‘abundant life’ (John 10:10). Luke detailed Jesus’ announcement that he was anointed (or ‘sent’) to teach people about the gospel of deliverance, healing, recovery, and freedom (Luke 4:18), in other words, God’s grace.
Grace gives. Psalm 68 says that the Lord showers you with benefits every day! Psalm 103 lists some of those benefits: forgiveness, healing, mercy, renewed youth, and protection. All of them are gifts of God’s grace. You have already been given ‘all spiritual blessings’ and ‘all sufficiency in all things’! Psalm 37 says that He wants to give you the desires of your heart. Every promise in the Bible comes from God’s heart, from his desire to see his children prosper and be healthy-spirit, soul, and body (3 John 1:2).
Grace forgives. God not only forgives all sins (because Jesus paid the price for everything you have done or will do), but He also cleansed you from all unrighteousness. Because? So that He can enjoy his human family. God loves us and, as Heavenly Father, he wants to spend time with his family as much as we want to spend time with ours. Remember that the next time you think you’ve done something wrong. He forgave you over 2000 years ago! Even the horrendous pain of the crucifixion did not stop Jesus from speaking forgiveness to his enemies and favor to the criminals at his side.
Grace is merciful. Mercy is defined as lenient and compassionate treatment, an act of divine favor. The Bible describes God’s mercy as ‘abundant’, ‘new every morning’ and ‘from everlasting to everlasting’. Psalm 103 says that He removes your transgressions from you ‘as far as the east is from the west’ and that He no longer remembers it. Mercy holds no grudge and refrains from punishing or censuring. God treats you like it never happened. It is the eternal grace of God.
Grace gives favor. Repeatedly, the Bible says that God ‘gave favor’ or ‘showed favor’ to His people. Ephesians says that He ‘raised us up to sit in the heavenlies’. Having a place in God’s throne room is quite prestigious, don’t you think? He adopted us into his family and told us to call him ‘Abba, Father’.
You may remember photos of young John Kennedy Jr. playing under the desk in the Oval Office while his father, then President of the United States, worked. To John-John, this important man was simply ‘dad’. Well, God is your ‘dad’ and he wants to show you his favor. He told you to ‘come confidently’ and ask him for what you need (Hebrews 4:16) so that ‘you may obtain mercy and find grace to help.’ God wants to show you his favor! That is grace, love in action.
Grace strengthens. God said: My grace is enough for you, because my strength is made perfect in weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9) Whatever you need to do, God’s grace is available to help you. I remember the years when my mother was in a nursing home. It became more and more emotionally difficult to visit each day. As she drove there each morning, she continually repeated: “Your grace is enough, your grace is enough.” She strengthened my resolve to do what was necessary. And she has done it in countless situations throughout my life. Turning to God in times of weakness or need; we receive grace from him, strength and favor from him.
Grace empowers. Not only are you adopted into God’s family, He declared that you are king and priest. His divine power has given you ‘all things pertaining to life and godliness’ (2 Peter 1:3). His Word (in your mouth) is swift and powerful (Heb. 4:12).
Timothy explained that God gave you power, love, and self-control (1:7). Also, he gave you his weapons (see Ephesians 6) to defeat all your enemies. The Bible declares you victorious, more than conqueror! How’s that for power?
Grace thrives. Did you know that God ‘delights’ in your prosperity? That He gives you ‘power to get riches’? The most famous Psalm in the Bible states that your ‘cup overflows’ and that goodness and mercy follow you every day! Being plentifully stocked with no financial worries would be ‘nice’, don’t you think? 2 Corinthians 9:8 says that God makes ‘all grace abound to you’ so that you ‘may abound in every good work’. You can’t give what you don’t have. God’s grace provides the means for ‘the faithful man to abound in blessings’ (Ps. 28:20). Psalm 112 says that you will be blessed with ‘goods and riches’ in your home. Prosperity is as much a part of God’s grace as favor, forgiveness, or mercy.
Grace protects. Psalm 91 details the many protections available to those who make God their source. He says ‘certainly’ He will deliver you, he will be your refuge and strength, and nothing can harm you in any way. In addition, he promises long life and salvation from any evil.
Everything that God has ever done is the result of his great love and grace. Everything you will ever need or want is abundantly available because of that grace and favor. As you spend time meditating on God’s grace and favor, you will learn to depend on Him in all situations. That’s all He wants—that you trust Him enough to care for Him…so He can be strong on your behalf. His Word explains that He wants to spend the centuries showing you the super-great riches of his grace and goodness. He longs to hurt you abundantly!
Use your faith and the power of your words to access His grace and favor. Refuse to talk about the problem when God’s grace has already given you all the answers in His Word. Refuse to let the system of this world dictate your life. Take your place, the place He created for you. Put yourself in your power. Choose what happens because of your faith and the words you speak. Why would you choose to accept the ways of the world, when God’s grace is so much better?
Funny be to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:3)