"We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us." (from 1 John 3:16 NLT)
"For this is how God love the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him (Jesus) will not perish but have eternal life, (from John 3:16 NLT)
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also.Click on the above tab “Tell Me About Jesus” for more information on becoming a child of the Savior.
Content and Image Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy.
Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief.
Unless noted, scripture reference in series was taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Bible Gateway. ImageCreative Common License if not specified.
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If you are a believer in the Work of the Cross, you have probably learned there are many ways to “preach” the redemption gospel. Biblical teaching and even writing are among the most common ways to tell the message of the cross, but there are tons more!
Other methods of sharing Holy Week may be in the form of handing out gift cards, Bibles, gospel tracts and religious literature. Keeping these items in my car or purse helps me to be ready when God places an open door circumstance before my eyes.
Selling products or promoting something specific like wearing shirts and hats that have a scripture reference speak volumes when trying to convey a passion. These are always fun for me and I've had my share of lively conversations with strangers over the apparel I've often sported for a cause!
Decorating your home inside and out with a cross or sign in lights about Easter lets those who pass by know you believe Jesus is the Son of God without ever opening your mouth. At our last home my husband built a giant 12 foot cross and positioned it at the front of our property. During Holy Week it was draped with a purple cloth and anyone who drove down the surrounding streets saw our faith in action. Restrictions in our current residence do not permit us to have such a large display, however, we still have a cross in lights mounted to the house.
Watching programs and movies about Jesus such as The Passion or The Jesus Film sometimes help get a message across that can often be quite difficult, especially if you don't have all the answers to those hard questions about Christianity people frequently ask. We've shown several films in our home, and when they were over it lead to so many heartfelt conversatons including the prayer of salvation. If this is something you'd like to do, be sure to serve some great snacks and don't forget the good popcorn!
All of these ways to get the message out about God's unmerited favor for forgiveness of sins are terrific and are powerful tools to be used in the correct setting. However, did you know that individual testimonies through story telling are the most effective? It's true.
You don't have to be a preacher or bible teacher to tell someone about Jesus Christ. Simply sharing a few stories on how you learned about God can inspire people and cause them to seek out the person you call Lord.
This week believer's in Christ have a wonderful opportunity to share what it means to be "saved" by telling the events that happened in what we refer to as "Holy Week or Passion Week". Follow the footsteps of Jesus on His journey to the cross with these helpful passages from the Bible. I've listed the daily events and scriptures on the Holy Week Timeline of Events. View here.
"Go into all the world and preach the good news gospel to everyone. Anyone who believes in Me (Jesus) and is baptized will be saved, but those who refuse to believe will be condemned to hell." (from Matthew 28:16-20 and Mark 16:14-19 emphasis mine)
For those of you who haven’t come to accept Jesus, you can change that right now.God’s gift of salvation favor (grace) is free, all you have to do is receive it by faith.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
(John 3:16)
In John 11:25-26 of the Bible, Jesus spoke these words to a woman named Martha, "I Am the Resurrection and the life, He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
As a Christ follower and in obedience to the Great Commission command of my Savior, I'd pose this same question to you dear reader. Today if you put your trust in Christ; He promises to forgive and forget the past that you desperately want to leave behind.You can do it by saying this prayer sentence by sentence.
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also.Click on the above tab “Tell Me About Jesus” for more information on becoming a child of the Savior.
Content and Image Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy.
Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief.
Unless noted, scripture reference in series was taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Bible Gateway. ImageCreative Common License if not specified.
Several
months have passed since I began sowing my seeds for this year’s crop.I was intent on getting them ready even
earlier to make sure I had enough flowers for the flower competition at the county
fair.
Batch
number one was planted the first week of March and the second on the eleventh.Some seeds were mail ordered, while others
were my own.
About
now they are doing their best indoors, but truly long to be planted outside in
good soil so their roots can spread freely. Just when I think the weather is about right,
the winds come and temperatures drop back in the 40’s causing me to wait once
more on God’s perfect timing.
Be sure to read News from Fay, updates and
visit the Q & A or other
sections.
Submitting
to the Soil
For
the past few months I’ve been watching how magnificent life is through
seeds.They are truly amazing don’t you
think?
Carefully
I prepared the soil to receive these dried, lifeless, paper-like particles we
refer to as seeds.Some are as tiny as
granules of salt, yet they were designed by God to produce something.
It
reminded me of the mustard seed parable in the Bible.When planted, this particular seed begins its
life journey at only about 2 millimeters or 0.079 inches long.You wouldn’t know it by looking at the seeds
that the plant can grow up to nine feet tall.
I
was intrigued how one of our very own states, North Dakota, produces the largest crop
of mustard seeds in the USA and I never knew it!One of these days I’ve got to visit there so
I can cross it off my “places to visit” bucket list.
In
order for it to become this remarkable tree, the seed has to be changed from its
former self – a seed.The seed has to
die to being a seed so that it can become what God intended.It doesn’t have a choice of what it wants to
become, where or how it will be used.It
just has to submit when sowed in the soil in which its planted, and no longer
be its former self.
Once
plunged (submitted) into the ground and covered the transformation miraculously
begins. The tiny, paper thin, lifeless, dry seed that was held in our hand no
longer exists.At the proper time it appears
out of the ground totally different.Literally it was changed from something dead
into new life; it had to die so it could live!
Here’s
my point. If God can cause a seed to die to itself so that it transforms into
something else through submission, how marvelous is His favor toward mankind
when it came to the redemptive work of Jesus in saving the lost?God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to
die to self, submitting His earthly body to the ground to be used for His purpose, which was
to bring souls back to Him.
By
salvation through the death, burial and resurrection (rising from being dead)
of Jesus Christ, we are sown into God’s Heavenly garden as “Kingdom seeds” and
He expects us to bring a harvest.However, the only way that can happen is if we die to self so we can
become what God planted inside.You see,
the seed isn’t the final product; it’s the tool or source needed in order to
produce a desired end.
The
seed is only a vessel of something greater.It has to die (submit) so what’s inside can be born or live.When we die to self it allows God to transform
us into something more, granting the inner beauty to be birthed or raised.If we never die to self, we’ll never know what
God had planned to emerge out of us.
The
Most Difficult Prayer
Renowned
author C.S.Lewis wrote a series of “life lessons” for those of the Christian
faith, describing the temptation and failings seen through the viewpoint of the
devil (satan).It’s a dialog that we don’t
want to admit happens when it comes to denying self.
“Humans rarely pray for the thing God wants
them to pray for, they simply want enough grace (favor from Him) to see them
through some moment or time of trouble.They conjure up a vision of the future they want and appeal for that
outcome.
They persist in wrapping their anxious hands around
life’s steering wheel as if ‘it’s going to work this time if only they clutch
it more tightly.’ The most difficult prayer for us to voice is, not my will,
but Thine be done.”
Sometimes
it’s not easy to “go wherever the wind blows” as in walking with the Holy Spirit
in a direction that frankly, we don’t want to take.Our carnal nature wants things to go smoothly
without any uncomfortable circumstances.
There’s
no getting around it friends.Basically,
we want our will to be done – that’s why we prayed. If God’s gets accomplished
along the way that’s great, but Lord, don’t forget what I asked for first.
We
want life to be a breeze, with puffy clouds blowing gently among the blue, blue
skies of our uninterrupted world.Human
nature wants to compromise, but the thing is, once a seed dies it can no longer
be what it once was even if it wants to revert back to its former self.
The
fact remains, a seed will totally die if not sown because it becomes useless.Humans are God’s seeds and if we aren’t sown
into His good soil our souls will die, destined for nothingness and never
become beautiful like He intended.
Instead
of fighting against the “Wind – the Holy Spirit”, we need to prayerfully submit
and embrace the journey in which God will have us take.Dying to self is a process that requires Daily Favor
to endure, without it we’ll keep “blowing” around and never take root.When we finally grasp that concept it’s
easier to move with the Holy Spirit and minister to the needs of others, because
we are no longer obsessed with our own interests.
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit,
but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself (herself).Let each of you look out not only for his/her
own interests, but also for the interests of others.”(Philippians 2:3-4 NKJV)
How
Do I Die to Self?
I
wish there was a perfect answer to this … dying to self, but the truth is it’s
not easy.One of the hardest scriptures
that I have a difficult time with is 2 Corinthians 12:9, where God tells us
that no matter what we’re going through His grace (unmerited favor) is enough
for the situation.
“And He said to me, My grace (favor, loving-kindness and
mercy)
is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in
weakness.”
Okay
I get it - God shows Himself strong in my weakness … how does that help
me?Ah, read the last part of the verse.
“Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my
infirmities,
that the power (the Holy Spirit favor) of Christ may rest
on me.”
Not
until my weaknesses are exposed will the Spirit of God, the favor power that
blows on my life, change the “infirmities” or situations. Yes, but wouldn’t that require me to submit to the will
of God, becoming a living demonstration of Christ’s favor in order for something
good to come out of a bad thing?Of
course, it does, but thankfully we don’t have to do it alone.
The
Dirt Truth
There
is no getting away from it, the only One who can make us grow into something
amazing is God.Using the Easy to Read
version of the Bible, Paul the Apostle said in a way even a child can understand.
“Is Apollos so important? Is Paul so important?We are only servants
of God who have helped you believe.Each one of us did the work
God gave us to do.I
planted the seed and Apollos watered it.
But God is the One who made the seed grow.
So, the one who plants is not important, and the one who
waters
is not important. Only God is important, because He is the One
who makes things grow,” (1 Corinthians 3:5-7 ERV)
After
preparing the soil, the first thing I did in planning for my summer harvest was
to plant and water the seeds I was given.I did my part then God took those seeds that died to being seeds and
caused them to sprout into something different.The beautiful flowers were always there, but not in a form we could
recognize them as such.
Now
let’s transfer this into how it relates to Christian living.Each time I write an article, post something
on the internet or speak I plant seeds into others with my words.God initially gave me the “seeds” (words to
share about His truth).My part is done,
except for prayer, because I cannot force anyone to do anything with the seeds
I give/gave.
When
Paul said “Apollos watered, he meant that the words he spoke or wrote were now
being shared by someone else to keep the message alive.Without the continual watering (sharing) of
the gospel the words of Christ will die in the heart who received it.
After
the seed is sown (my part) and watered (your part) then the Holy Spirit goes
into action causing it (His Word into the heart of another) to grow into
something beautiful.When God chooses to
use us as seeds for His glory, our part is to plant and water what He has given
individually.
On
the other hand, if you are not a believer in Christ as the Only Begotten Son of
God and Risen Savior, none of this will work for you, because you haven’t received
a new spiritual heart to do the will of God in your life.Today you have been given favor by God in
reading this so your can become a child of His.It’s your choice, do you want what the Lord has prepared for you?
When
a person accepts Christ through salvation, the Lord breathes Holy Spirit power (blows
wind of eternal life into their soul) on them, and their entire concept or view
of life literally changes.It’s an
experience that causes you to seek the Will of God out of gratitude and love.
Requirement
for Growing
From
the very beginning in God’s Garden all living things were created to grow with
a specific purpose.Nothing was to
remain in the initial “seed” stage.
Do
you know the most interesting thing of all this?There is still one aspect needed for it all
to come together.You know what that is? Think about it. Wind
… yep!No kidding!
The
fourth part of making “this” (seeds dying to self, sowing, watering, growing … all of
life) work, is that none of it can happen without the favor of God through the touch of His Holy Spirit.
I’ve
been trying to move my seedlings forward into the purpose of what I intended,
but the wind has prevented that.There
are both good and bad wind breezes that affect life – human, animal and nature.
Touch test stimulated by fan wind.
Good
wind is not just beneficial, but greatly needed for all plant life to grow.When plants are seedlings the slightest
breeze moves them gently back and forth strengthening their stems.The "touch" result is that they become a hearty sturdier
plant that can withstand all types of weather if correctly cultivated.
It's the same for us. We need the touch of God's favor through His Spirit in order to fulfill the call on our lives. His mighty surrounding Wind makes us stronger so that through Him we can do all things as scripture declares.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (empowers, infuses inner strength, gives me strength and confident peace to fulfill His purpose)." (Philippians 4:13 AMP emphasis mine)
The
opposite is true with gale force, derecho winds, which come to kill steal and
destroy. Sound familiar?It should,
because those winds aren’t of God. (See John 10:10)
We
all learned this from childhood. All things living need air – oxygen to survive.Plants use the carbon dioxide from the air to
make sugars and starches which feeds them.The roots have the job of gathering water and nutrients for the plants,
but without air they wouldn’t be able to fulfill God’s purpose for them. The
same goes for people, we all need “something” to grow and it isn’t always food!
This Week's Challenge:
Letting the Self-Seed Die
Admittedly, I don't like going through the process of anything. Process for me means waiting on something or someone else, and that slows down my plans. I'm so thankful that Jesus didn't feel the same way when He died to self on the cross that we might live eternally.
What I've learned through a lifetime of "seed processes" is that they're going to come whether I like them or not, so I might as well enjoy the journey. This mindset of dying to self doesn't come easy, and can blow emotions all over the place or out of proportion if permitted.
Daily I'm reminded of how much I need God and His Holy Spirit favor in all my plans or they just won't turn out the best they could be. Maybe you have discovered the same thing. If not, here are three things that help when going through the "self-seed dying" process.
1
– Remind yourself that you are not sacrificing anything, but seeking God’s Will
when you submit to the Lord.The attitude
of your heart in obeying His Will over your own will determine if you are
sifted and tossed about in the wind, which will cancel out favor on the
situation.(Read James 1 for guidance.)
2
– Be motivated by love for Christ.Dying
to self doesn’t mean that you obey God because you’re afraid of Him, that’s
actually the opposite of loving Him.Any
results you may gain will be short-lived.
Submitting to the Will of God must be
based on our genuine love for our Savior in redeeming us from our sins when He
was crucified. (Read Romans 13:1-7; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-14 and Titus
3:1 for how to submit to God’s authority in love.)
3
– Chose mercy (favor). In other words, give
mercy (unmerited favor) to receive mercy and experience God’s blessings
(Matthew 5:7).When we’re backed into “corners
of life” the last thing we want to do is show or give someone mercy, especially
if they don’t deserve it.However, not
giving mercy will get you into worse situations with no way out from the Holy Spirit.
(Read Romans 12:8 about showing acts of mercy.)
Dying to self is a testimony that you alone can live before a world that denies God exists. Learning to submit your will is challenging, but remember what Jesus said? His sufficient grace, favor and loving-kindness are right there with you. He will supply the "Holy Spirit Wind" favor power for things to happen when the "self-serving seed" has died.
Heavenly Father,
You understand our hearts, know our needs and the root of our prayers better than we do. Our spiritual needs are more important than anything here on earth that is temporary.
With love help us to joyfully submit to Your Will that gives life meaning, purpose and fulfillment beyond anything we could ever ask or think. We are "Dying to Live" in Your Holy Spirit favor. Let Your powerful Wind move among the Body of Christ now that we might accomplish the vision that is seeded within us.
In Jesus; Name, Amen.
“Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous –
with
life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless
of
their outward conditions) are the merciful, for they shall obtain
Maybe
you don’t know the Living God that I know but would like to have this kind of
favor in your life also. Click on the above tab “Tell Me About Jesus” for more information on becoming a child of the
Savior.
Note:
Emphasis may be given in some scriptures to show clarity or understanding and
is not to take away from the inspirited Word of God.
When
used, the words satan or devil are not capitalized deliberately, because we
give him no place in our lives.
Disclaimer: Article information is not meant to be used as treatment for mental
or physical issues but is geared toward spiritual awareness.
Content
and Image Copyright from
Favored1. Do not copy.
Disclaimer
Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief.
News
from Fay, Where Faith and Favor Meet, Salvation, Favor of God,
Favor, Favored1, Daily Favor Blog, Wherever the Wind Blows, Dying to Live,
C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, Teaching Series, Obedience, Gardening, Weekly Challenge, Word Seeds, Submission, Christian Living, Humility
Dad was late getting home that night.The kids were washed up and waiting to eat
dinner, which was always at 6:00 p.m.
It was normal to wait for father before starting our evening
meals, as it was the only time we had as a family each day.Seated at the table in the dining room we saw
my father backing into the driveway from the side window.That was rather strange; why wasn’t he parking
as usual in front of the big red barn?
The creaky screen door at the back of the house closed
and we could hear my father coming up the back steps into the kitchen.Grabbing hold of my mom’s arm Dad whisked her
out of the house.
Looking over his
shoulder as he exited the room he smiled and said, “Come see
what’s in the van.”
Welcome new friends this week from:
See if your city/state/country made the list.
New on DFB – Kikinda, Serbia; Serowe, Central
District , Botswana; Latvia; South Africa; Canada; India; Philippines; Germany;
France; Australia; Kenya; United Kingdom; Singapore; Netherlands; Cambodia; Mexico.
USA – Russellville, AR; Chandler, AZ; Culver City, CA; Johnson,
FL; Mount Pleasant & Watership Downs, NC; Rosenhayn, NJ; New Kingstown, PA;
Patrick, SC; Bridge City & Nederland, TX; #Burbank, WA.
I am so happy for your visit and hope that you come back
each week to participate in the weekly challenges.God has been faithful and we expect His favor
to abound in the lives of those who chose to Journey with Jesus on Daily Favor
Blog.
You are welcome to leave comments or prayer requests below.All are private. I would love to hear from
you and how Daily Favor has worked in your life.Contact me by leaving a message in the box at
the bottom of this week’s post.
Wondering what my father brought home was exciting and
each of us got up to follow behind him in anticipation.As I pushed open the screen door I looked
around the yard, but didn’t see anything special.
Dad walked over to the Chevy step-up van and hurriedly placed
the ramp at the back of the vehicle.With the ramp in place he opened the double doors and hopped up in the
van.
It was dark inside and we couldn’t
see what he was doing.Suddenly there was
a shadow that slowly stepped into the light … it was a pony, a black pony!
We could hardly believe it as we circled the van to get a
better look at our new member of the family.Taking the lead in his hands, my father guided this shy but gentle, feeble
creature slowly down the incline.“Her name is Beauty … like in Black Beauty.”He clarified as we gathered around this
rather unbecoming looking animal.
When the pony’s feet finally touched the ground our
gladness turned quickly to sadness. With
her paper thin skin and bulging bones sticking out everywhere, the word
“beauty” was the last thing that came to mind.You could see torn flesh and scars on her back, sides and legs. The
little black pony was weak and scrawny, hardly anything to brag about to
friends.
Apparently my mother wasn’t clued in on the details of
the situation; we could tell by the way she questioned my father about how he
acquired Beauty.
“I found out that she was scheduled to be slaughtered
today if someone didn’t save her by 3:00 p.m.Seeing Beauty I knew I couldn’t let that happen, so I went to the
authorities and redeemed her life for $25.00.I didn’t want to leave her there any longer that’s why I had to bring
her home in the van.”
Dad continued to tell us the story of this sweet animal
and that she was terribly mistreated, starved and beaten.He believed that there was hope for her and
with proper care Beauty would soon live up to her name.Even though she wasn’t much to look at then,
our pony’s personality was certainly beautiful.
It wasn’t easy and took quite a long time for our latest
edition to the family to be re-born.To
a kid it seemed like forever before we would be able to ride Beauty.My Dad did everything for her and wouldn’t
let us even brush our new pony until her delicate flesh was healed.Finally the day came when she was restored,
and ready to live a life filled with love among her new family.
Although I no longer have photos of Black Beauty, the
vivid picture of her first steps into our life are forever captured in my
memory.As a child this act of mercy and
kindness was the most compassionate thing I remember my father doing.
The Story Reveals Jesus
In my prayer time I asked the Lord why He reminded me of
this childhood story, and what did it have to do with favor.Looking back on my notes from a few weeks ago
I could see how it tied in with the Easter holiday Christians celebrate.
The Bible talks about redemption or being redeemed in
both the Old and New Testaments almost sixty times.It also specifies that possessions, man and
animal may be redeemed and counted as Holy. (See Leviticus chapter 27)
When I look back at what happened the day Beauty was
redeemed from being destroyed, the details of the event reminded me of
the crucifixion of Jesus.The cost may
not be the same, but there was still a price to be paid.
Worthy of Redemption
Beauty had been redeemed from the slaughterhouse by my
Dad because she found grace and favor in his eyes.God showed me something by using my pony
story as a metaphor in several ways.
The Holy Spirit led me to various scriptures depicting
how Jesus was rejected, despised and how his flesh was torn from
beatings (much worse than what happened to Beauty).Isaiah 53 reveals some of what Christ
experienced when He was crucified on the cross at Calvary.
“Who has believed our report? … He has no form
or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire
Him.He is despised and rejected by men.
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces
from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.Surely He has borne our griefs and carried
our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He
was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
and by His stirpes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of
us all.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He
opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep
before its shearers is silent…(fromIsaiah 53 NJKV)
Our pony Black Beauty suffered great pain with being
tortured the way she was and didn’t look like anything of value, yet my father
saw something worth redeeming in her.The
metaphorical “Beauty” resembles us before we turned to Jesus and were re-born through salvation.While still in the ugliness of sin that covered
our bodies, God looked beyond our faults and saw us worth redeeming.
If a human can love someone that much, how much more does
God love us that He would show grace, kindness and mercy through the giving of
His Only Begotten Son?
Something was
missing; I still needed a connection to God's favor.
Reasons for Redemption
There
was another reason Dad redeemed that little black colt; we had a really small brown
pony that was lonely. By rescuing Beauty our family would be more complete.Now the stories were beginning to gel.
Jesus
died on the cross so the Heavenly Father’s family would be restored or
“complete.”In order for that to happen,
God’s Son had to take or receive all the sins of the world on to His flesh and
become that “ugly skin”.
The redemptive
process could take place when Jesus became the sacrifice for our sins.God would take the life of Christ as the
redeeming payment in exchange for our lives.When Jesus died, our sins were transferred to Him and erased from the
presence of God.
“I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and
like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44:22)
Christ
became our Redeemer for sin.After Jesus
died on the cross He took all the sins that were ever committed past, present
and future, and left them in Hell never again to be seen.On the third day He rose from the dead
cleansed and ascended into Heaven to be with the His Father.
That
redeeming process hasn’t stopped.God’s
family is continually being restored with every life that is redeemed by the
blood of Jesus.When we accept Jesus as
the redeeming Savior that wiped away all our sin, by grace God receives us into
His Kingdom as His children.
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written,) cursed is everyone who hangs on
a tree (cross).” (Galatians 3:13)
“[The Redeemer of Israel] But now, thus says the Lord, who created
you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed
you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)
Grace & Favor – A Gift of the Cross
I saw how the two “scenarios” could be linked together,
after all Beauty found grace through my Dad, and we have done the same through
Christ.They still didn’t connect for me
concerning favor, although I knew that grace is also used as “favor” or “mercy”
in the Bible.
We have to journey back to the beginning of the Bible (the
Torah) where we learn about the characteristics of God in order to make the
connection of favor to the cross.When
you read the word grace in the original context it is “chen” and that word is derived from the root “shoresh.”Looking at grace
as “shoresh” it means favor, mercy
and kindness.
Instead of perceiving grace as a “gift” from God, we need
to understand it as an attribute or characteristic of God as well.Not what He is, but who He is.If God “is” favor, then when Jesus died for
us He sent His favor in place of our sin.
So when we read in the Bible how people cried out for God
to be gracious to them, they were really crying out for His favor (mercy,
grace, kindness) to redeem then from whatever was happening at the time.
This information makes it easy to recognize that there is no greater act of God’s favor than the gift of
Jesus for our redemption.Salvation by
faith in Jesus’ work on the cross is a “chen” (grace, favor) gift from God as
noted in Ephesians 2:8.
“For by grace (favor – chen) you have been
saved through faith.
And this
is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8 TLV)
After my father redeemed our little black pony, he
immediately went to work caring for her and she changed totally. We could finally see
what Dad saw in her, a rare Beauty.
When we have been made clean through the redemptive power
of Jesus, God sees beauty in us even when others don’t, and from the inside we
begin to change.
The Lord Jesus believed in the power of grace and favor through
the Holy Spirit so much that He put His life on the cross to redeem us.If that’s not favor, I don’t know what is.
This Week’s Challenge:
Believe You are “Chen”
Redeemed
It’s easy for us to grasp God is love, not just God
loves.Why then can’t we believe the
same when it comes to God is favor?
God cannot help but show favor to His children, because
it is who He is.Grace - chen favor
is given to us because of the love God has for His redeemed children.
After Dad redeemed our pony she wasn’t that broken down,
battered and worn out animal any more.Something changed when he got hold of her. It’s the same with us when
Jesus takes away our sins.
When we have been “favor” (chen - grace) redeemed by Christ, praise the Lord we are no longer
what we used to be. God has removed all the chains of sin, set us free to be
His children and heirs of Jesus.
Believe that you are so valuable to God that He is
willing to redeem your life by faith through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus
Christ.He deemed you worthy to be loved,
worthy to be His child and worthy to have by His side forever!
Why does God see you as worthy?You have been
Chen Redeemed, chosen, FAVORED by
God’s overwhelming grace, mercy and lovingkindness.
Say it now – I am Chen, favored
redeemed by God.
If you haven’t accepted this grace and favor gift of the
cross, read here on how to become Favor Redeemed! It’s time you began your “Daily Favor” journey with
Jesus.
As we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ this
weekend, let these words continually flow out of your mouth with thanksgiving.
“My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to
You, and my soul,
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I
know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also.Click on the above tab “Tell Me” for more
information on becoming a child of the Savior.
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Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief.
Chevy step-up van, Chen, Redemption, Resurrection, Easter, Jesus Christ Crucified, Jesus Son of God, Torah, Blood of Jesus, Favored1, Favor of God, Daily Favor Blog
