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Short Sermon #112: THE SECRET OF GOD'S BLESSING AND FAVOR - Our most inspiring sermons of all time


"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." John 1 Verse 16 [NIV]

I am going to share with you a personal perspective on God's blessings, the way that I have decided to approach the issue for myself.

Some Christians probably take the same view, but I believe there are many who hold a different view, and that's perfectly acceptable.

There are many things that a Christian is required to do, consistent with their Christian faith. Giving in church is one of them, sacrificial giving for that matter.

We should give because we are supposed to behave exactly as our Lord did as He walked the earth. We are only good to the extent that we are like Him. If you give, you walk in the likeness of Christ. If you don't, you walk in the unlikeness of Christ. That's as simple as it can get.

I give because my mission is to be like Christ in the world. I give to make a contribution towards the Ministry of the Holy Spirit which has made me stand in this grace.

My desire is for the Word of God to reach as many people as possible, for I know from experience how important for souls this is. That's why I give, and I am totally content with it that way. 

I am however very hesitant to link God's blessings to my giving; this again is a personal choice.

For the avoidance of doubt, I do not have the strength to give to be blessed. I am however happy and content to give because God expects it of me. I view myself as somebody who is already blessed and is therefore thankful for it.

Here is my point - Jesus first gave; He sacrificed His life in order to give me the right to become a child of God. That is the biggest blessing ever, in my view, and I got it totally free of charge, without doing anything to get it! In fact, I was pleasantly surprised the moment I learnt that Jesus had done this for me!

That's why I view myself as already blessed. Through Christ, everything that belongs to God is now mine too because I now am one of the heirs.

So, as far as it relates to my life, I want to view God's blessings towards me as originating from "the fullness of His grace," just as it was at my salvation, when Christ died for me without preconditions.

Listen once more to the opening bible verse: "From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." John 1:16 [NIV]

It is from the fullness of His grace that we continue to receive one blessing after another. We receive blessings because we are His children and He is the kind of who knows what's best for His children. Parents provide for their children; they got that understanding from God.

We continue to receive abundant spiritual, physical, and material blessings from God because He cares for us. So, blessings are about Him, not about me.

Can I really 'force' a blessing out of God by some action? I do not think so! I think all I am required to do is simply acknowledge Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and walk with Him each second of my life.

How do you explain somebody who appears to be doing a lot of good works but still does not see the kind of blessings that he sought to get by such works?

How do you explain a brother or sister who just believes in the Lord, seems to be doing no work at all, but also seems to be getting one blessing after another, even more than any other Christian?

How do you explain a blessing that comes years after one has really given up on it?

It is such observations that have led me to believe that the granting of a blessing, and its timing, originate completely from God's grace.

Is this a message against giving? Of course not! Do I recommend giving? Absolutely!

Is it our works that get us a blessing? As far as I am concerned, our real 'work' is to believe in Him; it's not manual work but a work of the heart. Anything else we do beyond that only confirms that we are His children, and it is this status of being a child of God that enables us to access God's storehouse. Well, that is as far as I am concerned.

Give to God. Help fellow human beings. This I urge you. Walk well with the Lord, and His grace shall always be sufficient for you.

That's my perspective. Is this a perspective that you might consider adopting?

DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may appreciate the secret of God's blessings and favor.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for all the blessings that I enjoy in life.

I thank you for Christ, who is my greatest gift of all. As a gift, He saved me free of charge. All I simply had to do was to believe in Him.

Now that I am a member of Your household, an heir together with Christ, all that belongs to You belongs to me as well, but not of my doing, but because of the grace that brought me to salvation.

So, all I know is that I should keep believing in Jesus; I should keep the faith. And by so doing I will keep enjoying the good things from your pantry, for You are a great Father who gives only the most excellent of gifts to His children.

Help me, O God. Keep me steadfast in this faith. Hold me whenever I shiver. Continue to direct my thoughts towards things that are above. Rebuke me when I stray, for I long to devote the rest of my life fully to Your cause.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen.

You may also want to read: TITHES AND OFFERINGS MESSAGE


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