Thoughts On Favor
My heart and mind and Spirit have been stirred in the last week on account of my memory verse this first half of January. How do I expect, see, believe... God's Favor is on me? He is giving me a Faith Booster Shot!
It started back in December as I was reading and re-reading Luke 1-2 every day or so. The whole passage sparkled with life to me. I was so blessed, as it is a passage we become so familiar with as we grow up - if you celebrate Christmas in any American fashion, you cannot escape the Nativity story; seeing it with freshness is truly a testimony of God's Word being Living and Active!
One part of the narrative hit me a few days around Christmas day:
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14
The Angels were announcing the GOOD NEWS.... giving Glory to God and proclaiming to the shepherds and all mankind... HIS FAVOR RESTS ON YOU! Forgive me if this is something you have already digested and completely get but... in Christ's coming... God was saying, "I STILL LOVE YOU, LONG FOR YOU and WANT YOU TO KNOW ME!"
His gracious favor came in human flesh... knowing God is favor... knowing God is eternal life... knowing God is, is... why we were created and designed... and God isn't finished with us!
So... wow, His favor is upon us... is upon Me.
Then... i stumbled over Luke 4:18-19....
He, Christ, is saying this to us again... HE came to proclaim God's Favor to us.
This is the time... this is the season... this is the year of God's Favor!! Through Christ we know God's Favor!!! His Salvation... HIS LOVE... His death... His forgiveness... His healing... His power.... His Life... HIS FAVOR!
So... I am sitting on those verses. Through Christ... Christ IN ME... I, too, have His Spirit on ME (how amazing is that!)... thus I have His anointing... to do the Works of the Kingdom... Just Like Jesus.
"And you shall do greater works...."
What? me!!? Me? do what!? Lord... I am weak... often doubting... imperfect... selfish... small...
"Christ in You, the Hope of Glory!"
oh yeah... *smile* It's You Lord, not me! Yet It IS ME... Christ in ME... goodness, my brain can't even grasp! God leaves me speechless....
So.... I ran over Noah's story... he is the first man (as far as I can tell) that it is said... "And Noah found Favor in the eyes of the Lord..." Hmmm. In a wicked and depraved generation... Noah was one who was righteous. Does that mean he was one who loved God? Who had faith? Hmmm. Seems to be...
Favor has grabbed my attention. It has actually blown me away - He wants me to BELIEVE (the verb form of faith) His favor is on me... so that I may do greater works for Him and His Kingdom!
To Proclaim the GOOD NEWS to the poor...
To Proclaim Freedom to the Prisoners...
To tell the blind they CAN SEE...
To tell the oppressed they are no longer in bondage...
...Because, HIS FAVOR IS ON YOU!
Wow.
And if that was not enough... the Lord is injecting me with Joy over Him - which is answering my deepest desire... to Love Him More and More... because I can't do that alone. I need His Power to do... anything good.
So... He puts a novel in my hands: Heaven's Wager by Ted Dekker. Dekker brings you into the Unseen - things are NOT as they seem. We live and breath in a Spiritual World... we fight not against flesh and blood... there is an Eternal Wager here. We are God's and there is an enemy against you. It is not a game - yet in an odd heavenly way... it is a game ... and All of Heaven is watching!
You. Me.
Yes, it is exciting... "Open My eyes Lord, Help me to see the unseen...."
I love a prayer of one of the characters in this Dekker book...
"Lord, God of Heaven and Earth, help us to see what we were meant to be... and give us the Power to grasp the depth, height, breath, and width of Your Love."
Amen and Amen.
It started back in December as I was reading and re-reading Luke 1-2 every day or so. The whole passage sparkled with life to me. I was so blessed, as it is a passage we become so familiar with as we grow up - if you celebrate Christmas in any American fashion, you cannot escape the Nativity story; seeing it with freshness is truly a testimony of God's Word being Living and Active!
One part of the narrative hit me a few days around Christmas day:
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14
The Angels were announcing the GOOD NEWS.... giving Glory to God and proclaiming to the shepherds and all mankind... HIS FAVOR RESTS ON YOU! Forgive me if this is something you have already digested and completely get but... in Christ's coming... God was saying, "I STILL LOVE YOU, LONG FOR YOU and WANT YOU TO KNOW ME!"
His gracious favor came in human flesh... knowing God is favor... knowing God is eternal life... knowing God is, is... why we were created and designed... and God isn't finished with us!
So... wow, His favor is upon us... is upon Me.
Then... i stumbled over Luke 4:18-19....
He, Christ, is saying this to us again... HE came to proclaim God's Favor to us.
This is the time... this is the season... this is the year of God's Favor!! Through Christ we know God's Favor!!! His Salvation... HIS LOVE... His death... His forgiveness... His healing... His power.... His Life... HIS FAVOR!
So... I am sitting on those verses. Through Christ... Christ IN ME... I, too, have His Spirit on ME (how amazing is that!)... thus I have His anointing... to do the Works of the Kingdom... Just Like Jesus.
"And you shall do greater works...."
What? me!!? Me? do what!? Lord... I am weak... often doubting... imperfect... selfish... small...
"Christ in You, the Hope of Glory!"
oh yeah... *smile* It's You Lord, not me! Yet It IS ME... Christ in ME... goodness, my brain can't even grasp! God leaves me speechless....
So.... I ran over Noah's story... he is the first man (as far as I can tell) that it is said... "And Noah found Favor in the eyes of the Lord..." Hmmm. In a wicked and depraved generation... Noah was one who was righteous. Does that mean he was one who loved God? Who had faith? Hmmm. Seems to be...
Favor has grabbed my attention. It has actually blown me away - He wants me to BELIEVE (the verb form of faith) His favor is on me... so that I may do greater works for Him and His Kingdom!
To Proclaim the GOOD NEWS to the poor...
To Proclaim Freedom to the Prisoners...
To tell the blind they CAN SEE...
To tell the oppressed they are no longer in bondage...
...Because, HIS FAVOR IS ON YOU!
Wow.
And if that was not enough... the Lord is injecting me with Joy over Him - which is answering my deepest desire... to Love Him More and More... because I can't do that alone. I need His Power to do... anything good.
So... He puts a novel in my hands: Heaven's Wager by Ted Dekker. Dekker brings you into the Unseen - things are NOT as they seem. We live and breath in a Spiritual World... we fight not against flesh and blood... there is an Eternal Wager here. We are God's and there is an enemy against you. It is not a game - yet in an odd heavenly way... it is a game ... and All of Heaven is watching!
You. Me.
Yes, it is exciting... "Open My eyes Lord, Help me to see the unseen...."
I love a prayer of one of the characters in this Dekker book...
"Lord, God of Heaven and Earth, help us to see what we were meant to be... and give us the Power to grasp the depth, height, breath, and width of Your Love."
Amen and Amen.
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