Home »
Grace takes you from where you are in life to where God wants you to be. And may He draw you closer to Him this day, towards the accomplishment of His eternal purposes for you. Beginning as an insignificant young shepherd boy, King David experienced the loving kindness and providential care of God in his life, to see him become not just the king of the land, but a man after God’s own heart.
And this is his thankful prayer, as he acknowledges it all :
Both riches and honor come from you, and you reign over all. In your hand is power and might, and in your hand it lies to make great and give success to all. [1 Chronicles 29:12] The prayer sets forth the truth that God is the source of all riches and honor; that He is always in sovereign control, having the power to lift you up in life to bless you. Riches that come from Him, is what you need in your life; and appropriating it takes place in you as you come to know the grace of Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul writes, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you, through His poverty, may become rich. [2 Corinthians 8:9]
The greatest prosperity :
Some may find the word prosperity offensive, for they limit it to a very narrow realm of worldly riches and gain. But, in the kingdom of God, riches are more than just money and possessions. The very height of prosperity in life is having a personal relationship with God, for blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord. He is like a tree planted by the waters, and whatever he does prospers, declares the word of God.
By grace through faith :
It is the foundation for receiving anything, including enduring wealth from God. For Christ has accomplished it all on Calvary. It is His amazing grace for He died for you and I on the Cross, even when we were still sinners. Salvation is the sum total of all blessings from God. And faith is the positive response to all that grace has made available, that enables you to appropriate every blessing, every good thing from God in your life.
Grace and peace multiplied :
What grace has made available through the finished work of the Cross is 1) Peace, that is well being and wholeness, a removal of lack in your spirit, soul and body, and 2) having everything, all good things to in order to live a godly life. [2 Peter 1:2-4] And for this to be manifested in your life, Paul counsels in his letter to Timothy, Command those who are rich in this present age, not to be haughty, not to trust in uncertain riches, but in the Living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. [1 Timothy 6:17]
God desires to give you good things :
And, it is also why your trust needs to be in the right place, your eyes fixed on God, who richly supplies, and not on your money and possessions. God is not against you having them, but it is putting your trust in them that He warns against. For they are uncertain riches, that can be here today and gone tomorrow. Mary, sat at the feet of Jesus, and received an inheritance that can never be taken away from her. It is how God desires to bless you. He is a good God, who wants to give you good things for your enjoyment.
Discerning what is good:
In the post modernistic world view that now prevails, each individual asserts his right to be the king of his world and decide for himself, what to him seems good and right. But the sad truth is there is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death. [Proverbs 14:12] A strong foundation needs to be laid therefore, in defining the truth of what is good. It is a word that is used by the world very commonly, seemingly good advice that bombards you every day through the social media ! But, it is also predominantly a very confused and disillusioned world, peopled with men of darkened understanding, and listening to wrong voices can lead you into problems and difficulties.
The problem, when you decide for yourself :
It is the problem of sin, an enthroning of one’s own self, for sin is basically selfishness. It is a self oriented thinking that says, this is my life, this is my body; therefore I can decide and do what I think is good for me. It is the lie of the enemy that allows you to think that you are in control, while he is controlling you behind the scenes ! It is so very vital therefore that you and I receive the definition of what is good, from the Creator Himself, who is a good God, having nothing bad to give !
When God decides :
It is the story of creation, when God made man, blessed him to be fruitful and multiply. Then God saw everything that He had made and indeed it was very good. [Genesis 1:31] And further on, what the Lord God said was It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him. [Genesis 2:18] God decides what is good and not good. It is the plan and design of God’s creation. And when you align yourself with it, and let God be the deciding factor of what is good, surely goodness and mercy will follow you. For, what He gives to you is always good, and also remains good forever. Lean on Him therefore, and not on your own understanding, even in the minor decisions of your life. Find your rest in trusting God, and you can rejoice, knowing that He has taken care of it all for you.
You shall not eat of it… the reason :
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day you eat of it, you shall surely die. [Genesis 2:17] They were the words of God to Adam. Thus, even in the very beginning, man is instructed to trust in God, in order to know what is good and evil. But sadly, it was then, that sin entered in, warping the attitude of man, from that time onward. It is the attitude of trusting in one’s own self saying, I can decide for myself, thus rejecting the place of God in him. The truth, though is, in your life you need Christ, in order to make right decisions. And when you leave the choice, the decision to Him, He will give only the very best. You need the good God to make good decisions. Therefore
Let God be God in your life :
Let God be deciding factor, so that you may receive all the good that He has already prepared for you. Do I not have any say in any matter ?, what about my personal preferences ?, may be the questions that arise in your mind. And they are valid to an extent, for certainly God did not create you to be a robot or a machine. You have been created in the image of God, and therefore, you have a free will. And with your free will, you choose to do God’s will, in order to receive what is good and the very best for you. Otherwise the prevailing trend of thought or philosophy, or even your friend can influence you wrongly, at the cost of your own life.
Let God therefore, be the God in your life !
Sin a problem of perception :
Woe to those who call evil, good, and good, evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter ! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight ! [Isaiah 5:20,21] It is a reflection of the sin of Adam in the lives of people even today. It leads to confusion and disillusionment and a very wrong perception of good and evil in the minds and lives of people who choose to reject God, thinking that they know it all, even more than the Creator Himself ! And when God is not the deciding factor, if a crisis arises in a life of a person, there can be two reactions that are quite the extreme. One is, thinking that they know it all and falling into the control of devil; and the other extreme is, listening to each and every person’s opinion, only to wind up hopelessly confused !
1) Therefore, let God decide :
The wondrously wise course of action in any crisis or difficulty would be, to let God decide what is good and right, and walk in it. For, He will decide what is best for you, the best that He has already prepared for you. It is why the book of proverbs lays it out very clearly Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. [Proverbs 3:6]
2) For, all good things come from the Father :
Every good and perfect gift is from above; comes down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation of shifting and turning. [James 1:17] All good things come from the Father, for He has nothing bad in Him to give you. It is as simple as that. And what He gives is always totally and completely good. A good wife therefore is a good thing ! For he who finds a wife finds a good thing; and obtains favor from the Lord. [Proverbs 18:22] And His favor remains on you as you receive it with the positive response of faith, to guide you with right leading and instruction even in the stressful times of life.
Enjoyment as God defines it :
The Lord richly provides all things for your enjoyment, declares the word of God. Therefore Christians are not, and need not be killjoys, as they are generally perceived to be. The difference lies in the fact that with God, pleasure and enjoyment is connected to His eternal purposes for you. There is a meaning to your enjoyment that brings fulfillment in you.
Enjoyment as the world perceives it :
What the world means by enjoying is something very different. It is activities that are transient and unfulfilling, and more often than not, what will harm you and not benefit you in the long run. For, abusing the body or mind with what is not good for it, is what is more often than not, labeled as enjoyment by the world ! But the truth is, the power to enjoy what is true enjoyment, is in itself a gift from God. It is recorded in the word of God, ironically, by none other than King Solomon himself. For, he began so wisely in life, but only to stray away from the ways of God in his later years. And then, the man who enjoyed all the pleasures of life in ungodly ways, towards the end of his life makes a very godly observation !
The power to enjoy is a gift from God :
As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his portion and rejoice in his labor, this is the gift of God. [Ecclesiastes 5:19] Rejoicing in your labor is a gift from God. He has given you all things to enjoy, and you can do it in a godly way, as you are connected to His divine purposes which lead you to delightful pleasures in life. It will bring edification in your life, while the worldly, sensual pleasures, may seem enjoyable to start with but will ultimately end in a downward spiral of destruction.
Relationship, not need based :
Spending time in the presence of God in worship, both corporate and private, approaching Him in prayer, will all be very enjoyable when it is in a relationship with Him, and not merely need based. It will be reflected in a joy in you that can be visibly seen by others. And they will want to join you, as the psalmist says, I was glad when they said to me, let us go the house of the Lord. It is God who richly provides all things, for you to enjoy. Therefore, may your focus and your trust be solely in Him, in a loving relationship, as His beloved child. The other extreme would be when people trust in money, depending on it to meet all their needs. And, it is what Paul addresses in his letter to Timothy.
Love of money :
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from their faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves with many sorrows. [1 Timothy 6:10] When the Bible talks about money, in most places, it also, together with it mentions trusting God and being dependent on Him for the meeting of every need. And, it is all in a relationship of love, that you trust Him and depend upon Him. Loving God is, trusting Him, and being totally dependent on Him. In like manner, love of money in a person, is when his trust and sole dependency for the meeting of all his need is upon it. And, the natural consequence of it would be, a shifting of focus, from God to money. But, though money can give you lot of things in life, a deeper sense of fulfillment and peace within you, is something that money can never give. Having money and possessions in itself is not bad; but, it is when you start trusting in it, at the cost of your relationship with God, that even what is good can become bad and destructive in your life.
It is what happened in the life of King Solomon, when his focus and trust shifted away from God. Though he had everything that money can buy, and an abundance of it, everything seemed meaningless to him. And in disillusionment, he describes the futility of it all. When goods increase, they increase who eat them. So what profits have the owners, except to see them with their eyes ? [Ecclesiastes 5:11] The psalmist warns against putting your trust in it, when your riches increase. For, the heart has a natural inclination to shift in that direction when your material wealth increases.
Therefore, where is your trust ?
For, the love of money is nothing but trusting in money; and that is when you end up hurting yourself, pierced themselves with many sorrows as Paul describes. Therefore, having money in the bank, and insurance against loss of any kind, having good doctors to whom you can turn to are not wrong in themselves. But above it all, your trust needs to be in the Lord who has given it to you, who richly supplies much more than you can ask or imagine. That is what makes the difference.
And, when change happens :
When there is a change in your circumstances, when something that you never anticipated happens, if your trust has always been in God to be your primary source, you will not be shaken. You will know and rest in the knowledge that you have a Heavenly Father who knows what you need and will also provide it in your life. Those who came to you for your money and possessions will quickly disappear, when there is a downturn in your financial status ! But God came for you, when you did not have anything. And, because He came, now you have all that you need. He also teaches you, shows you what is good, that your trust may be in the right place.
He has shown you, O man, what is good :
The Lord addresses the root of all fruitfulness, as He says He has shown you O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God ? [Micah 6:8] He has shown you and I, what is good, as He defines it. And the path to receiving all the good things that he has already prepared, is by walking humbly with Him.
What does walking humbly with Him involve ?
1) The awareness of the presence of God with you, and in you :
This is the truth that will set you free. He is at my right hand, therefore, I will not be shaken are David’s words of trust and confidence. He knew that he was walking with God. And, living now in the victorious aftermath of the Cross of Calvary, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh, God is in you; He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. When you live in the awareness of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence, you will be sensitive to the prompting and leading of God, even as you give attention to it. For, to what you give your attention, you also become sensitive to. You will know primarily, that you are never ever alone, even in your darkest times. And, you can rest in God, to see all your restlessness leave, only to be replaced by a peace that is beyond understanding; it can only be experienced !
2) Constant and complete dependence on God :
This is also what is involved in walking humbly with God. It is living in the knowledge that you can do nothing apart from Him. And, you can do all things through Christ, who strengthens you. As you trust Him wholeheartedly, when you see a big challenge, you will approach it rightly. It will be in the knowledge that with Him all things are possible.
God is your strength :
Humility acknowledges one’s weakness, but never denies its strength; which is that God Himself is your strength.
And how does He make the impossible become possible ?
He uses you, who thought it was impossible, to make it possible ! And now, faith, hope and love abide; and the greatest is love, says the word of God. [1 Corinthians 13:13] When you love Him, you will trust Him. You will rest in Him, even as a tender infant, when disturbed from its slumber, goes back to sleep in the loving arms of its mother, trusting and finding rest in her loving embrace. You are even now, in the loving hand of the good God !
1) The favor of God – The good hand of the Lord upon you :
And the king granted them to me, according to the gracious and good hand of my God upon me. [Nehemiah 2:8] They are the words of Nehemiah, as he arose to fulfill the call of God upon his life, which was to rebuild the ruined walls of Jerusalem. The good hand of the Lord upon him was divine favor that granted him all that he needed to embark on his momentous journey. The favor of God will give you, what finance cannot do. And, even as Nehemiah encountered, there can be many hands against you, but hand of God upon you is more than enough for you to arise, build and conquer.
2) The blessing of God – A rich, full reward :
May the Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge. [Ruth 2:12] Trusting in God yields you a rich and full reward, a blessing beyond all your expectations. It is what happened in the life of Ruth as she gleaned in the field of Boaz, the kinsman redeemer. She did not know then, that soon she would become the owner and the mistress of that very field. As you put your trust in God, the blessing of God comes upon you. And, it is the blessing of the Lord that makes you rich; and He adds no sorrow to it. [Proverbs 10:22]
3) The grace of God – None needy among them :
And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked. [Acts 4:33,34] Trusting in God as they boldly witnessed of the Lord Jesus, the grace of God rested upon the disciples. Grace of God upon you leads you to a peace that is wholeness, a place of no lack or need. It is what the disciples experienced then. For, when you put your trust in the Almighty God, He will richly supply all that you ever need in life. Thus, though there is nothing wrong in possessing money and wealth gained in honest and godly means, the question is Where is your trust ? As you trust in God, He indeed richly supplies all for your enjoyment. And it is the blessing of God through which you enjoy it, for the edification and glorious purposes of God. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, for he lacks no good thing.
Great is His faithfulness :
In His great faithfulness, His hand has provided all that you need in life. May you continue to give thanks unto the Lord for His faithfulness, And, may you walk humbly with Him, as you love, trust and depend on Him continually, knowing that He will supply richly every good thing, that will lead to edification, enjoyment and increasing godliness in your life.
In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
