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Grace takes you from where you are, to the place God wants you to be, and in the process you are blessed, while His Name is glorified. For, a life of fruitfulness that is devoid of frustration becomes yours through the outworking and manifestation of His glory in your life. There is also a path and a procedure to it that God’s word prescribes, one that involves a seeking and a pursuit of peace that is wholeness, in order to fulfill the purposes of God in your life, The one who would love life to see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil, to do what is good; let him seek peace and pursue it. [1 Peter 3:10,11]
It is the pursuit of the peace that has been accomplished on the Cross of Calvary, where the chastisement that bought us peace was laid on the sinless Lamb of God, Lord Jesus. And, how it can become yours and mine, is what the apostle Paul talks about in his letter to the Romans, in the eighth chapter, where he describes the role of the Holy Spirit in it. For, it is a mind that is governed by the Holy Spirit, that leads to life and peace. When you become a child of God, to be sealed with the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing your inheritance in Christ, with the Spirit of adoption in you, you are no longer in slavery or bondage to fear, but can call God, ‘Abba Father’, And what belongs to Christ, becomes your inheritance too, for you become joint heirs together with Him. [Romans 8:6,15] This is the authority or the right that comes to you, as a child of God, when you choose to put your trust in Lord Jesus, to be your Lord and Savior. [John 1:12]
And, it is His peace, that He gives to you, even though in the world, you will encounter tribulation or trouble. They are the very words of the Lord Himself, that come to give you encouragement and assurance, to be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world. [John 14:27] And, experiencing His peace, a peace that is beyond human comprehension, is a process in which you are steadily transformed, from one degree of glory to another, to reflect the image of Christ, here on earth, as you look upon God’s word with an unveiled face, in the power of the Holy Spirit, for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. [2 Corinthians 3:18] And, the steps that lead to it, are grace and faith.
Grace gives & faith responds:
As a child of God, it is grace that makes all that God has for you, freely available to you. And, it is also true that you receive it all from a loving God, who loves to give to you. The nature of your prayer therefore, needs to be a reflection of this truth, knowing that you need not raise your voice and clamour for what He has already made available, and wants to give to you. And, it is by faith that you receive from Him. The faith, that comes in a relationship with God as your Heavenly Father, as acknowledging your sinful condition you receive Christ as your personal Savior. The Cross takes center stage in Christianity, for it is the channel through which all that is from God flows into your life.
Grace -free and abundant:
And it is all the sheer, unmitigated grace of God. Knowing this truth concerning the sufficiency of God’s grace, is what paves the way, for the blessing of riches, or the unlimited nature of God becoming yours, in every aspect of your life, to take you from poverty or lack, to a place of riches and abundance. [2 Corinthians 8:9] But, even what is good, when there is no purpose attached to it, will quickly dwindle into vanity. It is the practical reality concerning life under the sun, or a life that is lived without a relationship with God. For, His grace abounds toward you, for a purpose, for every good work, and that is doing His will in your life. God is able to make all grace abound toward you, so that, you, having all sufficiency at all times will abound in every good work. [2 Corinthians 9:8] And His word of promise can never fail. It is the sufficiency of God’s grace that becomes yours, that you may find true fulfillment; one that comes to you, when you are in the center of His will for your life.
How does this grace abound towards you ?
It happens very much like the harvest that comes as a seed is planted or sown into the soil, a familiar picture that one can easily understand, and apply in one’s life. Grace comes to you as a seed, a word from God that you receive by faith, to sow or plant it in the soil of your heart, as an act of faith. And God causes the increase that comes out of it, an abundant provision, that brings fulfillment in your heart. Thus, prosperity will never be problematic, or a meaningless pursuit, when as a child of God, you are connected to the purposes of God, in a relationship with Him.
‘Be fruitful and multiply…’
To be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, was God’s original intended purpose of God concerning man, in creation. And it was the entrance of sin that corrupted His design for man, the crown of His creation. He still remained the unchanging God.
The blessing of God:
And above all, as He bid the first man to be fruitful, He blessed them. And therein lies the key, even in your life, even this day. For, without the blessing of God, you and I can never find fruitfulness in life, no matter how hard we try. It is all by His blessing, and there is a path to it, for God can, but He will not bypass His process. A baby may be conceived in answer to a fervent prayer, as the blessing of God, but it will take nine months for it to grow in it’s mother’s womb and be born into this world. And, in order to be fruitful in your life, He has a process, It begins as a seed, as a word that He speaks to you. And, the seed when received and planted in faith in your heart, it is He who causes the growth, the increase and multiplication, to make you increasingly fruitful.
For, the seed maybe small, and inactive when it is on the shelf, but when planted in a suitable soil, in a favorable environment, and is watered and cared for, it sprouts, grows, blooms and bears fruit, which is the ultimate potential of the seed, a fruit that has numerous seeds within it. This is the God ordained multiplication, one that comes from His hand, even in your life. In your need, to satisfy it and make you fruitful, to bear much fruit, He gives you His word, even as He supplies seed to the sower in the natural realm. And, your heart is to begin with, like a barren land, where you eat the fruit, but sow the seed in it’s soil. By doing so, you have already ensured the fruitful and plenteous yield that is to come in your future. And, it is how provision and multiplication comes from the hand of God, in your life.
Seed – the incorruptible word:
God makes you fruitful, by filling you with seed of His incorruptible word, in accordance to your need, whatever it may be. Incorruptible, for it will certainly yield fruit, accomplishing the purpose for which it has come to you. It comes as understanding of the truth and power of His word, leads to believing it in your heart, and out of the fullness of the heart your mouth confesses it in faith. The power lies in the word, the seed that He gives you, as you receive it in faith. And, it is why the word dwelling in you richly is so very vital when a life of fruitfulness, is your heart’s desire. Fruitful living becomes yours as you abide in the word of God. It is the promise of the Lord, as He says to the disciples, ‘If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you’. [John 15:7]
Blessed – for the Father is glorified:
And in the very next verse, the Lord reveals a very wondrous dimension of the blessing of fruitfulness in and upon you, ‘By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples’. [John 15:8] It is all for the Father’s glory, for to be blessed with fruitfulness was His original intended purpose in man’s creation, one that was rudely spoilt by the ugliness of sin. But, it stands restored, by the finished work of the Savior, the curse turned into a blessing of fruitfulness once again, and all because the Father loves you. And, the whole process, expressed in a simple equation, would be Grace + faith –> God’s glory manifested. It is simple and profound for, grace He gives you in abundance; and the author and finisher of your faith is Lord Jesus.
Therefore, what can stop God’s glory being displayed in your life?
Indeed, it will happen, for God wants you to be blessed in your life. But, He has a thousand ways to work it out in your life, is the thought that has to be borne in mind though. For, what is God’s glory? It is the manifestation of His power in your life, in ways that He chooses to express it. And the path that He takes may be very contrary to what you may expect. But you can rest in the blessed assurance that He will be glorified, and it will be a blessing to you. The disciples were in for a rude shock when Jesus declared His path to God’s glory, which was to give His life on the Cross! For, they were awaiting the inauguration of a political kingdom by the Lord, overthrowing the cruel Roman empire. But, God being glorified is always in ways that He chooses to do it. And by expecting and believing that He has to display His glory in one particular way, even as the disciples did, at that point of time, you only attempt in vain to put conditions and restrict the workings of the Almighty and All powerful God.
He is a good God, who wants to give you the very best in life. His ways are unsearchable though, and may be astoundingly different from mere human plans and expectations. It is why the disciples on the road to Emmaus were trudging along in deep despair, when the risen Lord joined them, to explain the scriptures to them. And, with the revelation of the glorious truth that came to them, their hearts as they recollected and recounted later, began to burn like fire in a powerful revival! Thus with a deepened relationship, and in walking closely with the Lord, you will know, that He knows the way, and the time. The Lord changed water into wine, as a sign, and exhibited God’s glory. But it was on that one glorious wedding, and it was not a rule that He followed whenever He satisfied lack in a miraculous fashion! That would be limiting the infinite God who is unlimited in His nature, and in His ways.
‘To live is Christ …’:
In a prison cell, pending judgement that could go either way, the apostle Paul was at rest knowing that whatever happened, it would be a demonstration of God’s power, resulting in God being glorified. Knowing with understanding, and believing the truth, set him free to declare,’ For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain’. [Philippians 1:21] And you and I, enjoy the same freedom when we can trust God to demonstrate His power in His way, and not necessarily in the way that we want Him to act. For, His desire is always to bless you, and through it, He is glorified. The Cross, as a blessing to you and I, and the whole world, and God’s glory, will maybe to some seem foolish and absurd. But, to those who know and understand the truth, it is the wisdom of God and the power of God. In short it is the greatest blessing of God in your life, and one by which He and He alone is glorified.
God’s glory -the different path:
‘Most assuredly I say unto you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much grain’. [John 12:24] And the Savior’s words, even on that day, pointed to the manner in which God was going to be glorified, for the greatest act of grace was, and is, the Father giving His Beloved Son to die on the Cross for the sins of the world. The greatest act of faith was, the Lord offering up His life on the Cross in a willing sacrifice of love. And, the greatest power is, and was, the resurrection power that God exerted to raise Lord Jesus from the dead, the power that works in you and I today, to lead us in victory, in a triumphal procession. It was a majestic combination of grace, faith and power which came together in the finished work of the Lord on the Cross, leading to a manifestation of the glory of God, in a manner that the world cannot and could not comprehend. But the Son of God knew that a painful trial lay ahead of Him; and He also knew that His death would not be a defeated descent into the grave; but it would be a sowing into the ground, and He is reaping even today, in the form of you and I, in bringing many sons to glory. It is to bear much fruit, that a seed needs to be sown into the soil, is what the Lord teaches, giving clarity regarding life, and the higher purpose of it, saying, ‘He who loves his life will lose it; but he who hates his life in this world, will keep it for eternal life’. [John 12:25]
Your life can be a life that is well spent,
– a life that is wasted, or,
– a life that is invested.
And, it is a life in which sowing takes place, one that is invested in the kingdom of God, that will yield much fruit, to be blessed for the Father’s glory. Fear will make you hold on to it, only to lose it. Therefore, it is when you know the power of faith that you can overcome your fear to sow it and not bury it, to see an increase from the hand of God, a blessing from Him, by which He is glorified. Christ sowed, or invested His life, as He accomplished God’s purpose on Calvary, and you are His wonderful return! And so is every child of God. He is reaping still! You and I are not called to die on Calvary today, for the Lord has paid the price, once and for all. And, it is the incorruptible, everlasting word of God that is in your hand today, in which is written concerning you and I, the unique purpose for which He has created and fashioned you. And therefore, when the word is sown in your heart, as the seed is sown by the sower, as you receive more and more of the word with faith and understanding, to believe, confess and walk in it that the blessing of fruitfulness comes in your life, even as the Father is glorified.
And, how does what Christ has sown on the Cross, connect to your life now ?
Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him, and he cannot sin because he has been born of God. [1 John 3:9] When you are born of God, the seed that is living in you is the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the Cross, and arose, conquering sin and satan. You are in Him, and He is in you. Therefore sin can no longer be your master. It cannot conquer you. You may sin, but there is a God who will lift you out of it, to bring you to the place where you were, before committing the sin. You will not stay in sin, but will overwhelmingly conquer its destructive grip on you. Therefore, if you are in a fallen condition today, do not lose heart. You have a righteous God living in you, who will lift you up, and cause you to stand on solid Rock.
For, what is sin, but missing the mark, or falling short of God’s appointed place for you ?!
But take the picture of a pole vaulter into your heart today; sometimes he runs and jumps high, and he seems to miss the mark. But then, he goes back, only to come running once more, better equipped in his approach to go soaring high, successfully clearing the high bar, that seemed insurmountable earlier! You have been born of the seed, that is Christ, the incorruptible and eternal word of God, and Christ in you, is the hope of glory. Therefore, Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I may not sin [Psalm 119:11] can be the truth that you stand upon, to declare that you will never miss your target! And again, the seed, the word in you, is the One who causes the increase, and so you will never miss a harvest. The time has come, for the children of God to be glorified. And may He demonstrate His power in the way He chooses to and manifest His glory. May He be glorified in every aspect of your life, within and without, as you receive by faith, the word that He gives you concerning your family, your finance, your work place, your church, the land of our birth, to be blessed with fruitfulness, that leads to peace, an abundant wholeness.
May your focus be upon Christ, the author and perfecter of your faith, the One who died for you and rose again and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He is the Name above every name, and you are seated together with Him. And, He is more than able to bring about a great manifestation of His power, one that will see a brilliant radiance of His glory upon your life, a transformation that can only come from Him, and in and through Him. And in humble adoration as you bow at His feet, may the response of your heart be as you offer up your life, that He would use it for His glory. May your prayer be unto the Father, that He would be glorified and magnified in your life, even as the seed, His word finds its full expression in your life, to yield much fruit. And may His blessing be upon you, that you may be fruitful and multiply, for the glory and honour of His Name.
In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
