OPEN HEAVENS Devotional – Friday
September 30th 2016
TOPIC: GRACE, NOT DISGRACE
Memorize: As it is written,
Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offence: and whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Romans 9:33
Read: Psalms 23:1-6,
1 The Lord is
my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He
maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth
my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though
I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou
art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my
head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in
the house of the Lord for ever.
Bible in one year: Ezekiel 23-24, Psalms 71:1-13
MESSAGE
Grace is the favour of God to
human beings. It is the demonstration of God’s goodwill towards humankind in
the person of Jesus Christ, and the effects of that goodwill in human lives.
The word is rarely found in the Old Testament but employed frequently in the
New Testament, leading some to declare the New Testament period as the
dispensation of grace. The Christian life is completely dependent upon the
grace of God. God’s grace compensates for human weaknesses in that God shows
Himself gracious in His dealings with human beings.
John 1:16-17 says:
“And of his fullness have all
we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and
truth came by Jesus Christ.”
God’s grace is abundant (Romans
5:17). This grace is not only abundant but can be exceeding in one’s life (2nd Corinthians
9:14). Grace is one way God makes up for our short comings. Grace covers our
human frailties. Through grace, God uses our very limited strength and
resources to do the impossible. This He does by adding His own strength and
resources to ours.
With grace, your lack, limitations, and defects are fully
covered. When you have exceeding grace, it means God’s provision far exceeds
your need. Grace is in action at those times that the Holy Spirit helps
us to pray in accordance with God’s will when we do not know how to pray
(Romans 8:26-27). When you have prayed, fasted and tried without measuring up
to standard, then it is time to fall back on His grace. Grace can be accessed
at varying measures. To some people, grace may be unavailable, to some, only a
little, while some will have it in abundance, and for some others, grace will
outnumber their needs. What level of grace do you have access to? If you want
to access extreme levels of grace, do not frustrate God’s grace that is
currently available upon you, do not waste it and do not become a storage tower
of grace, but rather, be a channel of grace. Always use grace for the purpose
it is given to you. Be gracious to others. Be generous. Live a holy life. 2nd Corinthians
6:1 says:
“We then, as workers together
with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.”
God does not wish that we
receive His grace in vain; He wants us to be progressive by growing in grace.
God wants us to share His grace with others for them to taste and see that the
Lord is good. May His glory fill the earth, that His name may be praised
forever more.
Prayer Point
Father, let Your grace be
sufficient for me. Please Lord; make me a distributor of Your grace.
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