Grace Goodies (iv)

Today we continue with our study of the Grace of God, looking closely into the matter of favour, which is a part of the grace package that we have in Christ Jesus. Favour can be defined as ‘a friendly regard shown to another by God or by men’, or ‘a gracious kindness’, or ‘a compelling attractiveness that draws people towards you’, and many more. Like everything else in God’s package of grace, there are principles that govern the function of favour, and as much as God has bestowed all workings of favour upon us, we need to apply the appropriate principles to unlock it. Considering some of the spaces we are in as a church: corporate, education, and ministry – there are some lessons we can uncover from the scriptures that will allow us to grow in God’s available grace and thrive in every sector of life. Of Jesus, we read, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men” (Luke 2:52) – this is Jesus, God Himself who descended from the Father, He too needed to grow in the knowledge of all the favour He had with God and He also had to solicit the favour of men as well. Although He was God, He knew He needed the agency of men to fulfil His mandate on earth, we see Him collaborate with men time and time again and we are no different. When the Lord implored Apostle Paul to minister in a particular city, He assured him of his safety because He, God, was with him – “Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”” (Acts 18:9-10), and again when Jesus met apostle Paul on the road to Damascus, He identified Himself with men, we read that Paul “…heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:4-5). God uses men! Even in the case of apostle Paul, that while he met the Lord Himself on the road, Jesus still sent him to Ananias to recover his sight and to be baptised. 

God has prepared favour for all His children and He has no regard for one over another, but it is true that we do not all experience favour in equal proportions. This is largely due to our own perception and acceptance of the truth. In Luke 1, we read of two characters who received news of coming children: Zechariah and Mary. When the angel had given the priest the message, he doubted because of his old age and natural circumstances, even though he had made prayers unto God for a child in previous years, “And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time” (Luke 1:19-20). But when Mary asked the same question of how she would get pregnant seeing as she did not know any man, the angel responded to give her context and did not scold her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God… For with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:35-37). The reality is angels communicate to us based on our own revelation of self and the grace showered upon us by God. Mary understood that she was not only favoured, but ‘highly favoured’. So it is important to grow in this knowledge and revelation – that is the first key to unlocking the favour of God upon your life.

The second key to unlocking God’s favour is through the law of honour. Honour is the ability to recognise the grace and workings of God in the life of another. Any field and area where a man has risen to a certain level, it is not by coincidence and by chance, there has been an intentional investment made and a sacrifice – and if we too desire to be lifted in like manner, we ought to honour those people sincerely. But the problem with today’s generation, we assume everyone is our colleague and peer; we are not able to rightly discern when a man is ahead of us and can open a door for us to the next level. There is no man who can resist genuine honour, and through honour we get to partake of the level we have not reached yet and we open a door to be pulled up in the same direction. We do not only have to honour men with words, we should learn to put our money where our mouths are and put some substance to it! And if we are being honest in our assessment, every time we have lost opportunities, there are traces of dishonour we can find on the road there. It is also not only those ahead that you honour, but those around you as well – let us learn to honour one another and we will see how we gravitate towards the investment of men in our lives. Relationships are currency, and we are only one relationship away from the next level! So it is important that we be good at relationships, agreeable and a joy to be around for others. 

Another law that unlocks favour in a man’s life is the pursuit and application of excellence. We live in a world where christians are associated with mediocrity and the truth is, men will not give you opportunities and responsibility for the mere fact of you being christian. We are called to display the excellencies of our God, and if we neglect the spirit of excellence at our disposal, we will not rise to the levels that God has willed. We have the Holy Spirit who knows all things and searches even the deep things of God, we should be people of solutions and people who have a good name and reputation by way of our excellent track record. From scripture we read that, “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men” (Proverbs 22:29) – this shows us that the table of kings is not for mediocres and people who have no record of results. Joseph was excellent in Potipher’s house, and when he was imprisoned, the prison guard handed over all responsibility to him – this is not by chance, he was excellent and hard working (Genesis 39-40). We ought to be diligent and consistent, people who can be relied upon and who are not a burden to society. This is the way of the Spirit! This is why church is important, that it also builds in us consistency and discipline that will work for us in all areas of life! We have been given the wisdom to ensure our victory in this life. Hallelujah!

Prayer

Thank you Lord for your Word that makes us wise and gives us good understanding. We are equipped for effective kingdom service, Your word shows us the different keys we are to apply for the appropriation of every good thing we have in Christ Jesus! We shall never lack any good thing! We bless You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.