Grace for All

Dr. Mike grace , ,

Matthew 5:45 

…For he (God) makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

God chooses favorites. And the human race is His favorite.

Through Jesus Christ, He has inclusively brought all people together in Him as one.

Though many may ignore Him, disassociate themselves from Him, and even throw insults against Him, He still looks at us as His children because of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus gave His teaching on the love of God and how God demonstrates His love towards all, He is showing us His grace is open for all.

He wants all to know His kindness and generosity is for all of us to experience His way of life. Yet He also knows that some will choose the opposite. But still it doesn’t refrain Him from changing His character of showering us with His Grace whenever He chooses.

No one on earth has the corner market for God’s Grace. We can’t earn it through good work. We can’t control it through rituals or secret anecdotes. God gives as God chooses.

He doesn’t give out his grace only because you are a Christian. He bestows His grace on every person no matter their religion, political affiliation, nationality, ethic origin, sexual orientation, education bias, financial condition, or age.

When Jesus came walking on this planet, he hung around more with the undesirables rather than the elite, famous, or influencers of his time. His associates included women, fishermen, tax collectors, terrorists, the uneducated, and the working nobodies of the community. Yet He fed them with God’s words and teachings and gave them a taste of the Kingdom life. And yet, He also had contact with certain religious leaders and heavy market makers of his time. No one was left out.

God’ Grace is open for all.     

 

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360
Author of e-Books:

 *  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

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Copyright 2013-2020 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Grace is God’s Favor

Dr. Mike grace , ,

And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Acts 6:8

When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose… Acts 11:23

So, they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. Acts 14:3

Wherever God is, grace abounds. Grace is God’s unmerited favor upon others. Grace is God’s expression of His generosity and love for us.

Our view of grace is typically short-sighted and so often limited. We say prayer over dinner and call it grace. Others speak about God’s forgiveness of sin and call it grace. Still others receive an unexpected blessing and call it grace. How do you view grace? 

The Hebrew old Testament definition is “favor.” The Greek new Testament defines grace as “unmerited favor.” So hereafter whenever you see the word “grace” in any of my writings, you may know the general context refers to the “unearned favor from God.”

When some people speak about “karma” which is doing good and receiving a blessing in return for their action, a cause and effect relationship, they do not consider this grace but the result of the “universe” responding to their actions. The Book of Job discounts this theory. We can do everything perfectly according to God’s law of love and receive harm in return. God blesses because He chooses too; not because we earned it.

When one realizes that everything in this universe and on this planet is the result of God’s unmerited favor upon humanity, one gets a bigger picture than the religious connotations expressed within the spiritual world.

In churchie circles, grace is most often associated and limited within the context of the forgiveness of sins. Yet in the practical world grace abounds all around beyond forgiveness of sin.

For example, creation is an outcome of God’s grace.

The goodness that flows out of evil events is God’s grace in action.

The Spirit of real unity among people of differences demonstrates His grace upon us.

The changes in a person’s countenance from total self-selfishness to concern for others first is God’s grace melting the hardness of heart.

When pride is stripped away to open up a heart of humility is grace in action.

When food is place on the table to eat, think of the work of many hands coming together for the common good. The farmer planting and toiling the ground, the sun and water fertilizing and impacting the seeds; the machines and hands harvesting the crop; the truck drivers hauling the wheat and vegetables to market; the stores packaging and distributing the products for the people to purchase and prepare meals for their families; all are the byproduct of God’s grace. Without God’s approval, such could never happen. (Ever see how quickly a worldwide pandemic shuts down nations).

The business person who is on the brink of going out of business and laying off hundreds of family breadwinners receives a check at the last minute from an unexpected place to make payroll – experiences God’s grace in action.

The parent with a sickly child told by doctors there is nothing more they can do – but receives news from the nurses that the child “miraculously” woke up 100% healthy this morning.

And yes, when one’s eyes are open to capture a glimpse of God Almighty and the bountifulness of His generosity and love for us, is only His grace touching lives for His glory and our benefit.

So, remember grace comes from the central source of all creation – God. Grace is His expression of love and generosity so often expressed through the hearts and hands of people like you and me. Grace is God’s unmerited, generous favor!

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360
Author of e-Books:

 *  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-2020 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

God is Always with YOU!

Dr. Mike Journey in Christ , , ,

Zephaniah 3:17 

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Amos 5:14

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.

Isaiah 8:10

Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.

1 Chronicles 17:2

Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you.”

Exodus 3:12

And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

Genesis 21:22

At that time Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.

So many scriptures reference God’s presence in people’s lives. And the presence is so often noticed by those around them. One of the first awareness’s we come too when starting out on this journey of faith is the realization Someone is watching over you.

Circumstances and events occur outside of your control or knowledge which we come to call blessings and they reoccur over and over again. After the umpteen time, you begin to hilariously laugh praising God for the outcome.

Then there are those times when your back is against the wall; there is no easy solution and you don’t know which way to turn, when from an unexpected source a “miracle” occurs. You can’t explain it; science and logicians are dumbfounded. Yet looking back, you realize as helpless the situation you found yourself, there was an inner peace and comfort that kept assuring you everything will work out.

When you come to acknowledge God is for you and always with you, your demeanor changes. You find yourself at awe that the Creator of the universe actually wants to spend time with you. Not because of how awesome you are, but because He loves you as a grandparent loves their grandchildren.

God is working out a purpose that involves you and me. He enjoys sharing life with you and me. He gets excited as we grow and mature into the image of His Son. He has big plans for you and me. Maybe not what you may be expecting in this life, but most definitely for eternity.

Yet he knows we are only human. Born to eventually physically die.

When Adam and Eve disobeyed his one command, God didn’t abandon them. He evicted them from the Garden of Eden for their own sake. But He remain with them. He orchestrated all the human events from Abraham through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And He still is working out human events toward the culmination of all things. He has never left us nor forsaken us.

Even when misguided preachers speak about God turning his back on Jesus at the cross because of all the sins is a misnomer. God was always with him. Jesus, because of the blindness of all the sins of the world coming upon him, loss sight of God at that moment. But God was still with him. God never forsook Jesus. Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 which is the opening sentence that expresses mankind’s empty feelings when we feel God has abandon us. Yet Psalm 22 is followed by Psalm 23 which restores the confidence and faith that God is always with us.

So remember, no matter what you are going through, or how you feel about your relationship with the living God, HE is ALWAYS with YOU.   

  

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360
Author of e-Books:

 *  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-2020 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved