Receiving The Favor of God

Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Today's Chapters: Jeremiah 15-17
Message Title: Receiving The Favor of God
While God is no respecter of persons, there are some Christians who seem to have the favor of God more than others. Let's face it, we are all sinners, saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Christians that receive God's favor always wonder why He chooses them because deep down they know they are only sinners saved by grace. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” - 1 Timothy 1:15,16.

God is a merciful and graceful God, He will accept the vilest sinner who seeks His Son, what He will not do is watch His people live wickedly without facing the consequences of their actions. And although judgment does come, it will not last. Through Jeremiah, God explains the reason for His actions and how anyone can be redeemed. “Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth. Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting. Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them. And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD. And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.” - Jeremiah 15:1,6,19-21.

It's simple, return to Him. Saved or not, we still face judgment for our sins. Of course, those who are saved are not subject to the judgment of eternal death, but that does not mean they will not face judgment here on earth. So many people, saved or not, make the assumption that they can do whatever they want without facing the consequences for their actions. This is wrong, every person who lives an immoral and wicked life will face the consequences for their actions. And by the way, God does not have to be the one the brings judgment, the world is very capable of doing that. “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” - Romans 1:28-32.
God promises to never leave nor forsake any person who receives His Son, but it can seem as though He has by the way we live our lives. Through Jeremiah, God tells His people that His favor will not be upon anyone who has forsaken Him. “And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God? Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law; And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me: Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour.” - Jeremiah 16:10-13.
The word favor means, kindness done to or granted toward another, it's any act of good will shown by word or deed upon someone else, it other words, it's grace. Millions of people have received God's favor of eternal life through Jesus Christ, but out of those millions there is only a small percentage that find God's favor beyond that. Why? They are not living as though they have eternal life through Jesus Christ. How can we see God blessing us if we do not remove the evil things that hold dear to our heart? “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” - Luke 6:45.

The heart apart from God is wicked and full of imagination that goes well beyond anything that God would ever want for us. Quite often, the things we go through are the cause of things that we have devised from within our heart. Through Jeremiah, God warns us about following a heart that does not have Him in it. “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” - Jeremiah 17:5-9.
No matter what we have done in the past, or even what we are doing now, there is always hope for those who have God's favor. He will let us live the way we want, He will also let us fall, but He will also be there to pick us up. When we truly seek God's favor, He will give it to us, but we must be willing to let Him show us the right way to do things. “Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.” - Proverbs 8:34-36.
Today's Prayer: God, It is comforting to know that no matter how many things I have done or will do that You will never let go of me. Lord, I do not want to be ungrateful or use Your favor for my own personal gain. Just like a house that is built on sand will fall without support, I know I will fall without Your support. I know that as long as I am living in Your will that You will give me more than I need and even desire. Lead me and guide me, keep my heart tender to hear and do what it is that You want me to do. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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