* You can now watch a video of this message at: https://new.livestream.com/rickpina/live.
This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our new mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”. I hope you can see by now that God can provide you divine success, and He wants to do it. The challenge for many believers is trusting God and His grace. It is much easier for some to feel comfortable when they are in charge. If they are the Captain of their own ship, charting their own course, working by their own strength, and charging down their own path, then they feel comfortable because they have the control. But this reliance of self and self-effort is not the message of the New Testament at all. We are called to deny ourselves and pick up our individual crosses in order to follow Jesus (Mat 16:24). Living by faith means dying to self and relying on God and His grace.
In John’s Gospel the Apostle said, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). The Old Covenant was focused on man and man working for God. The New Covenant is focused on God and God working for man. Jesus delivered us from self and self-effort. Jesus restored God’s Covenant of grace. But to fully embrace the grace of God you must trust God and His love towards you.
In his first letter the Apostle John said, “Anyone who says, “I believe that Jesus is the Son of God,” is a person who lives in God, and God lives in that person. So we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love. God is love. Everyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them. If God’s love is made perfect in us, we can be without fear on the day when God judges the world. We will be without fear, because in this world we are like Jesus. Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love takes away fear. It is his punishment that makes a person fear. So his love is not made perfect in the one who has fear.” (1 John 4:15-18 ERV)
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. There are primarily two ways to live life: You can either depend on God’s unmerited favor or depend on your own ability to accomplish things.
2. Human strength is limited at its best. You can only go so far within your own abilities. This is why you need the grace of God.
3. True prosperity in life is found by focusing and trusting in Jesus. He made plans for you before the world began. Your prosperity is connected to your purpose. But you will never maximize your purpose or potential by your own strength. You must trust and rely on the grace of God.
4. If you don’t believe God loves you, you won’t believe His plan or His promises for your life. This is why you should remind yourself of God’s unmerited and unconditional love every day.
5. Confidence in God’s love for you is the critical to living a successful (prosperous) life as a Christian in this world.
6. When you trust in God’s love for you, you will believe His plan and His promises, and you will rely on His grace.
7. The more you mature and develop in God’s love towards you, the more you will freely access His grace, live by faith, and enjoy freedom from the power of fear.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for taking the time to teach me more and more about Your amazing grace and unconditional love for me. You loved me, even when I had nothing to do with You. You loved me while I was an unashamed sinner. You loved me before I was born and You sent Your Son Jesus to die in my place because of Your love. You did this by Your unearned grace. The more I grow and develop in love, the more I am able to access Your grace with my faith. There was a point in my life when I was the Captain of my own ship, when I charted my own course, and I lived based solely on my own strength. I now know that I could never maximize my purpose or potential living that way. I accepted Your Son Jesus as my Lord and I now freely choose to deny myself, to pick my cross, and to follow Him. Following Jesus means believing, accepting and pursuing His plan for my life. My plan is no longer the plan. I have given up my life for You, and in so doing, I have found the life You destined for me to have. I can give up control because I know You love me and I trust Your love. My trust in Your love towards me enables me to live by faith, accessing Your grace, and living free from the power of fear. Fear has no power over me, because I believe and trust in Your love. Because I know You love me, I have confidence that You will stick with me and see to it that I arrive at Your desired destination for my life. I enter this day and the rest of my life with fearless confidence, because my confidence is not in me. My confidence is in You and in Your love towards me. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
