Today we will continue our series entitled “God’s Grace & Our Faith.” We are looking at The Law given under Moses vs. the Grace provided by Jesus. Our primary scriptures are John 1:14 & 17. Yesterday we also looked at 2 Peter 1:1-4. We will look at these again today.
(John 1:14 New International Version)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:17 New International Version)
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
(2 Peter 1:1-4)
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
For the past couple of days I have been focusing on this line: “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him…” I will flow in this same vein today.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Your ultimate destination (God’s overall expected end for your life) is already set.
— The Bible says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jeremiah 29:11).
— The Bible says, “God predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Ephesians 1:5).
— The Bible says, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” (Romans 8:29,30).
— The Bible says, “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.” (Proverbs 19:21).
— Predestination means a destination was set beforehand.
— Your ultimate destination in life (God’s desire for your life and where He would like you to end up) is already set. It was set by God before the world began. It was set by His grace and not your performance. Therefore, you don’t earn your divine assignment. You DISCOVER, believe, receive, and then DEPLOY into your divine purpose. You do all of this by faith!
2. Along with a pre-set destination, you were born with a pre-set path/plan to get there.
— The Bible says, “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.” (Ephesians 1:11).
— The Bible says, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:13).
— The Bible is teaching us that along with a pre-set destination, God also pre-established a plan that will get us there. Not only that, but God works with us to give us the desire to want to live our lives in accordance with His will.
— As we attempt to live a life that is pleasing in His sight, He gives us the desires (the actual desires) of our hearts (Psalm 37:4).
— God has a pre-established plan for your life, and as you walk with Him, He reveals it to you. The Bible says, “I make known the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10).
— God sets the end from the beginning and He then “makes known” what He set. Revelation is God letting you in on the plans He made for you before the world began.
— As God reveals His plans to you, the text we have been studying teaches us that grace and peace are multiplied to us. This means that the more we discover what God planned (where the text says, “the knowledge of Him”), the more grace we will be able to tap into to get it done, and the more peace we will have as we walk along with God.
— Without God’s grace, we could never do what God called us to do. Without God’s peace, we would not be settled enough (in our hearts) to wait long enough for His plans to unfold and manifest. But with grace and peace being multiplied to us, “through the knowledge of Him,” we will have both the ability and the patience to be and do all we were born to be and do!
3. All things that pertain to life and godliness have already been prepared for you, in advance, in accordance with God’s pre-set destination and plan for your life.
— God sent you to this planet with both an end-point and the path to get there in His heart.
— You have a pre-set destination, one set by God before you were born. You also have a pre-set path/plan that was laid out for you to get there. This path was laid by God Himself.
— If you were born with a pre-set destination and a pre-set plan to get there, doesn’t it stand to reason that God already made the provisions you will need beforehand as well?
— Everything you will ever need externally (for life, in this world) and everything you will ever need internally (to develop the character required to carry the weight of the anointing associated with your assignment) has already been provided. It’s already done! It’s not that God is GOING to provide. The truth is that God has already provided. Our life, then, becomes a journey of discovering what God already planned and a journey of faith that receives what God has already provided!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith.
I am learning to live by discerning. I am learning to rely less on my intellect and more on my divine instinct. I am learning to rely less on my education and more on the divine revelation You give me by Your Spirit.
You made plans for me before I was born. You set my destination before I ever took one breath. You developed a plan to get me there. You made provisions for the plan in advance. I now live by faith.
You make known to me what You planned, and I have the faith to believe, receive, and lay hold of what You have already provided! Living this way, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
