Today we continue our series entitled, “Pursuing Grace-Based Success!”
Here are our foundational scriptures:
(Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV)
8 I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God.
9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about.
10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.
(1 Corinthians 1:30,31 NLT)
30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.
31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”
(2 Timothy 1:9 NKJV)
Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
For the last few days we have also been looking at this verse:
(3 John 2, AMP)
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.”
A few days ago, we started to walk through the passage I provided for you from Ecclesiastes 5. Let’s go back to it this morning. King Solomon, a man who had access to both divine wealth and divine wisdom, said this about wealth, health and life:
“Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past” (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 NLT).
So what does this mean for you today? A few things:
1. The purpose of God’s blessing is so you can BE a blessing to others.
Abraham is considered the “Father of faith.” God told Abraham to leave everything he knew and to go to a place he was going to show him. Abraham believed in a God he could not see (for he was an idol worshipper to that point), and he launched out in faith. God promised to BLESS Abraham. Not only that, but God promised to BLESS Abraham SO richly that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him.
I could have used Adam, as well, to illustrate this point. But the point is that our God blesses US so we can BE a blessing to others. God doesn’t have a lack or limited mindset in any way. So when he looks at us, He’s not just trying to meet our immediate needs. He blesses us so richly to where we are in a position to BE a blessing to others.
Since I taught you about David and Mephibosheth a few days ago, I’ll go back to that story to make this point.
When David found out that Jonathan had a living son, he sent for him right away. When Mephibosheth came before King David, he bowed deeply, abasing himself, honoring David. David said, “Mephibosheth.” “Yes sir,” he replied. “Don’t be frightened,” said David. “I’d like to do something special for you in memory of your father, Jonathan. To begin with, I’m returning to you all the properties of your grandfather Saul. Furthermore, from now on you’ll take all your meals at my table.” But Mephibosheth had low self-esteem at this point in his life. The former prince said, “Why should you care about me? I’m worth no more than a dead dog.” David did care about him. David was blessed by God, and he knew he was blessed TO BE a blessing. So David used what God placed in his hands (under his power) to BE a blessing to someone else.
Let’s think about this:
— While David was King of Israel, he was unquestionably and profusely blessed. He had endured long enough to SEE what God SAID. The favor of God was on his life. He was the King of a unified Israel. He was expanding his kingdom by God’s grace and power. God was with him as he conquered nation after nation. When he realized how blessed he was, instead of just thinking about himself, he thought about others. He looked for ways TO BE a blessing. This is the way we are supposed to be.
— God is not selfish. He is always looking for ways to BE a blessing to us. And when we operate with the heart of God, we live with the same mindset.
— The purpose of divine prosperity is evangelism. God blessed you richly—taking you from NOT ENOUGH, to JUST ENOUGH, to the point where you have TOO MUCH—so you can minister to others out of your overflow.
— Our God is a God of excess. Our God is a God of “more than enough.” The purpose of the excess is so you can use your overflow—of love, peace, influence, favor, and finances—to minister to others.
— If you listen to me for any period of time, you will learn how to WAIT and ENDURE long enough to receive what God has promised. But when you do, and you start walking in the blessing, just make sure you look for ways TO BE a blessing to others. The more you give, the more God will give to you.
— God wants you to be a conduit of His love and light on this planet. Once you prove to God that He can trust you to be a conduit (meaning that you won’t keep everything that comes to you), you will experience God’s blessing in ways you have never experienced before. Because at that point, God is getting things TO YOu, so He can get them THOUGH YOU!
2. You cannot manipulate God.
In the video version of yesterday’s message, I mentioned the fact that some preachers have used the Bible to manipulate people into giving them money. That’s terrible. But almost even worst than that is the mindset that has been created in the hearts of many people. Because of the way some have “twisted” scripture, some believers think of God like Santa Claus or some sort of “Sugar Daddy” that exists to give them whatever their selfish desires crave.
While I am 100% convinced that sickness and poverty are not from God, I am equally convinced that we don’t get to tell God what to do. If you got to tell God what to do, then you would be God’s God, and let me assure you that you are not. So you cannot spot a Rolls Royce and then magically say, “God, I command you to give me a Rolls Royce.” Or, “God, you said you would give me the desires of my heart. My desire is for a yacht. Therefore, I receive a yacht by faith, in Jesus’ name.”
Once again, faith is not about you telling God what to do. Faith is not about you attempting to get God to put a “yes” on your [selfish] plans. Faith is about submission and surrender. Faith is about dying to sin, self, and selfishness long enough to believe God’s plans for your life. Faith is about God attempting to get you to put a “yes” on His plans.
God will freely give you everything you need to accomplish His Kingdom plans and purposes on earth. Millions or billions are nothing to God, just as long as the resources are connected to God’s purposes. Remember, David and Solomon were billionaires, and the Lord made them rich. So, you having money is not the issue. The issue is money having you!
God is not your servant, and He is not obligated to give you everything you come up with to satisfy your selfish desires. This series is about success, and let me tell you that success is not about “stuff.” God can give you lots of stuff, and He is not opposed to you having more than enough so you can be a blessing to others. God is a God of excess and overflow. If you like someone, He will bless you richly with it, so you can enjoy it. But God just does not want you to be caught up in the “things.”
If you ever start chasing “things” instead of chasing God and His purpose, then your life will wind up in ruin. But if you chase God and not “things,” God has a way of blessing you richly with the “things” you enjoy becuase your heart is in the right place. At that point, God can trust you with excess and overflow because He knows you will use it to be a blessing to others and to glorify His name!
3. You minister to others out of your overflow.
Jesus got up every morning focused on the Father. He lived His life OPEN to do whatever the Father led Him to do that day. This led to a life of purpose and service. Jesus spent His days ministering to the needs of others. Here’s my point: Jesus could not spend His time focused on others if He was struggling personally. Jesus could focus on others because all of His needs were met, and He had more than enough of everything (peace, wisdom, grace, favor, power). So He was in a position to minister to others out of His overflow.
I will use myself as an example.
— I won’t focus on allowing God to use me TO BE a blessing to another marriage if my marriage is falling apart.
— It will be hard for me to hear from God to help someone else with their children if I am “pulling my hair out” because of my own kids.
— I probably won’t be apt or open to helping someone out financially if I cannot pay my own bills.
— Jesus ministered out of His overflow, meaning that His needs were met and He was free to be a blessing to others.
— Jesus could minister peace because He had overwhelming peace.
— He could minister love because He was love personified.
— He could minister healing because He was not sick or bedridden Himself.
Guess what? Jesus said we would do what He did and even greater works (John 14:12). That’s why God is not opposed to giving us more than we need. When we have more than we need, we are prime candidates to be used by God TO BE a blessing to others. But if you say, “All I want is enough for me.” What you are saying to God is that you are only focused on yourself. God wants to bless you TO BE a blessing, but if you are only focused on yourself, you are too selfish to see the greater opportunity for God to impact the world through you.
Part of the divine success God wants to give you is so that He can impact the world THROUGH YOU. But you will never be open to that if you are selfish!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about grace-based success.
I agree with Your Word and say, “It is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it.”
You know my heart, Father. My focus in life is to maximize the purpose and potential You have placed in me.
You bless me TO BE a blessing to others. As I pursue my purpose, You see to it that I have everything I need to accomplish Your will on earth.
I minister to others out of my overflow. I have peace in my heart, and I am able to minister peace to those who need rest.
I have love in my relationships, and I am able to minister Your love to those who are thirsty for it.
I have a sound marriage, and You bless me to minister grace and peace to marriages that are struggling.
I have the wisdom to lead and parent my children, and You bless me to share that wisdom with other parents and children.
Financially, You bless me to meet all my needs, and I am able to become a conduit through which You meet the needs of others. You use me to fund Your Kingdom projects all over this world!
Whatever You want to do through me, I say yes. I don’t selfishly just focus on myself and my family. I humbly open myself up to be used by You TO BE a blessing to others, and if that means that I need to oversee much more than what I need for myself, then I accept the assignment because You are too big a God, and my purpose is too large for me to live my life focused on JUST me, my four and no more.
I boldly declare: GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
