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 to you today? A few things.
1. God will minister to you the wealth you need to accomplish His divine assignment for your life.
Sometimes I think that because Jesus came for a specific purpose and His purpose did not require large amounts of money, people believe God is opposed to wealth. If you read the entire Bible objectively, you will have to come to the conclusion that God provides whatever is required for His plans and purposes. The size of the need does not matter. The larger the vision, the more provision has been stored up for it.
I will use the building of the temple in the Old Testament as an example. God told David that he was not going to build the temple. God said Solomon would. But David had a part. David received the blueprints from God, and it was also David’s job to raise the offerings required to secure the resources to build the temple. David raised billions of dollars worth of resources for this project.
(1 Chron 28:11-19)
11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for building the Temple. They included plans for the porch around the Temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper rooms, its inside rooms, and the room for the mercy-cover.
12 David had made plans for all parts of the Temple. He gave them to Solomon. David gave him all the plans for the courtyard around the Lord’s Temple and for all the rooms around it. He gave him the plans for the Temple storerooms and for the storerooms where they kept the holy things used in the Temple.
13 David told Solomon about the groups of the priests and Levites. He told Solomon about all the work of serving in the Lord’s Temple and about all the things to be used in the Temple service.
14 David told Solomon how much gold and silver should be used to make all the things to be used in the Temple. 15 There were plans for gold lamps and lampstands, and there were plans for silver lamps and lampstands. David told Solomon how much gold or silver to use for each lampstand and its lamps. The different lampstands were to be used where needed.
16 David told him how much gold should be used for each table for the holy bread and how much silver should be used for the silver tables.
17 He told Solomon how much pure gold should be used to make the forks, sprinkling bowls, and pitchers. He told him how much gold should be used to make each gold dish and how much silver should be used to make each silver dish.
18 He told him how much pure gold should be used for the altar of incense. David also gave Solomon the plans for God’s chariot—the mercy-cover with the Cherub angels spreading their wings over the Box of the Lord’s Agreement. The Cherub angels were made of gold.
19 David said, “All these plans were written with the Lord guiding me. He helped me understand everything in the plans.”
(1 Chron 29:1-1)
1 King David said to all the Israelites who were gathered together, “God chose my son Solomon. Solomon is young and does not know all that he needs to do this work. But the work is very important. This house is not for people; this house is for the Lord God.
2 I have done my best to provide what is needed for the building of my God’s Temple. I have given gold for the things made of gold. I have given silver for the things made of silver. I have given bronze for the things made of bronze. I have given iron for the things made of iron. I have given wood for the things made of wood. I have also given onyx stones for the settings, mosaic tiles, all kinds of valuable stones in many different colors, and white marble stones.
3 I am making a special gift of gold and silver things for my God’s Temple. I am doing this because I really want the Temple of my God to be built. I am giving all these things to build this holy Temple.
4 I have given 110 tons[c] of pure gold from Ophir. I have given 263 tons[d] of pure silver. The silver is for covering the walls of the buildings in the Temple.
5 I have given gold and silver for all the things made of gold and silver. I have given gold and silver so that skilled men can make all different kinds of things for the Temple. Now, how many of you Israelites are ready to give yourselves to the Lord today?”
6 The family leaders, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the generals, the captains, and the officials responsible for the king’s work, were all ready and gave their valuable things.
7 These are the things they gave for God’s house: 190 tons of gold; 375 tons of silver; 675 tons of bronze; and 3750 tons of iron.
8 People who had valuable stones gave them to the Lord’s Temple. Jehiel took care of the valuable stones. He was from the Gershon family.
9 The people were very happy because their leaders were willing to give so much. The leaders had given freely to the Lord from good hearts. King David was also very happy.
— David gave, and the people gave. In the end, billions of dollars worth of resources and materials were collected to build God’s Temple.
— Notice that God told them what materials to use, and God was not counting pennies. The cost was in the billions, and God was not moved by it.
— No matter how big the assignment and no matter how much money it will require, if it’s God’s will, then it’s God’s bill. You don’t have to come up with the money.
— Where do you think the people in this passage came up with the money? God got it TO them so that He could get it THROUGH them!
— Your job is to believe you can accomplish the assignment (even though it is bigger than you and your bank account), to believe God has already made everything you need available to you by His grace, and to pursue the assignment and the resources by faith.
2. God will minister to you the health you need to accomplish His divine assignment for your life.
— No matter how big the assignment is and no matter how long it will take, you must see yourself walking in your assignment until completion. This means you will need health and strength to live long and strong.
— When you accept God’s assignment, you should also seek to embrace the grace to get it done. Not only does this mean that you have to believe God for the resources. But it also means you must believe God for health and strength. So part of living by faith includes the diet and lifestyle choices necessary to align with God’s purpose for your life.
— Don’t allow your diet or your lifestyle to be the reason why you die before you complete your assignment.
— I am convinced that many believers have cut their lives short because of poor diet and exercise decisions.
— You only get on body. While bodily exercise is not the principal thing (becuase your spirit is more important than your body), you should not neglect the ONE BODY God gave you.
— The better you steward your body, the more energy you will have to do what God has called you to do.
— Not only is diet and exercise important, but rest is important too. You were not designed to live without rest. You must learn to get the proper rest and sufficient sleep. Without rest and sleep, your body will burn out, and at that point, God’s will is the last thing on your mind.
— God does not want you to die because you are sick. God only wants you to die when you are DONE!
3. God will minister to you the joy you need to make the journey pleasant.
— If God has given you a big assignment, then God’s purpose will require you to live long and access many resources. But He does not want you to be miserable along the way.
— God does not want you stressing over how you will get the money or how you will avoid sickness and disease. Stress will eat away at both your health and your faith.
— God wants you to be happy, healthy, and with internal peace, as you pursue His purpose.
— It is not the will of God that you pursue His assignment with fear, worry, doubt –and unbelief. These will all lead to stress, struggle, strain, and health issues.
— God wants you to pursue His assignment with belief, faith, joy, and peace. These will help you sleep well at night and have fun during the day as you enjoy your journey towards God’s expected end for your life.
4. God will minister to you the grace you need to keep moving forward.
When Solomon said, “God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past,” he meant that God does not want you to waste time looking back.
— If what is behind you is bad, then God does not want you concerned with it because He overlooked your faults when He called you by grace.
— If what is behind you is good, then God still does not want you concerned with it because some allow past victories to keep them from future successes.
— Whether good or bad, up or down, victory or defeat, God does not want your past to be your focus!
— Open your heart to the future God planned for your to have by His grace and get your hands busy on the work at hand, in your present, so God can use you for His glory. This is how you experience grace-based success! Living this way, you know the success you experience on earth is an expression of God’s love for you emanating from heaven.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about grace-based success.
You used Solomon to paint a great picture of divine success for me. I see myself the way He described.
The assignment You have given me is too big for me to accomplish on my own, and it will require more resources than what I currently have available to me. But I know it is not Your will that I stress over it.
Since the assignment is Your will, the cost is Your bill. You will see to it that I come into all the resources I need to accomplish Your will for my life at just the right time.
I also thank you for ministering divine health to me. To complete my assignment, I will need to live long and strong. I require the health and strength to do what You have called me to do, and I receive both from You by faith.
I also do my part. I make diet and lifestyle choices that line up with Your will for my life. I take care of my body and get sufficient rest.
I will not die early, and I will not die because I am sick. I will only die when I am DONE!
And Father, You bless me to keep moving forward daily and to enjoy the ride. My life is not described by stress, struggle, or strain. My life is described by belief, faith, joy, and peace. I have and enjoy life. You have given me a great assignment and the grace to succeed. GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
