(Read 2 Sam 9:5-10)
Today I will continue with “Faith and Patience Volume 5 – Greater is Coming!” We have been discussing Mephibosheth for a couple of days now, and we are not done yet. For years I have taught on faith. I love highlighting the faith of men and women in the Bible who held onto their expectation of God, despite seemingly impossible circumstances. I love talking about people who remained in faith for the long haul. I have been flowing in this vein all year. However, Mephibosheth’s story is a great example of the Grace of God.
Mephibosheth did not hold on, per se. He buckled under the pressures of life. He lost the grasp he once had on his dreams. I am sure that Mephibosheth, as a young prince running around the palace, dreamed of the splendor he would someday enjoy as the king of Israel. He dreamed of reigning from the throne. He imagined himself sitting where his grandfather Saul was. Whenever he sat on Saul’s lap, the young king-in-training would play around the throne, he thought he would one day command. Can you see him? Mephibosheth was only five years old when his life came crashing down.
Little Mephibosheth, no doubt, had an excitement about his future. But somewhere along the way, he gave up. In one day, as a five-year-old, Mephibosheth lost his royal lineage, his royal inheritance, and his ability to walk. So not only was he no longer an heir to riches, but he would not even have the ability to work as an able-bodied man. So it’s understandable why he had low self-esteem. He was living in Lo-debar, a barren place full of dead dreams, and he saw himself as a “dead dog.”
Here comes the good news. Here comes GRACE! Let’s pick up the story where we left off. King David called over one of his servants (Ziba), who used to serve Mephibosheth’s grandfather (Saul), and told Ziba that he and his entire house (15 sons and 20 servants) would now work for Mephibosheth. They were to work Mephibosheth’s newly restored land and bring him the provisions from it. Mephibosheth himself would take all his meals at the King’s table.
Mephibosheth got back everything he had lost because of a covenant that had been established with his bloodline. He was unable to tap into the benefits of the covenant while he was ignorant of it. However, once he was made aware of the covenant, once the covenant of blessing was revealed to Mephibosheth, he was in a position to receive from the covenant and he was restored to his rightful place. Life had dealt him a big blow, and it seemed like all hope was gone, but a covenant that was already in place provided the means for total restoration and life transformation. Let’s stop here.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things:
1. God has a clear faith requirement.
God unquestionably expects you to live by faith and to have the patience to hold on for your breakthrough, no matter how long it takes.
2. God also has favor and grace.
There are times when God knows you are not in a position to stand in faith, and while He could allow you to wallow in your pity and to remain in your lowly state, He sometimes moves upon the hearts of others to bless you and favor you simply because of His grace. Never cease to thank God for His amazing grace!
3. The Blessing of Abraham and the Blessing of Jesus are available to us.
— We are all born ignorant of the covenants established in the Word of God. God made a covenant with Abraham and promised to make of him a great nation (Gen 12:2,3). That covenant also applied to Abraham’s seed (Gen 17:6,7).
— God blessed Abraham and made him very rich; everything he did was successful (Gen 24:1). God then extended and offered that same blessing to his descendants if they would hear His voice and obey His Word (Deut 28:1).
Deuteronomy 28 describes the blessing of Abraham.
— God promised to bless their businesses and farms (Deut 28:3).
— The descendants of Abraham were to have many children and large crops (v.4).
— They would have plenty of bread to eat and experience success in their daily work (verses 5,6).
— They would overcome their enemies by the hand of God (v.7).
— Their harvests would be so large that their storehouses would be full (v.8).
— They would have plenty of money to lend to other nations and have no need to borrow (v.12).
— They would be wealthy and powerful, not poor and weak (v.13).
The Blessing of Abraham is now conferred to all those who are IN CHRIST.
— Paul taught us that every Born-Again believer has been baptized into Christ and has put on Christ. In Christ, there is no distinction between Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female. We are all one in Christ Jesus.
— Our connection to Christ makes us Abraham’s seed and heirs to the promises established for Abraham’s descendants (Gal 2:27-29).
— Furthermore, the writer of Hebrews tells us that the covenant we have in Christ is a better covenant with better promises (Heb 8:6).
4. We are able to access the Blessing of Abraham and the Blessing of Jesus when we are made aware of the covenant.
— You have a covenant that offers you the blessing of Abraham (which is natural) and the Blessing of Jesus (which is spiritual). Now that you know about it, what are you going to do with this knowledge?
— Mephibosheth had a covenant in place that would change his life. But he could never receive from the covenant while he was ignorant of it. Once he learned of it, however, he opened his heart to it, he received from it, and his life changed forever.
— Your knowledge of the covenant opens you up to the possibility of receiving the benefits of it. For it to change your life, however, you must believe that you are part of the bloodline and therefore, an heir to a better covenant with better promises.
5. The covenant was established and offered to you by grace – you must receive them by faith.
— Mephibosheth did nothing to earn the covenant that was established between David and his father. The covenant was established before his birth, and it was offered to him by grace. All he had to do was to: 1) learn of it, and 2) receive it. His life changed forever when he did.
— Once Mephibosheth knew there was a covenant of blessing attached to his bloodline, he was able to receive from that covenant and enjoy the blessing. Something similar happened to you. Before you were born, the Lord established a covenant to bless Abraham’s seed in all their endeavors on the earth. He also established a covenant to bless Jesus’ seed with supernatural power, favor, and gifts. In Jesus, we are able to access (by faith) the covenants that are offered to us (by grace), and we can enjoy both supernatural power and earthly success. Once you are aware of the covenant, you are able to tap into it and enjoy the blessing. Will you?
— The Blessing of Abraham is a natural blessing (tied to this world), not a spiritual blessing. Abraham never healed anyone, he never spoke or prayed tongues, and he never operated in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. God blessed Abraham with natural blessings (earthly blessings). God did (and is still doing) the same for Abraham’s descendants. Once you are IN CHRIST, not only do you have The Blessing of Jesus (which is spiritual), but you also have the Blessing of Abraham (which is natural). Both are made available to you through Christ Jesus (see Gal 3:29).
— Like Mephibosheth, once you gain knowledge of a covenant that is in place that applies to you, all you have to do is open your heart to receive from the covenant. Please do. The Blessing of Abraham and The Blessing of Jesus are available to you. God offers them by grace. You must receive them by faith! If you do, like Mephibosheth, your life will be changed forever!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for Your Word. You established a covenant with Abraham, and it is now the Old Covenant. Those who walked in it experienced natural blessings. They were blessed in their earthly affairs. You blessed them going out and coming in. Everything they put their hands to do was blessed. Father, You also established a New and better Covenant through Christ Jesus. Those who have walked in this covenant have experienced spiritual blessings. With this New Covenant, we are able to lay hands on the sick and watch them recover, we have direct access to You in prayer in the name of Your Son, we are redeemed from spiritual death, and we have eternal life in Christ Jesus. Further, You said in Your Word that Christ Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us and that He did this SO THAT the blessing of Abraham would come upon the Gentiles through Jesus Christ. I am a Gentile. I was not born a Jew. However, in Christ, I have access to the Blessing of Jesus and the Blessing of Abraham. They are offered to me because of the covenants established before I was born. The Blessings are offered to me by grace because I don’t have to (nor could I ever) earn them. My part is to access the Blessings by faith. I declare that I do. I am an heir and a joint-heir with Christ Jesus. The natural blessings of Abraham and the spiritual blessings of Jesus are all part of my inheritance. This is why I can boldly declare that GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
