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? I will share some reasons why people DO NOT accept their divine assignment.
1. Selfish ambition.
Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary of the English language defines ambition as: an inordinate desire for power, often accompanied with illegal means to obtain the object; desirous of power, honor, office, superiority or excellence; eager for fame.
Wanting to do better in life is not bad. Wanting to make a difference in this world is actually a good thing. But when your desires trump God’s plan for your life, that’s when pride will lead to a fall.
— In this series, I have driven home the point that you will never be a success (in God’s eyes) doing something He did NOT call you to do. In the Kingdom of God, success is measured in purpose. However, some allow pride to keep them on the path to selfish interests instead of the path to God’s plan for their lives.
— Some Christians refuse to ask God what His plan for their life is because they are too afraid to give up the plan they already had. They don’t want to DENY THEMSELVES! Even though Jesus made it clear that we have to.
— True success is found when you die to self and you give up your selfish ambitions for God’s assignment for your life.
— True success is attained by dying to yourself, picking up your cross, and following Jesus.
Jesus said, “Any of you who want to be my follower must stop thinking about yourself and what you want. You must be willing to carry the cross that is given to you for following me. Any of you who try to save the life you have will lose it. But you who give up your life for me and for the Good News will save it.” (Mark 8:34,35 ERV).
— If you lose your life for Christ, you will find it, and you will find true success. But if you keep your life and your plans and place them above God and His plans for your life, you will never experience true/divine success.
— Don’t ever be afraid of giving up anything for God. God will never be in debt to you. Whatever you give up for God becomes a seed, and He (the Lord of the Harvest) will see to it that you reap a harvest for every seed sown.
*** One of the reasons why I teach against selfishness and pride so much is because they are the opposite of God’s grace. If you are selfish and you are caught up in pride, your life is ALL ABOUT YOU! But when you live #TheGraceLife, your life is ALL ABOUT HIM! Take it from me, living a grace-based life (one that is all about God and what He planned for you) is much better than trying to do life on your own terms. Because if it is YOUR will, then it will also be YOUR bill! And that is a bill you don’t want to pay.
2. The magnitude of the call.
While some refuse to give up their plans because of selfish ambition, others have freely given up their lives for Jesus, only to find out that God has called them to do something that is exceedingly, abundantly, above anything they could have ever imagined. This then causes a different problem; the problem of fear, doubt, and unbelief because of the magnitude of the call.
— When you finally get to the point where you die to self and even die to your limits, God is free to reveal to you the plans He made FOR you. These were plans that were concealed FROM you until you were ready to receive them. But to be clear, you will need to see God through the lens of faith and listen to God through the filter of faith becuase God’s plans will be SO BIG that they will scare you to death if you are not in a position of faith.
— If you don’t feel like you could ever earn or deserve what God wants to do on the earth through you, if your heart skips a beat every time you think about it, then you have probably stumbled upon God’s plan for your life. God’s plan will always be bigger than what you came up with, and it will certainly NOT be something you can earn or deserve.
— God’s plan will most likely require more resources than what you have available to you at the moment. This is where grace and faith come in.
— When God reveals to you the fulness of His assignment for your life, it’s okay to feel overwhelmed and undeserving because His plan comes by His grace.
— What God has planned for your life is far greater than what you deserve. This is why you must understand and embrace the grace of God.
— God has been and will continue to be, far better to you than what you deserve. While you pursue Him by faith, He continues to bless you by grace, His unearned and unmerited favor.
— If you come up with it, it will be too small for God. But since God came up with it, it will be too big for you. That is why you must accept and embrace His grace.
— While the magnitude of God’s call on your life is great, all He is looking for from you is acceptance and agreement. God is not going to bless you because you are so good. God has already planned to bless you because He is so good.
— Have faith in what God has already provided for you by His grace, no matter how big the blessing seems!
2. Some people don’t want to put in the work, and they don’t want the headache.
— David had spent all his life learning how to be a good shepherd for his father’s sheep. When God called him to be a King, David embraced the assignment, even though leading Israel was a much harder assignment than leading a few sheep through the desert. David had to deal with neighboring nations, constant battles, leading military commanders, the cares of the people of Israel, etc., but he willingly accepted His assignment, even though it was a lot of work. His acceptance opened the door to God’s grace, and God empowered David to lead in a way that honored HIM!
— Peter was running a fishing business before he met Jesus. Jesus called him to become a fisher of men. Peter led the first-century church. He had to minister to those who were educated in the Law of Moses and lead them to Jesus. This was no easy task. He also had to lead a movement that was bigger than him. Peter did not have the education or experience for such an assignment. But it did not matter since God had given him the grace for it. All Peter needed to do was accept and agree in faith. Once he did, Peter tapped into God’s grace to do what he could never do without God.
— Moses was minding his own business in the wilderness when God called him to go back to Egypt to lead His people out. Moses had a quiet and simple life prior to this call. But since he accepted the call, Moses had to deal with Pharoah, lead his people through plagues, then lead millions of people through a sea, and ultimately deal with the problems of millions of people in the desert for 40 years. That was a lot of work. But since Moses accepted the call, he was able to embrace the grace to do it!
— When Isabella and I retired from the military in 2015, we “thought” we knew what we were going to do. But we had NO IDEA we would have a school and a church in the Dominican Republic, that Isabella would be the CEO of a growing business, that I would be a Diversity Champion for change in the United States (especially for the Hipanic/Latinx community), and that we would be involved in so many things. But it was God’s will, and we accepted the call. As a result, we have been able to tap into God’s grace to do it.
Some people don’t do what God calls them to do because they don’t want to put in the work, and they don’t want the headache. David had to deal with wars. Peter had to deal with persecution. Moses had to deal with complaining people. Isabella and I have to deal with all the hassles of doing ministry in developing nations. But in every case, the grace is there if your faith is there. If you provide the faith, you will find that God has already provided the grace. So stop making excuses, don’t be lazy, and ACCEPT God’s call!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about grace-based success.
Some have failed to accept their lot in life because they have selfishly and pridefully kept their will above Your will. I am not like them. I willfully die to self. I voluntarily give up the plans I came up with for my life for the plans You made for me before the world began.
I lose my life in You, and by doing so, I find the life You birthed me to have. I now live for You.
As I do, You are revealing Your Kingdom plans and purposes to me. And honestly, Father, I am sometimes overwhelmed. Your plans for me are far greater than anything I could have ever come up with. What You want to do IN, WITH, and THROUGH me humbles me.
When I think of all the mistakes I have made, and I then think of What you are calling me to do, I don’t feel worthy of the task. But Your Word has taught me that Jesus made me worthy.
Therefore, I accept Your assignment by faith, and I embrace Your grace to do what You call me to do. I could never be good enough, but Jesus was good enough for me. I could never earn the right to be called Your child, but Jesus earned the right for me, and I have been made the righteousness of God in Christ. So I say YES!
I think about the magnitude of Your calling on my life, and all I can say is, “I believe, I receive, I accept, and I cooperate with You.” Without You, I cannot. Without me, You will not. Together, we will change the world. GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
