* You can now watch a video of this message at: https://new.livestream.com/rickpina/live.
This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our new mini-series entitled, “Growing in Grace.” A few days ago we started walking our way through 5-9 of Peter’s second letter. The Apostle Peter wrote, “So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books” (2 Peter 1:5-9 MSG). Today we will focus on the statement, “complementing your basic faith with… reverent wonder.”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Walking with God involves a level of mystery. People who like to micromanage their lives and the lives of others have a hard time walking with God. God will not allow Himself to be micromanaged. You can’t tell God what to do and He won’t always tell you what He is doing. You can ask, but even when you do, there are times when God won’t give you all the answers. And when He does answer your questions, the answers are oftentimes far greater than anything you thought or imagined. Therefore, you must become comfortable with a certain level of mystery. Don’t allow the mystery to cause you to feel uneasy. Get excited! Living by faith is exciting, because you get to experience a God who can (and will), do exceedingly, abundantly, above all you can ask, think or imagine (see Eph 3:20). Who would not want to serve a God like that? You just have to get comfortable with the fact that God will reveal things to you in His timing, and not always in your timing.
2. Never lose your reverent wonder for God. The dictionary defines the feeling of “wonder” as the following:
- To be affected by surprise which leads to admiration, fascination or stupefaction.
- To be filled with amazement or awe; to marvel.
- The feeling incited by a miraculous deed or event; remarkable phenomenon.
As you walk with God, never lose your amazement, awe or admiration for Him. It still ‘blows me away’ to think that the God of the universe chose me, to preach His Gospel, and He also chose to take up residence inside of me. Everywhere I go I have the King of kings and the Lord of lords IN me. I have seen Him do far too many things for me to question His power, and the more I walk with Him, the more I stand in awe of His goodness and mercy towards me and others.
3. Maintaining an awe of God helps keep the door open to the Supernatural. One of the key requirements to walking/living by faith is expanding your capacity to believe God. If you don’t believe God can do something, you will never exercise faith for Him to do it. When you maintain your reverent wonder for God, and you stand in awe of His power, you quickly realize that there is nothing — and I mean NOTHING — too hard for God. This awe is key to keeping your heart open to see the invisible and believe the impossible!
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for reminding me how amazingly awesome You are. You alone are God. You alone are my King. You alone are my Lord. I worship, admire and stand in amazement of You. You sit on the circle the earth and there is literally nothing You cannot do. You have all power in Your hand. You spoke to chaos and created order. You spoke to darkness and created light. You spoke to death and created life. You spoke to me, when I was dead in my trespasses and sins, and You made alive in You. You translated me from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Your dear Son. You covered me with the Blood of Jesus, filled me with Your precious Holy Spirit, and called me according to Your purpose. I have seen You do too much to question Your power. You know my thoughts before I think them, my feelings before I feel them, and my actions before I perform them. You know all things, at all times, and You have the power to change any situation. I live my life in awe and amazement of You. It is this amazement that keeps my heart open to believe and receive the Supernatural. By faith I declare that You allow me to see the invisible and to experience the impossible. Not by my power, but by Your strength. Not because I am so good, but because of Your amazing grace. All things are possible for me, because I believe in my God; a God who can do all things. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
