This Scripture teaches us about what God's Favor is all about.
"God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2:4-7
God shows His favor through mercy
"God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead."
Who is the richest person you know? You know what's sad? We define the word rich with money. In other words, what you just read is not "who is the richest person you know?" But you read "Who do I know who has the most money?" When we think of the word 'rich' we think of money.
Followers of Jesus should know better. (Matthew 5:3-10) We consider Spiritual currency to be more important, more vital to our existence than money. Jesus said those who are poor and humble are rich, although the word he used was 'blessed'. Jesus said those who pursue justice, those who are merciful, those who are pure, those who work for peace or who are persecuted all are blessed. Jesus defined these characteristics as the Spiritual currency we want to work hard for.
In the same sermon, Jesus said it this way, "Seek first the Kingdom of God." (Matthew 6:33) The Kingdom of God uses Spiritual currency and the most common denomination is mercy. God is rich in mercy. Bloomberg news claims that Bill Gates is the richest man in the world with 73 billion dollars. If we stacked a billion one dollar bills the height of that stack would reach about 68 miles from the earth's surface, more than 60 miles higher that commercial jets fly. If we stack a 100 billion one dollar bills the height of that stack would measure almost 6,800 miles from the earth's surface. Now consider that The International Space Station is about 220 miles away. And you get an idea of how much money 73 billion dollars is. As much money as that is, God is much wealthier than that.
Paul says in Ephesians that His mercy is immeasurable. We can't fathom the height of that stack.
God shows His favor through power
"For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus."
Do you have any idea how powerful God is? What God can do? I'm convinced a lot of folks, even those who claim to be Christians have no clue. God showed His favor by sending Jesus to us. Jesus raised Himself from the dead. That same Spirit lives in those who are followers of Jesus. (Romans 8:11) And this is why I believe that most of us have no clue about this power that lives in us, because a lot of us live in absolute boredom with our faith. How can we exist with the power that raised Jesus from the dead and be bored? If you're bored with faith there's only one reason.
You don't have a clue of the power that is alive in you. Some may not believe it or they struggle to acknowledge this power alive in them. I get it, believing in Jesus and His resurrection takes faith. Believing the Bible takes faith. (Hebrews 11:1) It's difficult to hold on to faith in a skeptical world that tries at every turn to undermine the credibility of creation, the flood account, the miracles of Jesus and certainly His resurrection. Once we're convinced that the Bible is just a storybook full of myths we have nothing to hold on to. For those who can't accept on faith the message of Jesus, then it makes sense that the world would be full of despair, hatred, war, poverty, crime, and disease. The presence of these things in their mind prove that God can't exist.
But for those of us who believe, the power of God living in us, IS the evidence that we possess. (Ephesians 1:19-20) Unlike a scientific hypothesis that can be proven or dis-proven with experiments; One way that God's power is made evident in the world is through the lives of those who display it every day. God's favor shines as the light in the world's darkness. Despair, hatred, war, poverty, crime, disease and all the other terrible things in our world exist because of our sinful nature. God didn't create the world to be like this our sin did. (Romans 5:12) Satan is death. He's the one who is the enemy. And he's the one who has been defeated. The follower of Jesus lives forever with God at His place. (Romans 6:23)
The church of Jesus exists to share God's favor with the world
There's no better illustration of how dark and terrible our world is than human trafficking. According to the Rapha House website, "The United Nations estimates nearly 2.5 million people from 127 different countries are trafficked each year. Although the statistics are difficult to verify, it is believed that between one million and 1.5 million children are trafficked each year."
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How can the church of Jesus change our world? To experience God's favor, His mercy, redemption and His power, we have to be about doing God stuff, God's way. (Matthew 25:35-36) When the people of God show up to do God's stuff, God's way then God shows up in power. Check out Acts 2.
It's ok to feel frustrated with your faith because this is the Holy Spirit trying to wake you up. There's a reason you're not satisfied with your faith in Jesus. It's not because you're angry at God. It's not because the music on Sunday is too loud. It's not because Sunday School doesn't work for you. It's not because you're bored. You are frustrated with your faith because you don't recognize the power of the resurrected Jesus in your life. You limit yourself based on what you think you can do or accomplish. (Ephesians 3:20)
Wake up! Your mission is to change the world you live in. Your mission is to share the love of Jesus Christ with the broken, the hurting, the disenfranchised, the poor, and others in need. (1 Timothy 6:17-19) You have the power to shine the light in the dark places of your world, and if you're frustrated or bored with your church or your faith, it's because you have yet to do God's stuff, God's way.
I hope and pray you experience God's favor today. I hope and pray you realize today the power that lives in you if you are a follower of Jesus.
