| … For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. | ||
 | Galatians 2:16 | |
| Are you trying to earn God’s favor through morning devotions, or Wednesday night Bible study attendance, through memorizing verses, or witnessing, through not going here and not doing that? If you are, you’re making a big mistake. You are justified by faith and faith alone — not only when you were born again, not only when you were saved ten years ago — but today, right now. God’s blessing will be upon the life of any man, woman, teenager, or older person who simply says, ‘I’m not going to try and earn Your blessing, Lord. I can’t. But I hear You declaring, Father, that You want to bless me by Your grace through my belief in Your Son. And I welcome such blessing.’ Dear brother, precious sister — the blessings of God are not based upon what you do or don’t do. It’s not, ‘OK, God, I didn’t see that movie. Aren’t You proud of me? And because I didn’t, here’s what I’m expecting You to do for me ...’ No. The blessings of God are based upon one thing singularly: faith in His grace. We can receive His blessing for one reason: The sin which cut His blessing off, and separated us from the Father, has been washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ. Therefore, if I choose to sin, it’s not that God will withhold His blessing in order to punish me. No, the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed me from all sin — past, present, and future (I John 1:7,9). If I choose to sin, I destroy myself. Balak, king of the Moabites, hired Balaam the prophet to curse the people of Israel (Numbers 22). But no matter how Balaam tried, he could only pronounce blessing upon them. ‘I’m paying you good money to curse these people,’ Balak said. ‘Let’s build another altar, and you can try again.’ So again Balaam opened his mouth, but only blessing came out. After a third altar, a third try, and a third failure, Balak was desperate. ‘I can’t help it,’ explained Balaam. ‘I’m trying to curse them, but they’re God’s people. They deserve to be cursed, but God’s for them.’ Seeing his fee slip through his fingers, however, Balaam came up with a new plan. ‘I can’t curse them,’ he told Balak, ‘but they can curse themselves. Here’s what you do: Get your foxiest ladies and send them into the Israelite camp. As they bat their eyelashes and swish their skirts, have them invite the Israelite guys into their tents, then have them pull out their little idols — their Ashtaroths — and say, ‘This is the way we worship in this country. Don’t you want to worship with us?' ‘Good plan,’ Balak said. So he got his girls and sent them into the camp of Israel. They enticed the guys into their tents, and, just as planned, the Moabite women pulled out their idols. Sure enough, the Israelites took the bait — and ended up cursing themselves, the end result being a plague which wiped out 24,000 of them (Numbers 25:9). So too today. God says ‘Blessings upon you. You’re justified by the hearing of faith because you believe in the work of My Son.’ As far as God is concerned, the sin which would bar me from ‘the spout where the blessings come out,’ was taken away by the blood of Jesus Christ. I cannot be cursed. But I can curse myself and so can you. Watch your step, young person. Listen up, 45-year-old man. ‘Oh, it’s OK to see that film,’ you say. ‘It’s only got a few scenes that are slightly compromising,’ or ‘It’s OK to hear that music. There are only a few questionable words.’ Watch out. You’re cursing yourself. We live in a culture where the advice of Balaam is being worked out unlike any other time in human history. Be very careful. You’ll get drawn into tents you never thought you would enter, and you’ll be wiped out in the process. | ||
… For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.~Jon Courson
