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Based on “Under HIS Influence – Cowards No More” by Pastor Mark Balmer; 9/19-20/09,
Prepared for September 27, 2009 - Offered today
Message #MB389; Daily Devotional #6 - “God Doesn’t Make Junk”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10) The word grace is one of my personal favorites, ranking right up there near the name of Jesus! Without it, I would not be enjoying all of the rich blessings of God's Kingdom and would still be wandering around in darkness and hopelessness. But one day, I heard God's invitation and accepted His outstretched hand of forgiveness. With little self-esteem, and absolutely nothing to offer that could compare to His gift of forgiveness and redemption, I humbly received Christ as my Lord. And because of His great grace, I have been redeemed from hell, adopted as His own, transported into a heavenly position, and branded by His Spirit. And, I have been redeemed from death to life in Christ Jesus, all because I chose to believe. This amazing offer is made to any whosoever (another one of my favorite words) that is willing to believe it. Since God so loved the world, every human being is now eligible for salvation! Because Jesus chose to blanket mankind with His blood, all are now invited to enter God's presence. Within this glorious family are onetime prostitutes, drug dealers, drug users, murderers, gang members, rapists, adulterers, fornicators, drunkards, prison inmates, and all sorts of "riffraff". So if you are a picky, pious person, you may want to re-think your position. Because, Jesus didn't come for the healthy, He came for all of us who were sick! Hallelujah!
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): Even though we have all come from various backgrounds of darkness, all of us who have chosen to believe are now God's workmanship. Since old things have passed away, we are now new creations in Christ Jesus that have been "remodeled" for God's purposes. And, God doesn’t make junk! In light of this Good News, we should abandon any excuse that prevents us from experiencing everything God has planned for us. He understands that we may be uneducated, lack social graces, and feel intimidated by other people, and He has often heard us cry, "Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24). That's why He has anointed us with His Spirit and power. What we cannot do, God is more than capable of doing. He will never call any of us into a situation that He has not prepared and empowered us to walk through. Once we laid down our lives and picked up His Calling, we surrendered our fleshly ability and committed to a life of faith (another great word). Because, without faith, it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is what has gotten us this far, will sustain us for today, and will eventually take us home into His glorious presence! Hallelujah again!
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): These verses tell us that we have been created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Each one of us has a dream that God has placed in our hearts to accomplish. These dreams and visions all have one common denominator, the glorification of our wonderful Savior and Lord. Whether it's healing the sick, saving lost souls, preaching the Good News, teaching God’s Word, serving the body, or prophesying to the world, each of us wants to see Jesus lifted up! Our goal, as the Body of Christ, is that the Son gets all the glory for our good works. We rejoice in the fact that any seed we sow in the vineyards of God results in a glorious harvest of praise to the Father and His Firstborn. Because for us, this is the only way we can say "thank you" to our faithful Heavenly Father, Who through His great grace, now calls us, the once lost, abandoned, and unworthy, His beloved children! Hallelujah again and again and again!
Cultivating (Additional Reading): 2 Timothy 1:7-8; Mark 16:15; Acts 4:29-31
