Humans are wired to walk as we to go through life. We don’t crawl. We don’t have wings to fly; we don’t run like animals, we are made to walk.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.  Ephesians 2:10  

We see the pattern set by God himself when He walked in the garden and talked with Adam. The simplicity of walking, one foot in front of the other, small, sure, and consistent steps make up walking. One foot has contact with the ground while the other one is lifted off the ground and is moving in the same direction.

In order for us to have a balanced spiritual life, we must step into the unknown with the eyes of faith. We  must also be grounded with the reality of life’s expectations and the commitments we have made to God and those around us ( As the saying goes, “We can’t be so heavenly minded that we are not earthly good.”). This is our spiritual walk, one foot stepping on faith while the other foot holding steady to the ground of truth!!

The scripture many times describes Jesus walking and and as He walked, He came upon various situations; calling His disciples to follow Him, ministering to the woman at the well, healing a woman with the issue of blood, and so on.

The above scripture gives us 5 important points:

1. “We are His workmanship”– Everyone is created by Him and we are created in His image.  There is no partiality only unique purpose for each of us.  There is no defectiveness only the process of wholeness for all of us.

2. “created in Christ Jesus”– We are hidden in Him.  We have an advocate who takes care of us even when we are not aware of it. He defends us even when we are not aware of false accusations. We no longer need to try to hide our shame, guilt, or defectiveness in fear of being exposed or not loved. Jesus covers us. He tells us, “You are complete in me”. When someone rejects us, they are rejecting Jesus. We belong to Him. We are under His authority, governance, protection, and provision. We don’t have to be in survival mode and trying to protect ourselves.

3. “for good works”– The works that Jesus desires is good and it is His idea. James 1:17 tells us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. “ The gift of works also comes from above. It is not man’s idea or it would not be good, but it is divinely ordained.

4. “which He in advance prepared for us”- The Lord is in the business of preparation. He prepares the work, the worker, and the soil which we will work on. The rest is the unfolding of His prepared work for us. There is no scarcity of good works because God has allotted to us good works. We don’t need to get possessive or jealous to do God’s good works. We just need to do the good works according to His design and purpose for us.

5. “that we should walk in them.” – We get to walk in God’s work that He has prepared for us to do. We won’t fall upon it, we don’t have to fight for it, and we don’t have to strive for it. As we walk the path of life, we will come across God’s work. We may stop to embrace someone, or share a smile with someone. We may talk to someone who will give us a word of wisdom, or we encourage a hopeless person.  In that process God is glorified because His workmanship is manifested through the good works that we walk into. It blesses the father, and it blesses us because we find purpose to our lives.

Is my purpose good works or is my purpose to recognize that I am His workmanship? I believe it’s both, but it starts by knowing who we are. If that is not settled, we will use works to define who we are rather than carry out God’s assignment. It’s a dangerous place because it makes us slaves to works not to the righteousness of Jesus!!

While God can do a miraculous work in our lives and change a situation in a moment of time, many of His works are done through a deliberate effort and partnership with us his children over a long period time. He shows us enough to take the next step. He gives us hope for the remainder of the journey, but always leaving room for faith to be exercised in our lives. This gives us the opportunity to grow our faith as we get to know our God and become more confident in our relationship with Him. Our walk then becomes more steady and sure as we walk through the journey of life!! Thank you Lord for walking with us as you did with Adam!!

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

Verse 5 begins by telling us that we need to trust in the Lord with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding.

The word “trust” is Hebrew word H982, which means to have confidence, to be bold, and to be secure.

The word “lean” is a Hebrew word H8172 which means to trust in, to support, support oneself.

Trusting is not a onetime event, but it is a continual process in which we have the opportunity to hear God’s heart in a given situation and obey Him versus being tempted to lean on our own understanding. This process allows us to develop confidence in our God. Just as in any human relationship, it takes time to build trust and confidence in someone.  Because we are fallible many times we see God the same way, so it will take time for us to truly develop a deep trust and security in Him!!

 Basically the scripture is telling us that we need to develop confidence in the Lord and be secure in our relationship with Him. If we fail to do that, we will lean on our own understanding. God has given us understanding, so we can use it and be discerning. However, when we lean or trust in our own understanding, we choose to put our trust in someone or something else besides complete trust in the Lord. That could be us, our spouse, pastor, friends, or our skill set, etc. Anything we choose as a point of confidence is leaning on our own understanding.  It can be deadly spiritually, because it takes away time from cultivating trust in God, and makes us invest in false security.

Some of the Biblical examples of people who trusted God and didn’t lean on their own understanding were, Joshua and the walls of Jericho, Joseph being thrown in the pit and prison, David working under Saul, Elijah and the widow with some flour and oil, Stephen being stoned, and a whole host of believers throughout centuries. They accomplished great things for God because they didn’t lean on false security.

There were also those who leaned on their own understanding and reaped the results of not trusting God. Some of those were Jacob’s scheming his way through God’s promises, Saul’s disobeying God’s commands, the Israelites making the golden calf and, Judas’ betraying Jesus for money.

⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him;
And He shall direct your paths.

The word “Acknowledge”  is Hebrew word H848: to know, learn to know b) to perceive c) to perceive and see, find out and discern d) to discriminate, distinguish

Acknowledging God means we recognize and perceive his presence and guidance in our lives. We have learned to continually include Him in every aspect of our lives. We become acquainted and familiar with our father, and in the process the Lord directs and smoothes out the path. We continue to let Him direct our lives. He is the one who will take the rocks out of the way, and makes it smooth for us to walk. The Scripture in Psalm 18:30 tell us. ” As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” , and Psalm 18:32 says, “It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect.” His ways are perfect, and when we trust Him, He makes our ways perfect!! Praise God!!

Today, we have the opportunity to trust Him in whatever situation that we are in. We have the choice to lean on God or to lean on our own understanding. Let’s pray for faith and courage to trust Him in all things and respond accordingly.

Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart,
⁴ and so find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:3-4

I love these verses because they are so foundational to everyday living. Who doesn’t want to live with mercy and truth? Why would the scripture tell us not to allow mercy and truth to forsake us!?

Verse 3a: Let not mercy and truth forsake you.

Many believers would consider themselves, to some level, merciful and probably very honest!! The question is if you are under pressure, or feel threatened by someone, can you still show mercy and be truthful? Or do you forsake mercy and compassion and take matters into your own hands?

We need to hold on to truth no matter what. This truth is not just biblical truth, but it is our testimony as if you are testifying about a situation in court. Many believers would consider themselves truthful, but it takes us a lot to be purely truthful.  Sometimes, one can share only the part of “truth” that puts them in a good light! At other times, a person’s own thoughts or perceptions taint how they share the information. At times, there could be pure exaggeration of the facts to make one’s point. In all these cases, some truth was shared, but it was partial truth, and it can lead others to a wrong conclusion based on how the information was shared. This is a very serious problem!!

One of God’s Ten Commandments is:”You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16

Anytime that we share information about someone in a way that is not purely factual and complete, we are in danger of bearing false witness against our neighbor. This is an area that I believe Christians who are in a prophetic and deliverance ministry should be very careful. People can quickly make a determination of someone’s character or motives in the name of being prophetic, or seeing a demonic spirit in someone, but all along not recognizing that they just stepped into accusing their neighbor falsely!! If anyone has discernment of seeing those things, he/she can pray for opportunity to minister to the individual at some point, but love does not advertise people’s issues to others or make quick judgments!!

Verse 3b: Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart,

The scripture tells us to bind mercy and truth around our neck.  The word “bind” from Strong’s Concordance is a Hebrew word (H7194) which means: to tie, or to conspire.

Carnal or wicked people can conspire against an innocent person (Proverbs 1:10-15), but God has His own way He wants you to conspire!! He wants us to have mercy and truth tied to our neck, and written on the tablet of our heart.  This is our winning strategy!! This is what will protect us from wickedness and from harm. When it’s around our neck, it will keep us from becoming proud and stiff-necked in the hard places of life. By writing it on our heart, even when our heart is hot with pain, the fire will light the words “mercy & truth” that are engraved on our hearts to be seen by those around us!

Verse 4: and so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.

When we respond with mercy and truth, God is pleased because we have represented Him well on the earth. That kind of response can even change those who didn’t have the right intentions originally! What a powerful testimony that would be before men that the Lord has truly made us supernatural people!!! Jesus was a great example of this. The scripture in John 1 tell us that He came full of grace & truth. Many who tried to trip him up walked away convicted because of His response to difficult situations.

The Lord is looking for us to walk this out consistently . We need to have both mercy and truth!! We can’t just operate in the one that fits our personality better and forsake the other one.  This will make us off balanced Christians, and it causes us not to represent Jesus well!! We are in need of His supernatural work in us to go above and beyond our preferences. When we walk in both mercy and truth regardless of circumstances, God is glorified!! In addition, the scripture tells us that we get to have the Lord’s favor and as well man’s favor!!

Lord, thank you for your grace that gives us the ability and the courage to walk this out daily!! Amen.

Unhealthy authority can produce a lot of damage and tear down lives, organizations, and even nations. It’s important to recognize unhealthy authority to ensure it doesn’t derail us from the purpose of God and what He intends to do in our lives.

Here are some of the characteristics of unhealthy authority:

1. Inconsistent: The one in charge can change arbitrarily because it works for them and meets their needs. Saul was a good example of that. One moment he would love David, making him his armor bearer. In another moment he would throw a spear at David trying to kill him, and that continued to go on in their relationship. (1Samuel 17-19). The great thing about David was that he humbly submitted to God and honored His delegated authority. He also didn’t allow it to take His focus off of the Lord, but it actually brought David closer to the Lord. Many of the Psalms are written in times when David is anguish of being chased by Saul.

2. Insecurity causes partiality: An insecure authority demands others to be in agreement with them. Their security is in being right all the time, so they will reward agreement and subtly punish disagreement. They could even label others as anti-establishment or anti-authority.  King Nebuchadnezzar was upset with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and unfortunately King Darius was influenced by those closest to him as well, throwing Daniel into the lion’s den for not following his orders. If one is to walk with God, we must understand there will be times of unjust treatment. Ultimately the Lord is our protector and the defender as was beautifully displayed, with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the fiery furnace, and Daniel in the lion’s den. (Daniel 3 & Daniel 6)

3. Rigidity causes oppression: God sent Moses to Pharaoh and Pharaoh stayed stiff-necked and very rigid with not allowing God’s people to leave Egypt. Prior to Moses coming to Pharaoh, the people were oppressed by strict rules and hard work undermining their value as people. When rules are rigid and the letter of the law is followed, but it’s missing the spirit of the law, it causes oppression and exasperation by those subject to authority.

The scripture tell us “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4.  Historically, many revolutions have begun for this very reason. The oppressed people try to overthrow an oppressive regime because they were provoked to wrath. People belong to the Lord and when leaders become rigid and harsh, they are misrepresenting God. God doesn’t exasperate us because His ways are not for selfish ends. They are always for our good even when they are difficult. His desire is not for us to be crushed under the situation for His grace is sufficient for us to handle it!!

4. Pride causes aggressive behavior: Haman was a man who despised Mordecai because he would not pay homage to him. After he was promoted, he was so proud that he could not stand to see anyone not accepting or receiving him. He was so arrogant and sure of himself that he decided to kill Mordecai, and his people, the Jews. Praise God that He used Esther!! She risked her life by being a voice for Mordecai and the Jews.

Unfortunately, some of the atrocities that have occurred throughout history were instigated by unhealthy authority. Germany under Hitler, racism in our nation, is a couple of examples of unhealthy authority. For these kinds of atrocities, people of God must fight. They are not fighting for themselves but for the poor, and the voiceless.

In Conclusion

Romans 13:1b tells us, “The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Whether the authority is healthy or not, we cannot lose focus of the fact that it has been established by God. We must never forget that whether there is healthy or unhealthy people in power, we are called to pray for them, continually forgive them, & stay submitted to the Lord and them. God used harsh authority to train David, Daniel, Paul, and many others. On the other hand, we need to be guarded enough not to be defined by unhealthy authority.

Today, let’s examine ourselves to see if our authority is healthy.  Are we treating people under our influence with value, dignity, and respect? If any of the above areas are issues of struggle, please pray that God would take that out of your heart no matter what it takes. People may not have the voice to tell us about our unhealthy ways, but God watches over everything. It grieves Him when people are not shepherded well. Let’s pray for His heart and mind, so our leadership and authority represents Him well!!

Since God is the absolute authority overall His creation, any person who has authority or a leadership position whether over a marriage, children, company, church, or a nation is under God’s delegated authority. Everyone is accountable to how they lead whether they like it, agree with it, believe it, or not. In this devotional we will examine how a God-given, healthy authority should function and in the next devotional we will discuss how an unhealthy authority functions.

Healthy Authority

1. Is accountable: A healthy authority understands that they are accountable to God and someday they will give an account to how they used their power over people. There are many scriptures where Jesus spoke about the owner coming back and holding the manager of his estate accountable to what had transpired.

2. Defines Responsibility: A healthy authority defines the responsibility of the delegated authority. God was very clear what He expected of Adam and Eve. Jesus was very clear with His disciples in Matthew 28 in the Great commission what He is expecting His disciples to be doing after He left the earth.

3. Sets boundaries and consequences: A healthy authority sets clear boundaries and establishes consequences for not staying within the boundaries. The Lord was very specific with Adam and Eve that He didn’t want them to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and if they did, they will die. While Jesus gave us the authority to go after the lost and disciple people, He is expecting a believer to live a Godly lifestyle. He also establishes boundaries of a godly life, and He describes the consequences of not living that life. Good parents do that with their children. They define the boundaries clearly, but they also establish consequences for not staying within the boundaries.

4. Gives freedom: Now that the playing field is clearly lined, God gives great freedom to operate within the set boundaries. The scripture in Psalm 16:6 tells us, “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.” This is the place of operating in our gifting, ability, and enjoy our God given authority and also be content with what we have been assigned.  We have the Bible to clearly define our boundaries, and then we have the Holy Spirit who guides us in all truth and wisdom as we seek Him.

5. Seeks Counsel: A healthy authority recognizes that in order to be successful in what they do, they need God’s counsel as well as man’s counsel.

Proverbs 20:18: Plans are established by counsel; by wise counsel wage war.

6. Serves people: A healthy authority understands they are here to serve the people under them.

And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. ²⁵ But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. ²⁷ And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:24-28

Jesus was not looking for a worldly authority. He was sent by the Lord to establish God’s authority, and He set the example by serving people and laying down His life for them.

7. A healthy authority is wise, just, and equitable towards its subjects.

Proverbs 1:3: To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity.

This is so critical. Every person under one’s authority belongs to the Lord, and we need to see them as very important. The Lord wants each person to be treated with wisdom, justice, and equity. When God asked Solomon what he desired, he only asked for wisdom because he understood the immensity of the task before him.  Solomon knew those people were great people because they belonged to God. (1Kings 3:9)

Can you imagine if each authority understood this principle deeply, how a family, a community, or nation can change? I think, each leader would be more on his/her knees seeking God’s counsel and wisdom and do less talking or making empty promises.

God’s heart is for a healthy authority to be established because people are important to Him. Everything God created God declared good, and after He created Adam and Eve, God declared them very good. God established His authority on the earth, and it is His desire that what He has created, is taken care of very well and according to His principles. A good authority is established to be a blessing to people under it and to enable them to function in their God-given roles as well. A picture of a healthy family is a great example of authority where parents love each other. They understand each of their roles well and then raise their children with love, care, and protection helping their children to grow into maturity. They recognize that some day the same task will be demanded of their children when they grow up to become responsible adults.

Let’s thank God for every healthy authority and pray that in any area of authority that God has set us over, we are being good stewards of the privilege and responsibility given us.

The Bible begins with a beautiful picture of the Lord creating the earth and mankind, placing Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden. They had a perfect fellowship with God, but unfortunately it didn’t last forever because sin entered the scene. We can learn a lot from Eve and how she fell into this sin.

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; ³ but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

⁴ Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. Genesis 3:1-6

Definition of Cunning: crafty in the use of special resources (as skill or knowledge) or in attaining an end.

We should recognize that the serpent could care less about Eve. What He was after is to have Eve join him in his rebellion before God. He didn’t have the best interests of Eve in his heart, so he came cunningly, in a way that seemed like he had Eve’s best interest at heart.

From the above scriptures, I found 5 lessons.

Lesson 1: Pick your counsel carefully- Don’t easily give your trust to people who have not proven they have your best interest in mind. Watch their lives and see how they handle their life. If they continually talk badly about people and maneuver decisions to have an advantage over others, don’t receive counsel from them.

Lesson 2: Doubt is a deadly poison-The Serpent asks the question, “Did God really say…”, in such a way that makes one believe God was unreasonable in asking Eve not to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Questioning a decision made by someone in authority, opened the door to doubt and distrust in the ear of the hearer. That should have been a red flag in Eve’s mind. However, she took the bait and decided to engage herself by responding to it.

Lesson 3: Discontentment led to exaggeration- Eve responded to the serpent, but unfortunately she didn’t give complete  & accurate information. She said that God had said not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God also had asked them not to touch it. So Eve just added to God’s command, exaggerating His command to make it look worse than it was. When the poison of doubt has entered someone, then discontentment sets in. From there, everything is looked at from a darkened lens and an exaggerated, unreasonableness of authority. The Israelites had the same problem leaving Egypt. They started reminiscing the good things of Egypt having forgetten that they were in miserable slavery for 400 years!!

Lesson 4: Doubt led to question God’s Integrity- Basically in verse 4 the serpent lies to Eve by telling her that she will not die, and in the process declaring God to be a liar. Now Eve has moved from a place of distrust into thinking that God is lying to her, and He is really trying to hold back something good from her. The Serpent has made her think that if she eats of it, God will have a competition because she will become like God.

Lesson 5: Distrust takes away established boundaries-When you have a resolve to be obedient, you don’t entertain the idea of how to disobey, but when your heart wants to rebel and doesn’t trust anymore, the boundaries are taken off and now you are open to the possibility of the sinful thing. For the first time the scripture tell us that Eve noticed the tree. This was in a way she hadn’t noticed it before. It looked good and she desired to taste it, and also to find out its magical potency into the wisdom she thought she was missing out on. The only reason she thought she was missing out is because she started distrusting God.

What a lesson this should be for us!! When we open the door to doubt while it may seem innocent and benign in the beginning, it will take us places where would have never wanted to be. That’s why it is very important to be alert and watchful with those who speak into our lives, recognizing their character & their own history of relationships with others. We can only gain wisdom from those who live a life of wisdom. Eve lost the opportunity to have the greatest wisdom which was the fear of the Lord when she distrusted God’s authority. This made her take things into her own hands thinking she might miss out on something, including wisdom!!

Let’s pray to be watchful and intentional about who we allow to speak into our lives. For a believer, every conversation needs to be guarded and protected by leading of the Lord. We can’t afford to be causal about this!!

As we embark upon another year, it is important to reflect upon the past year and then ponder the kind of life we want to live in 2013. How did you do in 2012? Some may have had tough situations that were out of their control such as a family illness or job loss. Situations such as these caused you to spend a lot of time in a certain area which wasn’t your first choice. For the rest of us, we had 365 days of opportunity to live our lives. We made many choices on how we spent our time, energy, emotions, thoughts, money, and talents. I hope as you look back you are pretty pleased on how you spent your time. For those of us who have room for improvement, let’s look at a passage of scripture that should sum up our lives as we look ahead to 2013!!

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10

Grace is the foundation of our lives. With God’s grace and mercy we entered His kingdom, and we will continue to need His grace to live on this earth and represent Him well. Regardless of how well we know the Bible, how long we have walked with God, or the ministry position we hold, we will continue to be in desperate need of His grace to carry us through life journey. We will make mistakes, have misunderstandings, mistreat others, be unloving, and we will need His grace to cover our sin and redeem the bad situations. No one can boast of God’s grace because it is freely given, and no one can boast they are done needing it!! That should keep us in a humble position towards people, the saved and the unsaved.

If we move into the New Year with that humble estimation of ourselves, we are in a much better position to live out the rest of the scripture (v 10). We are His workmanship. We didn’t create ourselves. God created us, and so He will unfold His purpose and plan for our lives. God creates people and things intentionally and for a purpose (see Genesis 1).

Sometimes we may not know what our purpose is, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a purpose. It just means that we don’t know. There are a lot of things we don’t know. What we should be more concerned about is to know Him. The more we know Him the more we understand His plan for humanity and His heart for people.

The above scripture says,”created in Christ Jesus”. That to me looks like a woman pregnant with a baby. The woman carries that baby in her womb with the hope and expectation that the baby is born one day and the child will have his/her own unique and individual life.  The parents can enjoy seeing this child grow into adulthood and become a mature, loving, and responsible person. We were created in Christ Jesus with a hope and expectation as well. Then the scripture says, “for good works”. I was created by Him and for Him. I was created to know Jesus and out of that relationship my purpose is to do good works.

Why do we need to do good works?

After the fall, the world became full of sin, darkness, and self-perseveration which doesn’t represent the Lord well. People live self-absorbed lives, as believers we are called to do good works by being self-sacrificial, being truthful, and loving, so we can be a light in a dark world. This will help people understand and know that there is a God, who is good, loving, and faithful. With a saving knowledge of God through Jesus, people can be freed from their own darkness.

Lastly, the good works that God has for us is not something we need to conjure up and strive to do. The scripture tells us that the works were already in God’s mind from beforehand. He has prepared them and ordained them. We don’t have to worry about not doing enough, or not knowing what those works are. We just need to posture ourselves in a place of humility, availability, and obedience, and the rest He will unfold before our eyes.  That makes the journey exciting. It takes away the unnecessary burden and responsibility to try to figure out what we need to do, and it keeps us focused on just loving our father. This puts us in a position of knowing when He asks us to do something we are willing to do it.

Some good works will be exciting and fun such as leading someone to Christ; others will require dying to self, such as loving an unlovable person. Regardless of what He asks us to do, whether the world considers it important, valuable, and exciting or not, He considers it good works, and that’s all that matters!!

Favor is a special gift from God for those whom He chooses. God enjoys giving us favor and we enjoy having favor. The word “favor” in the Bible means the following:

a gift of grace, benefit, bounty that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness, grace of speech

Instead of evaluating how to get God’s favor, I would like to examine the life of those who were given favor to find their character qualities.

But the LORD was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. Genesis 39:21

Faithfulness in all circumstances-As we read Joseph’s life story, we find someone who was faithful in whatever circumstances he encountered. He was diligent and trusted by those who were over him. He did not complain, grow bitter, or stop working hard because of adverse and unfair situations!!

And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti. Esther 2:17

Receive instruction in humility- Esther was a beautiful and humble woman. She was willing to receive instruction and direction from her uncle, Mordecai, and Hegai the king’s eunuch. The eunuch favored her and gave her extra privileges long before the King showed her favor. Sometimes people don’t mind receiving instruction from a certain few, but they may look down upon others because they don’t have the right position/credential to speak into their lives. We may miss great instruction from the Lord that comes in an unexpected or undesired form. While all the other women did not notice Hegai, but the scripture tells us that Esther pleased Hegai and she found favor in his sight. (Esther 2:8-9)

So Saul said to his servants, “Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.” Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, Who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him.”Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul. So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.” 1Samuel 16:17-22

Skillful- Originally, David was very favored by Saul. Saul’s servants recommended David to Saul because he was skillful, he was prudent in speech and the Lord was with him. David, the shepherd boy, did not have anything to prove. He was skillful in playing music because that’s what he did when he was out feeding sheep. He worshiped God and out of his love for God the skill was developed. This is where as parents we have to be carefeul. For example, we teach our children they should do community work because it looks good on their college application. Instead we should be encouraging them to find things they enjoy doing and giving their best.

Prudent in speech – David also knew how to speak. Have you noticed that you like to be around people who are kind and respectful with their words, and you shy away from those who speak harshly? If you were to recommend someone for a job, would you recommend someone who was prudent in speech or someone who is brash or careless?

So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” Ruth 2:10-12

Self- Sacrifical –Ruth found favor in the eyes of Boaz because she had a good reputation. Her sacrificial and unique love toward her mother-in-law was known in the community. She was also not presumptuous to think that she can get a hand out because she was a widow. When you see someone making great sacrifices for the sake of others, you just can’t help but want to bless them. Generosity begets generosity.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Luke 2:52

Growing in widsom and in favor-While Jesus was born miraculously, he was raised as an average child. His parents were poor and the scripture does not tell us that Jesus had any special privileges. He was submitted to his parents. He remained teachable, & grew in wisdom. The scripture tells us that Jesus grew in favor with God and man. If Jesus needed to grow in favor then we all do as well. Sometimes people think that as long as God is happy with us that’s all I need. If we are going to be His vessels to reach people, then we need their favor too. People are watching our lives more than they care to hear our words.

Every one of the above Biblical characters had God’s favor and then the Lord allowed them to have man’s favor as well.  We need to recognize that in all of the above examples, the favor of God did not puff people up. It did not make them feel better than others. They understood that the favor was given for a purpose, and they stewarded the favor well!!

Let’s pray for God’s favor, but let’s also pray that when we have God’s favor and/or man’s favor we would steward it well to build His kingdom rather than our ego!!

The Jesus who came in the form of a baby entered the public ministry with some intense and bold statements about himself. Those statements were not the kind that you could easily ignore or decide to be neutral about. They were the kind of statements that would either demand you falling on your knees and worshipping this Son of Man; or it would have created a great offense, one which would have caused you to avoid Him.

I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. John 6:51

Bread is a very valuable food to the Middle Eastern culture. Because of its sustaining simplicity, it is honored by people. Growing up, I remember people honored bread so much that if they saw a piece on the street, they would not step on it. Or, they would stop to pick it up and put it by the side of the walkway, so others inadvertently wouldn’t step on it. Bread was seen as a source of provision from the Lord and one that everyone should be thankful for. Additionally, the Jewish people knew from their own heritage that manna sustained them in the desert for 40 years. At that time, they could not settle down to make a life and enjoy the many varieties of food that they were used to before.

When Jesus made the bold statement that He is the bread of life, basically He was communicating that regardless of your season in life, I will continue to be your source of sustenance. Believing in me sometimes will feel like “what is it!” wondering if Jesus has the power to change our lives and fill our emptiness, but with simplicity of faith in Him, He will sustain us in difficult times.

Just as the Israelites started complaining that they wanted more than Manna (what is it), sometimes we will get bored with simplicity of our relationship with Jesus and we will crave for more.  We need to continue to be thankful to the Lord for His consistent and faithful provision in our lives even when we don’t have meat to eat.

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12

Another bold statement that Jesus made was that He is the light of the world. Light allows to us to see what we cannot otherwise see. If we didn’t have the sunlight we wouldn’t have the brightness of a day. With today’s technology and electricity, we usually have some of sort of light in the darkness, but if you were camping you know how dark it can get in the night. Unless you have some of sort of flashlight or lantern with you, it can be very difficult to see.  Jesus basically is declaring that there will darkness all around us. However, we don’t have to walk in darkness, confusion, or despair if we follow Him. It would be like someone who is blindfolded. All they see is the darkness of being blindfolded, but they hold onto someone else’s arm and this person guides them to where they need to go. They must trust the person that is guiding them to guide them to a place which will be for their good and not to a place of harm. That’s what faith in our savior sometimes will look like.

When the Israelites were in the desert, God gave them a pillar of fire for light to guide them in the night. Our eyes work with light. Regardless of how powerful our eyesight can be, it requires light entering our eye through the cornea before our eye can process the information, so we can see.

The Lord’s will is to sustain us through His bread and He wants to give us vision to see, so we won’t walk in darkness. Let’s pray today and ask the Lord to help us in those areas that we feel we have a lack or we don’t see clearly. Jesus made the declarations, “I am” not  “I do”.  Provision and vision is part of His identity. It means whenever we go to Him, His provision and His light is available to us to help us in life!! Thank you Jesus! Precious Father, help me see what I can’t see on my own!!

While there were hundreds of prophesies about the coming Messiah, when Jesus entered the world, He was an unwelcome guest to many people!!

And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

At his conception, Joseph was initially upset as to how Mary can be pregnant with this child until he had an angel visitation that calmed him down! At around the time of Jesus’ birth, Caesar Augustus decreed that a census should be taken and everyone should go to their own ancestral hometown to register. Again, this was not a good time to have a baby. So when the time came for Mary to give birth they could not find an inn. My guess is, just as it is now, when it is high travel season, prices go up. It makes it unaffordable to stay in a hotel, when six months prior the same hotel would have been very affordable. Joseph and Mary were poor based on their offering at the temple, so we can surmise that the inn had room for those who had the money, but not for a poor. Again, Jesus was uninvited because his family did not have the monetary or political advantage to obtain a room.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Dwelt: to fix one’s tabernacle, have one’s tabernacle, abide (or live) in a tabernacle (or tent), tabernacle

John 1:14 describes Jesus becoming flesh and dwelling among us. The word “dwelling” means a tabernacle or a tent. You see Jesus very clearly knew that He is not wanted by most people. Those who needed him, on many occasions responded with joy, temporarily, until it became difficult and painful to follow Him!! The religious people could not stand Him because Jesus was a threat to their little kingdoms!  He understood that His dwelling on this earth was temporary. He lived for a short time. He unveiled His plan before His disciples and then He was taken away.

The world had no room for Jesus, and Jesus was not surprised or taken back by it. So we must learn a few things from Jesus’ life:

1. The world still would rather celebrate His birth and think of Him as baby in a manger than be reminded of the Prince of Peace who suffered unjustly, overcame death, and bought salvation and eternal life for us!!

2. There is never a good time for Jesus in someone’s life. Most people do not choose and welcome Jesus in when the circumstances of their lives are favorable. Many people, including Christians, don’t have room for Him except when they are in need! His presence in their lives is a temporary dwelling because most of the time He is uninvited in their day to day lives!! There is no room for Him.

3. He came in an unexpected form. He entered the world in the form of a baby, then as an adult He was known as a carpenter from Nazareth! He will continue to reveal Himself in unexpected ways which will require us to put away the lens of our cultural values, so we can see the simplicity of His presence dwelling among us. The woman at the well discerned who He was without knowing anything about Him. (John 4:1-26)

4. If we are going to be Christ-like, we need to be very mindful of the fact, that we will be unwanted &  uninvited. There will be time that we are only temporarily wanted by people, and that’s usually when the person is going through difficult times. We can’t take this personally. We must understand that we are not here on earth to establish a permanent dwelling place, or ministry, but we must be willing to go wherever He sends us. We must recognize that if the world had no room for Jesus, it will have no room for us either. We are sojourners on earth and once we recognize what we are called to do, it can guard us from unnecessary rejection because we understand the nature of man.

Let’s pray and give permission to Jesus to invade our lives even when we think it’s not a good time, or we’re too busy. Is there anything better than a visitation by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords even in this busy season!!?