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IEA Devo 2021 GodsBlessings • Becoming a Disciple-Maker

God’s Blessings – The Disciple-Making Lifestyle

“From the fullness of His grace we have all received one
blessing after another.” (John 1:16)

 

Part One

Think about someone who is completely honest and truly loves us in spite of our sins. Now, consider that the One who loves us is perfect and has never done anything wrong or unwise? If we fail to appreciate and return that love, then what does that say about our character?

The Lord Jesus’ character has never embarrassed anyone, so if we don’t receive His love, then our ingratitude will rest solely on us. Lonely human beings have always struggled with their imperfections, but never with His. That battle rages on after we realize that our closeness to Him puts us in direct conflict with our personal temptations. Much like oil and water – spiritual vitality and sin simply don’t mix! The Bible explains, “For those who live according to the flesh think about the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, about the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5) Our blessings therefore – to a major degree reflect our spiritual values.

 

Part Two

It must feel like an unbelievable waste and be utterly disappointing to God for anyone to miss out on His greatest blessing! The Bible explains that “…God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16) Pause to reflect on this. What did He give? It was “His only begotten Son.” This is why the Scriptures sadly say, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)

Ironically, history’s description of God’s foremost blessing is so obvious that the average child can sing about it with understanding – “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.” Our Lord openly came as the physical embodiment of His Father’s love. The Bible therefore explains “For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ.” (Colossians 2:9) This is why accepting the Savior is the very act of receiving God’s love!

Procrastination has always been the thief of time; however, in the case of accepting God’s forgiveness, it can also be the thief of eternity! On a spiritual level, when the – rejection of Christ is stripped of its camouflage, it always reveals the same thing. We love something sinful – much more than we treasure being blessed by God!

 

Part Three

Far too much truth has been revealed, and far too many lives have been changed for anyone to now hide behind the guise of intellectual disbelief! When that form of denial is asserted, it sadly reflects a festering personal wound­­ that has not yet adequately healed or a love for sin that has not yet actually been – faced!

In the bright light of Christian history and the continuous stream of credible testimonies, unbelief in Christ has long been rendered totally illogical. It is self-evident why “…men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20) The Bible explains, “…what may be known about God is plain…since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood…” (Romans 1:19-20) Faith in God, at first says far more about one’s values than it does about their comprehension. This is why growing Biblical knowledge and spiritual maturity are vitally important. We must have maturing faith if we want to experience God’s blessings! (see Hebrews 11:6)

 

Part Four

When we speak about the Savior, the overwhelming factors of His love, truth, and self-revelation naturally unite with our God-given capacity for faith and spiritual understanding. This is why we should never feel timid about explaining our relationship with Him. It makes perfect sense to know and truly love our Creator. The height of spiritual failure – is simply not to prayerfully “… speak the truth in love…” (Ephesians 4:15) It is truly knowing Him that blesses our lives!

The Apostle Paul expressed his own personal testimony when he wrote the church in Philippi saying, “… I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him…” (Philippians 3:8-9)

 

By Billie Hanks Jr.

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