Finding Favor (Part One)

“Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.”  (Proverbs 3:3-4)

{found via Google Images}

If you and I, as young ladies, obey the advice laid out in verse 3, I will find FAVOR with God and Man. This is an actual promise from the Lord!

With Christmas so rapidly approaching, surely we've heard Gabrielle’s famous proclamation to Mary quoted at least once! Mary, at a young age, had not let mercy and truth forsake her. She had “bound them about her neck”. She had “written them upon the table of her heart.” Then, out of nowhere, an angel brings her the astonishing news that she of all women is honored with the privilege of carrying, giving birth to, and rearing the Messiah! After she voices her humble “why me!?” Gabrielle informs her that she had “found favor with God.”

Not by doing any huge extra-Godly act—but by a lifetime of humble, faithful obedience.

Sometimes, in trying to please other people and finding it impossible, we may subconsciously decide God is impossible to please as well. L

But thanks to the Biblical account of Mary we (you!) may rest assured, dear sister that just as Mary did it is possible to obtain favor with God!!!

AND! Before you even begin to even set up that ‘spiritual gymnastics routine’ to obtain that favor with God, let me stop you… (And stop myself as well). While we should strive to attain favor with God, there are no phenomenal, nearly impossible feats we must first accomplish in order to do this! (Ever notice that the SILENCE in the Scripture in reference to a detailed description of Mary or her spiritual “accomplishments”?? Maybe God left it that way for a reason!)

Perhaps the best way to “find favor with God” is by daily simple and humble obedience to God’s mercy and truth as written in His Word—not any type of ‘performance’ we must do before we can be ‘excepted’ or ‘a good Christian’.

So today, focus on that, dear sister. God loves you for who you are in and by Him—not because of what you do!!!!!

Abiding In Love {Loving Others}

“If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”

John 15:10-12

In verse 10, Jesus wants us to A.) Abide in Him (verse 7) and B.) Continue (keep going) in His love. Then He tells us how to Abide-in-Him and Continue-in-His-Love! “If we keep His commandments, we shall ABIDE in His LOVE!!!” ‘Just as He (has) kept His Father’s commandments and abide in His love’ as our Ultimate Example!!! BUT! What are His commandments? What is His commandment? Jesus includes the answer to that as well as we shall see in verse 12! But I am getting ahead of myself! J

Another principle we can draw from verse 10 as well, is that Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything that A.) He hasn’t already done (Hebrews 5:14) or B.) that is impossible! Difficult, surely; but doable by God’s grace and through the power of His Holy Spirit! ♥

In verse 11, Jesus tells us that He has told us all these things (according to a Bible commentary I read, “these things” refers to chapter 14, as well as us being fruitful in, by, through, and for Him) because He knows that living for him, abiding in Him, His Words abiding in us, and our being obedient and in constant communion with Him, brings (fullness of) JOY to the Believer’s life! Our lives!!! JJJJ

Then, finally, in verse 12, Jesus gives us His commandment He desires us to obey in verse 10; the commandment that the keeping of brings ability to ‘abide in Him’ and enables us to ‘continue in His love’. The commandment is that we…

Love one another (or, applied personally, love others) as Christ has loved (& continues to love) you and I!!!

That’s a pretty BIG love!!!

But, by the grace and power of God, it is not an impossible one!