100 Days Of Favor (32 page)

O
NE OF THE
saddest things about a man who trusts in his strengths and self-efforts—“who…makes flesh his strength”—is that he cannot see good when it comes his way.

As a pastor, I have seen, down through the years, people who don’t put their trust in the Lord when it comes to their marriages, finances and other areas of weakness. They are determined to trust in their own efforts, and tend to be rather arrogant and frustrated with the people around them. Many a time, when you observe people like that, you realize that they cannot see the good things that are right under their noses. They don’t appreciate their spouses, neglect their children and even when other blessings come their way,
they miss them!

People living under grace can truly enjoy the blessings around them because they know that these blessings are undeserved!

Why is it that they can’t see good when it comes? It is because people who trust in their own efforts have
no ability
to see and receive blessings from the Lord. They only believe in the “good” that can come from their own efforts. That is why they are proud. You would probably notice that such people don’t say “thank you” very often to the people around them. They feel like they are entitled to and deserve whatever they receive. They are rarely grateful or appreciative, and that is why they take their spouses for granted instead of seeing them as a blessing from the Lord.

In contrast, people who are living under grace and who trust in the Lord’s unmerited favor are constantly thankful, praising God and giving thanks to Jesus. They are grateful and appreciative of the people around them.

When I was still a bachelor, I had an idea of the kind of wife I wanted and brought my request to the Lord. But you know what? He over-answered my prayer and gave me Wendy! I am truly grateful to the Lord for Wendy and I know that it is the unmerited favor of Jesus. When I look at my daughter Jessica, I know that I don’t deserve such a beautiful daughter, and yet the Lord gave this precious girl to me. You see, my friend, I did nothing to deserve it, but the Lord blessed me with an amazing family. When you live under grace, you can truly enjoy the blessings around you because you know that they are undeserved. Look at the family, friends and other blessings that God has given you today. See how He has blessed you with them because He loves you. And when you see them as blessings, they will enrich your life (Proverbs 10:22)!

Today’s Prayer

Father, I thank You that I am under Your unmerited favor. When You send blessings my way, I will see, appreciate and enjoy them. I know that I don’t deserve any blessing from You, but You bless me nonetheless, because You love me and because of what Jesus has done for me at the cross. Father, for all that You have and are going to bless me with, I give You thanks, praise and glory.

Today’s Thought

Every blessing in my life has come because of God’s unmerited favor on me—how can I not be thankful for what I have!

Today’s Reflection On Favor

DAY 74

A Picture Of A Blessed Man

Today’s Scripture

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit. —Jeremiah 17:7–8

L
ET
’
S LOOK AT
some of the pictures that the Bible paints for us in Jeremiah 17. God’s Word is amazing. He speaks to us through word pictures and imagery in the Bible. For example, Jeremiah 17:5–6 paints us a picture of a cursed man—“a shrub in the desert.” What a dismal image of a man! A person who is always trusting in himself is like a dried-up shrub, looking old, tired and haggard.

The blessed man is not conscious of seasons of heat, but continues to be strong and to flourish.

But thank God the Bible didn’t just stop with the description of the cursed man. It goes on to paint a beautiful picture of a blessed man: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.” Wow! I know which man I would rather be. Truly, a picture is worth more than a thousand words! I want you to see yourself as this tree planted by the waters today!

When I was on vacation with Wendy in the breathtaking Canadian Rockies, we spent a lot of time just roaming around and soaking in the splendor of our heavenly Father’s creation. As we wandered along the bank of a tranquil river that we chanced upon, we found a majestic tree anchored by the water’s edge. Its trunk was sturdy and strong, and its branches stretched out to form a perfect canopy above it. In contrast to the other trees that were further away from the river, its leaves were refreshingly green and luscious. This was because the tree was constantly nourished by the river.

Looking at that impressive, beautiful tree, I couldn’t help but recall the blessed man described in Jeremiah 17, and I remember saying to myself then, “I am like this tree in Jesus’ name!” When you depend on and trust in the Lord, you are like this tree too. Jesus will cause you to be a picture of robust strength, vitality and good success. See yourself like a beautiful tree planted by the waters. God’s Word says that even when heat comes, you will not fear it!

Did you notice a crucial difference between the blessed man and the cursed man? While the cursed man cannot see good when it comes (Jeremiah 17:6), the blessed man will not fear even when heat comes! The King James Version says that the blessed man “shall
not see
when heat cometh.” This is amazing. It means that heat comes even to the blessed man, but he is not conscious of seasons of heat, but continues to be strong and to flourish. He will be like a tree whose leaf continues to be green. When you are like the blessed man, you will be evergreen! This means that you will enjoy divine health, youthfulness, vitality and dynamism.

When you are blessed, your body will be full of life as the Lord renews your youth and vigor. Your health will not fail you, nor will you lose your youth. There will be no stress, fear and panic attacks because the blessed man “will not be anxious in the year of drought.” A year of drought speaks of a severe famine, and in our modern vernacular, it would be no different from the global financial meltdown, the subprime crisis, the collapse of global investment banks, the volatile stock markets and rising inflation. While it may be bad news for the world, the blessed man can remain at rest and not be anxious because God has promised that even in the midst of a crisis, he will not “cease from yielding fruit.” Beloved, be the blessed man who puts his trust in the Lord and this will also happen to you!

Today’s Prayer

Father, because of Your unconditional love and grace toward me, I am a blessed man who is like an evergreen tree planted by the waters. I thank You that when the heat is on, I will not be fearful or anxious. I will not even notice it because I am covered by Your favor and lovingkindness. Indeed, Father, You will protect me, provide for me, keep me strong and healthy, and cause me to remain fruitful!

Today’s Thought

I am like the tree planted by the waters—thriving, strong and fruitful!

Today’s Reflection On Favor

DAY 75

Right Place, Right Time

Today’s Scripture

…the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. —Ecclesiastes 9:11

B
ELOVED, NEVER FORGET
that “the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong…but
time and chance happen to them all.
” God wants you to have the right timing—His timing, and nothing is left to chance because you are God’s child. Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” You are that “good man” because you are the righteousness of God in Christ.

Depend on God to cause you to be at the right place at the right time, to have right happenings happen in your life!

Now, look at the word “happen.” In the original Hebrew text, it is the word
qarah,
which means “to encounter, to meet (without pre-arrangement), to chance to be present.”
¹
In a nutshell, it means “right happening.” My friend, you can depend on God to cause you to be at the right place at the right time, to have right happenings happen in your life! I am sure that you would agree that being at the right place at the right time is a tremendous blessing. You certainly don’t want to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. That can lead to disastrous results.

But even if you think that you are at the wrong place at the wrong time, such as when you are caught in a traffic jam or when you miss your train, don’t be too agitated. A delay can turn out to be God’s protection from an accident ahead. Sometimes, a delay of just a few seconds can mean the difference between life and death!

In 2001, a brother in my church wrote in to share that his son’s office was in the twin towers in New York. On one particular morning, his son’s alarm clock did not go off and he ended up missing his regular train to work, and was late arriving at work. Had he been on time that morning, he would have been in his office when the planes plowed into the building during the devastating terrorist attacks on September 11.