Focus: Don't You Want More?

Text: Mt.5:45

"That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

God is good to all, regardless of who is good or bad, and that is what we know as general grace. We are all enjoying the goodness and kindness of our common Creator and Source. But beyond the general grace of God is His special grace, and it is reserved for those who believe and obey Him. Peter says, "To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, RESERVED in heaven for you" (1Pet.1:4). God has reserved blessings for His own children. God says to Moses, "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have PREPARED" (Ex.23:20). Isaiah says, "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath PREPARED for him that WAITETH for him" (Isa.64:4). When Paul quoted this Scripture he changed 'waiteth' to 'love' (1Cor.2:9). God has prepared and reserved blessings for those who WAIT ON or LOVE Him.

The Lord Jesus Christ says, "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Mt.25:34). The Father has prepared the kingdom for His right-hand people, not for everyone. Paul says, "And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore PREPARED unto glory" (Rom.9:23). The author of Hebrews says, "But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath PREPARED for them a city" (Heb.11:16). 

What God has prepared and reserved is exclusively for those who do His will and walk in His ways.

God promises to make a difference between those who serve Him and those who do not. God tells Moses, "But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel" (Ex.11:5). We are dealing with special grace, something much more than the grace available to all. In the days of Malachi, the people said, "It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?" (Mal.3:14). The belief that it does not pay to serve God is a lie from the pit of hell. It is absolutely impossible to serve God in vain. God declares, "Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not" (Mal.3:18).

It pays absolutely well to serve God and do His bidding. God speaks by Isaiah, saying, "I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right" (Isa.45:19). Let me say it again and again that it is impossible to serve God in vain.

God has much more in store for those willing and determined to move beyond the blessings of general grace to the realm of special grace. Why settle for less when there is so much more in store for you?

Let me remind you that God is still a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. The more you dig into God is the more you dig out of Him. God challenges us to prove Him by obeying His commands (Mal.3:10). God instructed Abraham to make a sacrifice to Him, and he quickly obeyed and swung into action. At the end of it all, God says to Abraham, "By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for BECAUSE THOU HAST DONE THIS THING, and hast not WITHHELD thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; BECAUSE THOU HAST OBEYED MY VOICE" (Gen.22:16-18). You can see that this is not everyone's blessing, but only for those who do His behest. God rewards and blesses obedience.

The question now is: What are you withholding from God? What are you finding extremely difficult to release or relinquish to God? Are you being stingy to God? What can't you let go for God's glory? Why are you rigid to God? What do you have that God did not give you? Why do you let fear keep you from stepping out of your comfort zone and walking in obedience to God's voice?

Do you really know that believing God involves doing the will of God? The word 'believe' is a verb, an action word. Those who truly believe must show it by their actions and attitudes. You behave your belief. Believing and obeying are connected as far as the Christian faith is concerned. We should believe and obey. Not to trust is to rust.

If you want more, then you have to step out of your comfort zone. God often stretches us into doing His pleasure and the stretching always results in our blessing and blending. The life of faith involves a lot of inconveniencing demands from God. Let us go more of God, regardless of the cost! Special graces abound in Christ. Faith and obedience are the keys.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter