NO GOOD THING

GOD LOOKS FOR AVAILABILITY ...

Luke 2:24, "And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."

The Old Testament passage being quoted is from Lev. 12:6-8. There the Lord commanded a lamb and a young pigeon or a turtledove as the prescribed sacrifice. If the woman was unable to offer a lamb, then two young pigeons or two turtledoves were acceptable. Mary would not have offered the lesser offering if it had been in her power to provide the lamb.

This reveals that Joseph and Mary were not well off financially, yet the Lord chose them to be the earthly parents of His only begotten Son.

The Lord doesn't choose the way man chooses. Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart (1 Sam. 16:7).

Mary and Joseph were chosen when they were without: without fame, without position, without money. God entrusted the most precious gift He had to a couple who would surely have been overlooked if men had been conducting the search.

God isn't looking for ability, but rather availability. D. L. Moody once heard a preacher say, "The world has never seen what God can do with one man who is totally yielded to Him." In response, D. L. said, "By the grace of God, I'll be that man." This uneducated man went on to shake three continents for God.

God will choose you too, if you'll make yourself available to Him (1 Cor. 1:26-28).

GOD GIVES YOU

UNDESERVED PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT

Romans 1:7 - …Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

When you fly first class in an airplane, the cabin crew gives you first-class treatment. They ask you, “Is everything okay with you, sir?” They ask you what magazines you want to read. They give you a blanket if you are cold. They give you the best kinds of food. They give you preferential treatment compared to those traveling in economy class.

The grace of God is defined as “undeserved, unearned and unmerited favor”. And one of the definitions for favor is “preferential treatment”! Today, God wants you to know that you have His favor on you. He wants you to know that He gives you preferential treatment which you do not deserve. And He wants you to depend on and take full advantage of it in your life.

God also wants you to know that His favor in your life can be increased. You can experience more of His favor from day to day. How? The Bible tells us in 2 Peter 1:2 that God’s grace (or favor) is multiplied to us “in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord”. The more you behold Jesus and His love for you, the more you believe and confess that God’s favor is on you, the more you will see His favor work for you.
So if you are a doctor, you will find patients favoring you and you will have more patients than you can handle. If you are a businessman, you will find people just wanting to do business with you because they like you and feel good about you. Then, you will have more business than you can handle and you will need to plan for expansion!

When the favor of God shines on your church, you will find its premises too small for the people who queue up week after week to attend the services! So when people wonder and ask, “What is happening here?” you can tell them, “It is the favor of God multiplied all over us!” And it is all undeserved, unearned and unmerited!

Thought For The Day :
The more you behold Jesus and His love for you, the more you will see His favor work for you.

SLOW DOWN AND ENJOY THE JOURNEY ...

This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:24, NKJV

Everyone wants to live joyful and victorious lives. That’s what God wants for you, too, and He knows the best way to get you there. But He also wants you to enjoy the trip! Here are two things to remember today that will help you slow down and enjoy this day God has given you. First, God is in control! He is directing your steps according to His plan. Second, God has your best interest in mind at all times. That means His plan for you is good, one that is designed to help you be the person He created you to be. So relax and enjoy the journey! Let God take you where He wants you to be in His timing, not yours. Remember, God is never late!

WHAT EARNEST PRAYER IS TO GOD

 …The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. - James 5:16, AMP

The Bible tells us that when Elijah prayed earnestly that it would not rain, it did not rain on the land for three years and six months (James 5:17).

You might be thinking, That must’ve been some prayer! I’d like to learn how to pray like that. So how did Elijah pray “earnestly”? You’ll be surprised to know that his prayer was not a long, intense, sweat-inducing prayer. No dropping to his knees to plead with God for hours or days. Elijah’s earnest prayer was just a simple declaration of faith: “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). He simply declared in faith that there would be no rain.

My friend, can you see that our idea of praying earnestly is very different from that of God’s? Today, you don’t have to beg God for your miracle, because He is more than willing to meet your need. All you need to do is to trust His grace and speak to your mountain in faith. That’s praying earnestly to God. That’s an effective prayer that will produce dynamic, wonderful results!

 KINDNESS GONE VIRAL

Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. —Mark 10:14

News of a simple act of kindness on a New York subway has gone around the world. A young man, head covered by a hooded sweatshirt, fell asleep on the shoulder of an older passenger. When someone else offered to wake the young rider, the older man quietly said, “He must have had a long day. Let him sleep.

We’ve all been there.” Then he let the tired fellow rider sleep on his shoulder for the better part of the next hour, until the older man gently eased away to get up for his stop. In the meantime, another passenger snapped a photograph and posted it on social media, and it went viral.

The man’s kindness seems to resonate with what we all long for—the kindness that reflects the heart of God. We see this gentleness in Jesus when His friends tried to protect Him from the noise and bother of little children. Instead, Jesus insisted on taking the little ones in His arms and blessing them (Mark 10:16). In the process, He invited all of us to trust Him like a little child (vv.13-16).

Jesus lets us know that all of us are safe in His presence. Whether awake or asleep, we can lean on Him. When we’re exhausted, He provides a safe place for us to rest.

Under His wings, I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild;
Still I can trust Him—I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me and I am His child.

God is a safe resting place.

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