May 16, 2015 FINDING FAVOR (Part One)
Genesis 6:8: “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
Hebrews 11:5: “By faith Enoc was taken up so that he should not see death, AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.”
2 Chronicles 16:9a: “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.
In one sense, everybody experiences the goodness and favor of God in many ways. For one example, we read in the scriptures that God sends the rain on the just and on the unjust. Just the fact that a person is alive and breathing is a result of God’s blessings. In recent weeks, I have been pondering the idea of finding favor with God and whether or not all Christians enjoy the same “level” or degree of God’s favor. Throughout scripture we find those certain individuals who found favor with God. For sure, you might say that all believers are “favored” with salvation. One definition of favor is “demonstrated delight,” and God’s favor can be described as “tangible evidence that a person has the approval of the Lord.” My underlying question and food for thought is this: is there something that causes or moves God to extend His favor on an individual in a greater way than normal, and if so, what is the reason? It seems that the key ingredient that brings the favor of God is the focus and desire of our heart. As we see in 2 Chronicles 16:9; God is looking for “those whose heart is completely His” so that He may strongly support them. In Hebrews we learned that Enoc was taken up by God because he was pleasing to God. It is also clear that having God’s favor does not mean an absence of trials and difficulty. Noah, Daniel, Mary and others were favored of God but they had various struggles and difficulties just as others do. While I think it is good to desire God’s favor, I don’t think that our goal should be that of gaining God’s favor. If gaining His favor is our goal, we can easily slip into a “works mentality” where we may find ourselves taking credit for having His favor. As mentioned above, when the deepest desire of our heart- our underlying motivation-is that of knowing God and then walking in His ways, we are good candidates of God’s favor. We must remember that God is sovereign and that “we are the clay and He is the potter” and God does whatever He chooses and our part is to bow before Him. I invite you to explore with me what the scriptures teach about the favor of God- I believe that every believer would like to experience daily the favor of God. Join me in my next blog as we continue to seek out the truth concerning the favor of God.
Psalms 90:17: “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands.”
Luke 2:52: “And Jesus increases in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”
Blessings,
Buddy
Genesis 6:8: “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
Hebrews 11:5: “By faith Enoc was taken up so that he should not see death, AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.”
2 Chronicles 16:9a: “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.
In one sense, everybody experiences the goodness and favor of God in many ways. For one example, we read in the scriptures that God sends the rain on the just and on the unjust. Just the fact that a person is alive and breathing is a result of God’s blessings. In recent weeks, I have been pondering the idea of finding favor with God and whether or not all Christians enjoy the same “level” or degree of God’s favor. Throughout scripture we find those certain individuals who found favor with God. For sure, you might say that all believers are “favored” with salvation. One definition of favor is “demonstrated delight,” and God’s favor can be described as “tangible evidence that a person has the approval of the Lord.” My underlying question and food for thought is this: is there something that causes or moves God to extend His favor on an individual in a greater way than normal, and if so, what is the reason? It seems that the key ingredient that brings the favor of God is the focus and desire of our heart. As we see in 2 Chronicles 16:9; God is looking for “those whose heart is completely His” so that He may strongly support them. In Hebrews we learned that Enoc was taken up by God because he was pleasing to God. It is also clear that having God’s favor does not mean an absence of trials and difficulty. Noah, Daniel, Mary and others were favored of God but they had various struggles and difficulties just as others do. While I think it is good to desire God’s favor, I don’t think that our goal should be that of gaining God’s favor. If gaining His favor is our goal, we can easily slip into a “works mentality” where we may find ourselves taking credit for having His favor. As mentioned above, when the deepest desire of our heart- our underlying motivation-is that of knowing God and then walking in His ways, we are good candidates of God’s favor. We must remember that God is sovereign and that “we are the clay and He is the potter” and God does whatever He chooses and our part is to bow before Him. I invite you to explore with me what the scriptures teach about the favor of God- I believe that every believer would like to experience daily the favor of God. Join me in my next blog as we continue to seek out the truth concerning the favor of God.
Psalms 90:17: “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands.”
Luke 2:52: “And Jesus increases in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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