Free and Unmerited Favor, John 1:14NIV
The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
Titus 2:11, For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
He came to save us John 3:17, For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 1:14, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Christ is the reason for the season. There is no other reason for Christmas! For unto us a child is born. Luke 1:38, “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. The Word says, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.”
The Word says, the Word that “became flesh and made His dwelling among us”. God’s grace has appeared before us my brothers and sisters. It talks about grace again in John 1:14, “who came from the Father, full of grace”. Our King has come “full of grace” because He is grace. Last time I checked, grace doesn’t mean judgement or condemnation. The last time I looked up the definition of grace it doesn’t mean to hurt someone, belittle someone, to not love someone, to attack or kill somebody. Grace isn’t something that is negative. I think you need that definition again: the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings. I’m sorry but the phrase “free and unmerited favor” is a good thing, not a bad thing, so why do some of you continue to refuse the gift of “free and unmerited favor”? It makes no sense to me. John 3:17 says, For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
He was born to save us, not to harm us. There isn’t one piece of evidence in the bible where Jesus harmed another human being. He showed “free and unmerited favor” and compassion to everyone He encountered. He showed this to everyone He interacted with during His time here on earth. So, why do you non-believers feel like you need to harm someone or hurt someone who hasn’t done any harm to you? And stop blaming humans for being human. John 2:24-25 says, But Jesus, for His part, did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people [and understood the [a]superficiality and fickleness of human nature], 25 and He did not need anyone to testify concerning man [and human nature], for He Himself knew what was in man [in their hearts—in the very core of their being]. In other words, only God can be trusted. Do not put your trust in man. If you put your trust in the One who came to save you not to condemn you, who came as grace and is full of grace, you would be at peace; and you would be free. You would have life and life more abundantly (John 10:10b).
Jesus is the reason for the season. It’s time that you fully acknowledge and recognize Him. It’s time that you live for Him and celebrate that He came to save you. It’s time to celebrate “the free and unmerited favor” that has appeared and been given to us.
#prodigalpastor #Christmas #Jesus #Christ #devotional #grace #celebrate #live #life
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