ARE YOU GROWING IN GRACE?

DATE: WEDNESDAY 3RD AUGUST 2016

THEME: ARE YOU GROWING IN GRACE? 

Memorise:

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18

Read: Luke 2:39-40

2:39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.

2:40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. 

Message

Show me a man that is doing great exploits in life and in ministry and I will show you a man that is growing in th  grace and knowledge of the Almighty God. It is the grace of the Almighty God that makes us vessels of honor and beneficiaries of this grace; we need to continue to grow in it so that we will not run out of it. By the virtue of our past, none of us will be qualified to be amongst the chosen of God, but the grace and mercy of God qualifies us. It was His grace that brought us salvation and not our works. It was the  grace of God that blotted out the handwriting of the devil against all the sins we had committed. The devil stood to accuse us before the Almighty God, but His mercy stood in for us. Long ago when I was a lecturer in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, a woman brought her sick child to me for prayers as she had been told to come see me; a man of God. When she arrived and discovered that I was the man of God she was asked to see, she couldn't hide her shock because she knew how bad I was in the past. Only the grace of God could have taken me from being a 'great sinner' to being a 'man of God'. The moment we come to the truth of the gospel, there is an expectation from us. There is an expectation to live a life of holiness. A personal knowledge of God is necessary to enable us obtain his best for our lives. As God reveals Himself to us daily, we in turn, must reveal Him to others. 

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" Ephesians 2:8

The grace God is available in abundance, but must not be taken for granted. We must use the grace that we have received to be a blessing to others. The grace of God makes the forgiveness of sin possible. This why every child of God must have a big heart to 'let go'. You must not hold anything against anyone. Others may, but you cannot; because you are excepted to be growing in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. The grace of God helps us to stand in the gap in the place of prayer. This makes it necessary of us to seek the face of God on behalf of those that God has committed to our trust. We must always remember that it is Jesus that has chosen us out of His own divine grace (John 15:16).

Despite the antecedents of Saul, God chose him. Jeremiah was chosen and ordained even before his birth. With all these examples and stories of our time, it is wisdom to make the best choice of allowing God to have his way in our lives. We must glorify God in all we do. We must continue to grow in Him and never allow His investment to go to waste. We must justify His being interested in us by living holy and being a blessing to the body of Christ  with all the talents, abilities, endowments and gifts He has given us. Don't allow yourself to be led astray by the immoral conduct of those who have given themselves to the lust of the flesh. It is the responsibility of everyone to grow in the things of the Spirit and the motivation required for this has been given through the revelation of His grace through the cross. 

Prayer Point:

Father, cause me to grow daily in your grace and knowledge in Jesus' name. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 

Hebrews 11-13 and Psalms 26

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 4: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

Take my life, and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise. 

Take my hands, and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love;

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee,

Swift and beautiful for Thee. 

Take my voice, and let me sing

Always, only, for my King;

Take my lips, and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee,

Filled with messages from Thee. 

Take my silver and my gold;

Not a mite would I withhold;

Take my intellect, and use

Every power as Thou shalt choose,

Every power as Thou shalt choose. 

Take my will, and make it Thine;

It shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart; it is Thine own;

It shall be Thy royal throne,

It shall be Thy royal throne. 

Take my love; my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure-store.

Take myself, and I will be

Ever, only, all for Thee,

Ever, only, all for Thee.