GRACE UPON GRACE

“For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift]” (Jn 1:16; AMP). In Greek, the word ‘fullness’ means completeness and overflow. Christ is 100% God and 100% Man. The Christian is a man who has received and continues to receive something from God. He receives willingly and actively. God thru Christ gives the believer the best heaven has. The Christian receives the Holy Spirit by faith and at different levels. This pouring of the Holy Spirit is by God’s Grace. It is an intimate relationship of giving and receiving. Christ’ gift increases gradually. It is grace upon grace. Grace is defined as the unmerited favor of God to the believer. It manifests as spiritual gift upon gift, and spiritual blessing upon blessing. This continuous increase in spiritual power and anointing never stops until the believer goes to heaven.

Grace is the generosity, the outpouring of Love. Grace is like a glass full of water. We drink and drink and it is still full. As children of God, we know and feel that we are loved, protected and blessed. Out of this overflow of Love, we love others. The Christians are different in their levels of revelation, authority, and power to testify for Jesus. All believers are citizens of God’s Kingdom, but not all are governors or judges with authority to open and shut doors. It is possible to be born-again and still not be baptized with the Holy Spirit. There is a price to pay to know and function in the realm of power, and love. May we be willing to mature!

LOVE IS STRONG AND COURAGEOUS (Deut 11:22-25; Joshua 1:1-9)

We are ready to crossover into a new year (2025). Let God’s Word guide us. Let the Holy Spirit direct us. We shall experience a higher level of fruitfulness and greater harvest. We re-visit the story of Joshua, taking the lead after God’s servant, Moses has died. This is a story of transition, from dreams to dreams come true. The people of God are ready to crossover. They’ve camped by River Jordan. God commands Joshua to arise and lead the people. God commands him to be strong and very courageous. He must devote Himself to study and apply God’s Word. God’s promises are ready to be fulfilled. Centuries ago, God promised that the Land of Canaan will be theirs. Because of disobedience, they’ve wasted many years. But they are now ready to enter the Promised Land. This is a destiny moment for Isreal.

Three times in this passage God commands Joshua to be ‘strong and very courageous’. This is not a suggestion. Obeying this command is rewarded with godly prosperity and success. Moses was a strong leader. Joshua also needs to be strong and very courageous as a leader because God’s people were not experienced warriors, and the Canaanites were strong enemies. To be ‘strong’ means emotionally firm and stable, but not totally hardened and not soft; he must not be easily moved emotionally, not yielding to manipulation or intimidation. The word ‘courageous’ means to be brave, fearless, having the mental and moral strength to deal with dangerous, unpleasant or difficult things without breaking down. God’s command was ‘to observe to do’ all God’s Law. This is an active, diligent and intentional obedience to God’s commands. According to God’s covenant, obedience to God’s Word brought blessings. Disobedience brought curses. Partial obedience is counted as disobedience. Joshua was not to turn to the right or to the left. It shows the need to go straight on God’s path of righteousness. Any deviation means failure or danger. Lesson: stay focused on the path God has prepared for us, and faithfully, to run the race to the end.

God has promised that obedience to His Word leads to prosperity. In Hebrew, the word ‘sakal’ means prosperity that comes from wisdom and understanding of God. It is not just wealth. It is the testimony of a mature believer who knows God and His Word. He hears from God. He applies God’s Word wisely in his life. This is how he becomes wealthy, spiritually and materially. This promise is not connected only with the Promised Land. Its blessings shall manifest in any place you go in this world. You become a source of prosperity in any place you live.

The Bible is the true and final authority in the life of the believer. We must study, meditate and proclaim God’s Word. This is the lifestyle of the believer. It affects his thinking, his emotions, his choices, his speech and his actions. The diligent study and application of God’s Word leads to prosperity. In Hebrew, it is the word ‘tsalach’. It means to advance, to make progress, or to have breakthrough. Good success means success connected with wisdom taken from the Word of God. This is a reminder that God’s Law is extremely important. It cannot be broken. Man cannot keep God’s Law perfectly. The only Man who ever obeyed God perfectly is Jesus Christ. He did not come to do away with the Law, but to fulfill it through His perfect obedience. In Him, we are justified by Grace and through Faith. His obedience becomes ours. In Christ, all the promises are yes and amen. God’s Word decrees that as believers, we will have a successful and prosperous life.

As we enter this new year, we too stand at the river. We’ve known thirst in the desert. We’ve also tasted the refreshing water of salvation. Now it is time to crossover and enter the Promised Land. The Lion of Judah looks us in the eye and says, “Come here.” The Promised Land is the fullness of the presence of God. Entering there is never casual. It is frightening because in that Land we are to live a whole new life that we have never known before. In the desert, even though we were thirsty, at least we felt some sort of control. But now, we are afraid of heaven because the promises are so, so big and the glory so, so bright! It is hard to have faith that our lives will change so much!

How did Joshua have the power to let go of the past and crossover into the Promised Land? What are the lessons for us? Joshua heard the voice of God. In all transitions we must hear from God. God speaks thru His Word and by His Spirit. Trying to move on without God is dangerous. God’s Word must be heard and obeyed. God promised to be with Joshua always. God’s presence is safety. God promised to fight and defeat all Joshua’s enemies. God’s presence of victory. It is hope! Learn to let go by giving God your desire for comfort, security and control. Let Him replace it with the reality of His presence. Now you are ready to cross over into the Promised Land! Worship the Lord!