Believer, see the Father's love for you!

Believers, think about the love you have for your children, or the unconditional love that your parents have/had for you when you were little...still caring and providing for you even when you messed things up. This is just a reflection of how our Heavenly Father loves us. If we parents can love our children this much, how much more our Heavenly Father who gave His own Son to die for us?

It makes one wonder when some "men of God" preach that believers in Christ need to give (especially money) and first obey the law before they can receive from God. Some even tell us that we need to give "right now" - just as their bank details are flashing on the TV screen, or else we will "miss the blessing." While this may apply to people that are under the Law, it isn't so for we who are in Christ (under the New Covenant), where we receive all things FREELY from our Heavenly Father who loves us so and not because we deserve it. For we who are in Christ, His Salvation (including salvation from acts of sin, addictions and all earthly ills) is without terms and conditions. See Romans 8:32:

"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

No matter how nasty our kids get, we still give them breakfast, pay their school fees, even buy them things that we see as a waste of money. When we see them going astray, we correct them as best as we can, but never with things like refusing to pay their school fees or letting them get run over by a car because we've told them several times not to run into the street! Yes, there are 'extras' when they behave exceptionally well, but remember that they imitate what we do, so it's up to us to make sure to bring them up properly - just as God does for we who are Christ's; His "little children"; He helps us to please Him. We are able to do exceptional things (exploits) only by Grace - we get to work out the salvation that He works into us, "for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13.

Pastors and leaders, preach God's love expressed at the cross where His love and justice met: Christ crucified. Because He loved us so, He sent His only begotten Son to take our shame, curse (including generational curses,) punishment and death on the cross. He will not put these thing on we who believe a second time. Christ offered Himself to God and paid for all of our sins- past, present and future. See Hebrews 10:12-

"But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time."

Christ took all the bad that we deserve so that we can get all the good that we do not deserve. His righteousness, healing, deliverance, provision and eternal life are free for all who believe. Remember Romans 6:23-

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

"All have sinned" and Romans 3:20 says "For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands..." We were all destined for death, including the second death in hell, but all who believe (right) in Jesus Christ have the gift of God that is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. A gift is no longer a gift if you have to pay for it. This is Grace- undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour.

See Songs of Solomon 1:5 (TPT.) The Shulamite woman (you and I in Christ) says of herself:

"I know I am so unworthy- so in need."

But Jesus Christ our Shepherd-King says to us:

"Yet you are so lovely!"

Those who think they are worthy of salvation from earthly ills and eternal life because of their own MIGHT and POWER that they deploy to obeying the Ten Commandments and doing works of the law are deceiving themselves in their SELF-CONFIDENCE aka confidence in one's ability to obey the law. The law cannot save. "The letter kills but the Spirit gives life" and we see in Zechariah 4:6 that human MIGHT and POWER are not involved in the works of the Spirit that gives life:

"So he answered and said to me:

“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:

‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’

Says the Lord of hosts."

The story behind this prophecy and is an amazing testimony for us with regard to our victory over earthly ills: Christ does it all. 

When believers in Christ become aware of the love that God has for His children; when they know that:

• He's not out to get us for our sins but to save us from them as it is written in Matt. 1:21- "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

• He corrects us not with any of the things Christ died to save us from like poverty, generational curses and sickness but for our profit, that we might live and that we might be partakers of His holiness (Hebrews 12);

• that He will always save us, even from troubles that we created by ourselves as it is written in Proverbs 28:26- "Self-confident know-it-alls will prove to be fools. But when you lean on the wisdom from above, you will have a way to escape the troubles of your own making."

• that with Christ, we receive all things FREELY from Him (Romans 8:32) and not because we fasted, sowed seed or paid tithe to get God to prevent locusts from eating up our finances

• when the flock know Christ's love and how "Yet you are so lovely!" is His opinion of us even when we are disgusted with ourselves, believers won't need any prompting to give! You'll be the one to ask them to stop giving!

Tell the flock about Christ's love for us in our unworthy state and see us "being transformed to the image of the glory of the Lord, from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18.) Preach grace and watch your Ministry grow by His grace!

Just as it is between a loving father and his children, in Christ, we don't give to get from our Heavenly Father; we get to give. Good works are EVIDENCES of our salvation, not CONDITIONS.

Right believing always produces right living.