Quote: Receive God’s favor when you least expect it…

If you’ve ever made a mistake, missed an opportunity or fallen short, I am writing this especially for you today.  I want to show you something beautiful about Jesus.  I want you to see how He responds to your mistakes and your failures.

The reality is that all of us have fallen short at one time or another. Romans 3:23 tells us …all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

I think this is why people ask me, “Pastor Prince, will God still help me with troubles of my own making?”  (Maybe you’ve wondered this yourself, or maybe you haven’t even bothered to ask – maybe you’ve just tried to fix things in your own strength.)

Beloved, just as Jesus loves you in the midst of your trouble, just as Jesus accepts you in the midst of your trouble, and just as Jesus forgives you in the midst of your trouble…

Jesus wants to help you in the midst of your trouble.

Grace is never put off by your mistakes or offended by your shortcomings.  In fact, grace does its best work when sin tries to condemn you.  This is because grace is simply defined as the unmerited favor of God. Unmerited means that you and I don’t deserve it.

There is a powerful truth in God’s Word that explains the response of grace when you miss the mark. In Romans 5:20 the Bible says:

Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound.
But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more…

Do you see that?  Jesus doesn’t desert you when you sin. He doesn’t say, “You’re on your own. You made this mess, so now you have to fix it.”  The opposite is true: Jesus sends His grace flooding in to help you in your time of need.

I like the original Greek for this verse. It says, where sin increased, grace superabounded.

Wherever you fall short, God’s grace always superabounds.

Friend, it is so important that you receive these words…

Don’t put your focus on your sin; put your focus on your Savior.
Don’t dwell on your limited goodness; dwell on His limitless grace.
Don’t rehearse your faults; receive His favor.

Remember what Paul said in 2 Corinthians?  “When I am weak, then I am strong.”  This means your sin, your mistake or your apparent weakness doesn’t disqualify you from God’s favor.  In these very areas of weakness, God’s grace superabounds to bring you strength.

Don’t forget that because of the finished work of Christ Jesus, you are now the righteousness of God in Christ.  This is how God the Father sees you.  It means you are a sinner no more!

This helps us understand why Jesus is your very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).  You are not a sinner, unworthy of His love; you are dearly loved and highly favored.  His grace superabounds in your time of trouble.

But you may be asking, “What about areas of my life where I didn’t plan ahead, or where I made a decision that in hindsight looked like the wrong decision?”

Think about the multitude of 5,000 that Jesus miraculously fed in John chapter 6. With the exception of one boy, every single one of them failed to think ahead and bring food to eat.  You could say this was very poor planning on their part. Did these crowds deserve the help of Jesus? Had they earned His favor? From a worldly point of view, the answer would be “no”.

Many people would say, “Too bad, you made your bed; now you have to lie in it. You brought this mess on yourself; you have to handle it.” This is the mindset that some even teach today. It assumes God is harsh and distant.

But you must remember:  Favor isn’t earned. Favor is given.

Jesus revealed something beautiful about His nature that day.  Not only did He feed the crowd, the Bible says that Jesus fed them “as much as they wanted” (v. 11).  He loved them so much that He lavished His favor upon them…as much as they wanted.

You might be facing a similar situation today.  Perhaps it was a situation or circumstance you could have avoided.  Know that it doesn’t matter what financial mistake you made.  It doesn’t matter what your perceived educational limitations are.  It doesn’t matter who is against you.  The only thing that matters today, is that you have the same favor, honor and acceptance that Jesus has (1 John 4:17).

Nothing can stop you from receiving the unmerited favor of God.  There are no limitations on how superabounding His grace can be.

Never let someone tell you there is a problem with the supply.  God’s supply is limitless, unending—you will never exhaust God’s supply.  Don’t be afraid to ask God for favor today.  Regardless of your circumstances, His grace superabounds for you.  You need only receive it.

Beloved, just as you didn’t qualify yourself to receive the love of the Father, you can’t disqualify yourself from His love.  If you have made a mistake, missed an opportunity or fallen short today, receive His grace.  Instead of focusing on your problem, focus on Jesus. Rest and receive His superabounding favor and grace that can turn weak moments into strong miracles.

I love and appreciate you. I pray that you never stop receiving all that the Father has to give you through His Son Jesus Christ.

Joseph Prince

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