By Grace

“For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.” So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.” Rom.9:15-16 [emphasis added]

It is a very special season particularly because we are transitioning into a new year. I strongly believe that by the time we have transitioned into the New Year, God’s favour would have transformed our lives totally. What separates people from the pack is the favour of God and that favour will rest immensely on you. As believers, we are products of grace. Grace is so fundamental to our walk with God. We are nothing without the grace of God. If you remove God’s grace from the Christian walk, there will be no Christians.

We are all beneficiaries of God’s grace and we are hugely dependent on God’s grace. It is because of His grace that we have not been consumed. If not for the grace of God we would not be here today. The nation Nigeria would not be together anymore but for grace. I would not be able to preach the gospel, if not for the grace of God. The grace of God is so powerful, so intense and so immense. We need to really understand how grace works to fully appreciate it.

The grace of God has two components largely – Mercy and Favour. Therefore, favour plus mercy equals grace. Mercy has to do with where you have been, your past up until your present. Favour on the other hand has to do with your present up until your future. The mercy of God avails for us even to the future but it is not applicable until it is in the present. I hope you understood the last statement. Mercy means not getting what you actually deserve. You deserve to be punished but God decides not to punish you; that is mercy. Favour on the other hand, is getting what you do not deserve.

Imagine someone that has committed an offence standing before a judge and the judge rules to pardon the person. That is mercy; if you do not deserve it then it is not mercy. Which means it would be useless to forgive someone for stealing a pen when the person did not steal the pen. You cannot show people mercy for something they have not done. Favour is getting what you do not deserve. With favour, if you deserve it then it is not favour. If you actually earn something then it is not favour. But many times, we think we have to deserve everything we get.

Prayer: Lord, be gracious unto me and show me Your mercy and favour, in Jesus Name.