“Can you do
me a favor”? Hey, “I need a huge favor, I need your help.. please!!!”? How
often do we hear that request? I would say definitely on a daily basis, if not
almost every day. Something is always going on where we need help or someone
needs our help. We are so accustomed to asking and hearing that plea. Just
hearing the request, tells us a lot about favor.
Asking someone for a favor is a request based not on merits but on relationship. We ask not because we have
“earned” the right but because of a formed relationship that exists between us
and the person whom we are making the request. That relationship gives us
confidence that most likely our request will be granted.
We see that
in the Bible, another word for favor is grace.
And if we define grace, it is simply “God’s unmerited favor.” God gives us grace freely to all who ask in faith. It’s not
about how hard can I work for it, or did I do enough to earn it. No! It’s given
to you because God chooses to do so. This is God’s favor. The apostle Paul
wrote this, ”For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God,
not of works, lest anyone should boast.” And since it is a gift, it didn’t cost
you anything.
David;
Israel’s greatest king, knew that his success was not attributed to his own
merits or goodness but to God’s favor. He says in Psalm 30, “For His anger is
but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but
joy comes in the morning. Now in my prosperity I said, ‘I shall never be
moved.’ Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong.”
Favor
triumphs over works! One day of favor can be worth more than a lifetime of
labor. It’s so refreshing to know that God’s favor is timeless, it lasts forever. For Joseph, the day came when he found favor in the eyes of God and
in one moment, his life was transformed from being a prison inmate to becoming Pharaoh’s
second-in-command.
As Christians, you don’t have to earn God’s
favor- you already have it! You are a beneficiary of His grace-unmerited favor freely given. Our relationship with God
should be a strong, unbreakable bond. God wants you to feel comfortable enough
to go before His throne and boldly ask Him what your heart desires. Imagine
this, going up to a complete stranger and asking him/her for a favor, a big
favor –like providing you with a car or giving you giving you x amount of money; would you do
it? You would probably feel a bit hesitant, right? On the contrary, someone who
you have a relationship with; the process will be much easier. Why?
Because that relationship has been built on communication and trust and you
feel comfortable enough to talk to them and ask for what you need. Would you feel
awkward asking your significant other for a favor, what about your parents or best
friend? Probably not.
I know
circumstances can get in the way of what God is trying to do in your life but
do not give in, understand that God loves you with everlasting love and He is
ready to grace you with His favor. You didn’t earn it and you don’t deserve it
but in God’s goodness and mercy, makes it readily available and at your
disposal.
Be
Encouraged, Be Blessed!
Landy
Perez-Feliciano ♥
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