F It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. He is not more important than anyone else, but nor is he less so. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. O If God chooses for us, then what role does obedience play in our faith? Compared to these, Cyruss ancient Persian empire Genesis states that "Esau despised his birthright" (Gen. 25:34). Y Let me have a glimpse into your divine nature. It didnt matter that he even killed a man in his past. "Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without descrating it, and keeps his hand from doing evil." Back in chapter 56, the people were seen as being idolatrous, in today's Scripture, Isaiah focuses on their selfish and oppressive behaviors. His choice to show mercy to one person and not to another is a choice that originates in the mystery of his sovereign will not in the will of his creature. The doctrine of unconditional election is the great doctrine of hope for the worst of sinners. I will change my tone and speak blessings and prosperity unto my life from today. Paul goes further and states that the goodness of God leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). Notice how these sentences are both built in the same way. var alS = 2002 % 1000; Does God pick the winners | Lottery Post God's decrees include human free-will, without destroying it. Ro). And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. Referring to the young Jesus return to the promised land after the death of Herod the Great, Matthew quotes the prophet Hosea, who said Out of Egypt I called my son (Matt. So Moses thought, I will go over and see this strange sightwhy the bush does not burn up.. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed., All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land, says the, Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed. Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! Honestly, I do not know why God regenerated you or me but not other people, and we are no different from them. Paul saw all thingsincluding disappointmentsworking together for good (Romans 8:28). Tweet. There the angel of theLordappeared to him in flames of firefrom within a bush. In John 10:26, Jesus tells us why some people dont believe. Unfortunately in today's world most people want to be God rather than serve God. He predestined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will to the praise of his glorious grace (Ephesians 1:45). Weve stated the doctrine of this text with these words: It is the glory of God to be gracious to whomever he pleases apart from any constraint originating outside his own will. Just own the night like the Fourth of July. ins.dataset.adChannel = cid; Blog, A We shrink in fear from any attitude which belittles him. @media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-thegracefulchapter_com-medrectangle-4-0-asloaded{max-width:300px!important;max-height:600px!important;}}if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,600],'thegracefulchapter_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',106,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thegracefulchapter_com-medrectangle-4-0');So dont lose faith. So the doctrine of unconditional election is not the product of an isolated text. all that God is for you in Christ explodes with faith, and joy, and love. How does God choose who to bless and who to curse? - Quora Posted Oct 28, 2017 by Michael L. Brown. In 2006 he was recognized as a Fellow of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). The reference to Abraham's "offspring" in this passage is to Jesus Christ, through whom all the people of the world would be blessed with the opportunity for . You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine. Think of some of the people in the Bible whom God used in incredible ways. And to him I owe all the willing and running.. He was alone. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female barren among you or among your cattle. David Brainerd, the young missionary to the Native Americans in New England 200 years ago, drew strength from this doctrine again and again, as have hundreds of other missionaries. @media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-thegracefulchapter_com-box-3-0-asloaded{max-width:320px!important;max-height:50px!important;}}var cid = '7272902747'; But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Did you know we are on youtube? window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId, 'stat_source_id', 44); Required fields are marked *. is really quite tiny and transient. Then he interprets for us how we should understand the response to this message in Acts 13:48: As many as were ordained to eternal life believed.. If there is a God, he must be the God of Romans 9. He became a foreigner in a foreign land(Exodus 2:22). 2:23 NASB). You deserve hell, which was supposed to be your final destination, and it would have been if it were not for the intervening grace of God. In other words, it is not the belief of the people that determined whether God would ordain them to eternal life. 6 so that from the rising of the sun He took out your heart of stone and gave you a new heart of flesh, with a will to believe and obey. God created him and can work through him to achieve his purposes. But does the Israel of God exist today? TopicalBible Turning to Romans 11, we find the Apostle Paul explaining why so many JewsIsrael according to the fleshdo not believe Jesus is the Messiah while so many gentiles do. God says to Moses in Exodus 32:9, I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people; now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them.. Just keep trusting in God and when the time is right, He will visit you. P I am screaming and shouting in the wilderness until you find me. lo.observe(document.getElementById(slotId + '-asloaded'), { attributes: true }); .box-3-multi-125{border:none !important;display:block !important;float:none !important;line-height:0px;margin-bottom:7px !important;margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important;margin-top:7px !important;max-width:100% !important;min-height:50px;padding:0;text-align:center !important;}. though you do not acknowledge me. He will bless those who fear the Lord,The small together with the great. This should humble us to the dust, and cut out of our lives every motion of pride. Finally, the Bible reminds us that someday we will all stand before God. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Hebrews calls this decision "immoral" and "godless" (Heb. I was shocked. Therefore has he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardens. The Bible never gives us glimpses of Gods nature merely for intellectual discussion. Who does God Bless? God Uses Ordinary People in Extraordinary Ways - Blue Letter Bible 2:15). He simply is who he is from everlasting to everlasting. The oracle that God gave to Rebekah in Genesis 25:23 indicates God's choice of the one who would be the blessed heir of Isaac. Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! "Thank you, Lord!" In Exodus 3:14 the focus was on the existence of God that he is what he is without anything outside himself determining his personality or power. "You need to be obedient because God is going to bless that. That act may, however, be regarded as a part of the design of Providence. He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? To give Moses the hope and confidence he needed God said, I gracious to whom I will be gracious. Abram, later renamed Abraham, died some four thousand years ago. Why did God choose to bless a mere man with multitudes of descendants, who would in turn also be blessed? all that God is for you in Christ explodes with faith, and joy, and love. and to strip kings of their armor, What insight does Romans 9:10-18 give? The inclinations of his will move in directions that he alone determines. Usually, the heir would be the first born son, but God chose to not follow the "norm" in this case. window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId, 'stat_source_id', 44); But does this mean God picks every last one of our leaders, even all those wicked ones? T I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.. What does it mean to bless those who curse you (Luke 6:28)? Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! Your name will be profaned among the Egyptians, and your word to the fathers will fall. God relents. The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them (Job 1:16). 3 I will give you hidden treasures, All of us are miserable sinners. Make 'em go, "Oh, oh, oh" as you . Even including the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree, it has not borne fruit. There is always hope for the worst of sinners and so there is always help for the cause of missions. I bring prosperity and create disaster; For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. ins.id = slotId + '-asloaded'; Ricklaunched the Life Over Coffee global training network in 2008 tobring hope and help for you and others by creating resources that spark conversations for transformation. container.style.maxWidth = container.style.minWidth + 'px'; Any parent can understand this. (In Exodus 34:9 he included himself in the sin and iniquity of the people.) You listen to John Piper. Christians should definitely support the nation of Israel. He is gracious to whom he will be gracious. Unless you've acknowledged your unworthiness you are not ready to be used by God. God, help me to see individuals as You see them. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, NT Letters: Romans 9:18 So then he has mercy on whom (Rom. Subscribe Apple YouTube And then you feel sorry for yourself and you think that your origin and where you are now put you at a disadvantage. Show me the foundation of this amazing promise. Come on, show 'em what you're worth. Give me some assurance that you will indeed grant your saving presence to this stiff-necked people! In Exodus 33:19 the focus is on the gracious action of God that he does what he does without anything outside himself determining his choices. God is utterly free from the constraints of his creation. Answer. I pray thee, show me thy glory. I think the reason was this: Moses knew that his request for Gods presence with a stiff-necked people would never succeed if it were based on any qualification in himself or in the people. His choices originate in himself. Or another way to put it would be that sovereign freedom is essential to God's name. I summon you by name container.style.maxHeight = container.style.minHeight + 'px'; It must come to pass, which means it is still in force today. Sometimes you hear stories about how some successful people today began with nothing. No, and there is a verse that precisely communicates this: "They set up kings, but not by Me; They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them." - Hosea 8:4 The most significant blessing to evercome my way, apart from salvation, went through the crucible of heart-rending, soul-crushing disappointment. But in mercy God is going to give them another chance to follow him in obedience. I told him it was because I have a close relationship with the Lord and that He does act on behalf of His children. Request the classic book and Stephen Nichols companion teaching series. Why Yankees' Aaron Judge and friends sing God Bless America, today and Labs You watch his pen "draw out" meaning. His sovereign freedom is his glory. Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings. Turn from your sin; call upon the Lord. He had no family or friends with him. 5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; God will favor those who favor Abram and set Himself against those who oppose Abram. The doctrine of unconditional election means humility for the best of saints. Is the seed still in the barn? He says, You do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep. In other words, your believing does not make you a sheep. He may have, but you want to be careful that you do not reduce Gods blessings to a relational proximity formula. I think our old friend Job and a few other people from the Bible would take issue with that idea. Paul saw, The good that God is working in you, whether it feels positive or not, makes you more like Jesus. S 9:7 NASB), and Zerubbabel (Hag. All his choices are for the sake of the praise of the glory of his grace. We are moved to have faith because God has chosen us. But Moses was saved and even more so, he ended up growing up in the house of Pharoah as the son of Pharoah's daughter (Exodus 2:10). But blessing the Israel of God means, in this new covenant era, blessing the church of Christsupporting its work, doing good to its people, striving for its peace and purity, and so forth. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. But Pharoah found out and wanted him dead, so he fled to a foreign land. So, the promise of Abraham passed on to Israel as well (Num. He is gracious to whom he will be gracious. so that you may know that I am the Lord, To completely understand the answer, we have to start with the truth that God is always just ( Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 7:11 ). If the glory and the name of God is his sovereign freedom, how then should we think about our believing and our obedience? You hear other peoples success stories and you say, Oh, they were lucky they were born in a great country or they were lucky to have come from a rich home. This article is part of the 10 Things You Should Know series. Visit the Bible online to search for words if you dont know the specific passage yourre looking for. Not only did God tell this patriarch that he w I know you humbly thank God for how this situation has turned out on your behalf, and I rejoice with you. window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId, 'adsensetype', 1); 'Cause baby, you're a firework. Who Does God Bless? | Learn The Bible | LearnTheBible.org Proximity and Blessing? Our God is a God of justice, but lets face it: life does not appear fair. In this way we are fooled into thinking we don't need God. We can also begin to grasp the sheer scale of God's purposes. If you want to learn more from us, you may search this site for thousands of resourcesarticles, podcasts, videos, graphics, and more. You look at a Bible text on the screen. View our current career opportunities. The Scriptures show that while God sometimes does indeed decide who will be the leading official of a nation, He also allows people to pick national . This phrase is used 14 times in the Bible and these verses tell us a number of blessings given to those who regard the Lord in a special way. riches stored in secret places, He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Does God have favorites? | GotQuestions.org Remember that prior to Jacob deceiving his father, it is said of Esau . Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Consider these verses: If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him (Matthew 7:7-11). He is author of, Romans 9:913, Part 1: Jacob I Loved, But Esau I Hated, Romans 9:913, Part 3: The Mystery of Election. There is no doctrine that tends more to the humility of the saints than the doctrine that every virtue they possess is owing to the sovereign grace of God. And I will make you a great nation,And I will bless you,And make your name great;And so you shall be a blessing; indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. To harden, make hard, make stubborn. Many Bible translations use the word "heritage" instead of "blessing" and "reward" in place of "gift.". Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter. lo.observe(document.getElementById(slotId + '-asloaded'), { attributes: true });@media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-thegracefulchapter_com-box-3-0_1-asloaded{max-width:320px!important;max-height:50px!important;}}var cid = '7272902747'; Within your discussion with your friend, there is an unspoken implication that God is unkind, unfair, or not good. Or another way to put it would be that sovereign freedom is essential to Gods name. I say God blesses the one who has faith and seeks him. Thanks for your thoughts! Romans 9:15,16 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion, Romans 5:20,21 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. I will break down gates of bronze Faith in Christ, then, is what makes a person a member of the Israel of God, not mere ethnic descent. God blesses us because he enjoys doing it. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. ins.style.height = container.attributes.ezah.value + 'px'; God will bless those who bless His people, the church. . Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. ins.dataset.adChannel = cid; It comes from the mystery of Gods sovereign will. Life Over Coffee 8595 Pelham Rd Ste 400 #406, Greenville SC 29615, I prayed that God would give us $2,000 for an antique piece of furniture. We love to bless our children. Psalm 147:11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. "Greater love hath no man than this . It opens the name and glory of God to our understanding in order to help us revere God and love him and trust him and obey him. Paul was close to God, and someone cut off his head. The point of the Bible is to transform people into Christlikeness, not to give individuals seven habits to make them effective or provide folks their desired best life now. var container = document.getElementById(slotId); G I wholly affirm this, and I am encouraged when I hear stories like yours. The doctrine of unconditional election means hope for the worst of sinners. As Job (Job 42:5-6) and Joseph (Genesis 50:20) learned, you can find the good in personal setbacks, sins, failures, illnesses, and disappointments. For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:11-13). Scripture does not tell us why God chose Jacob over Esau. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. God chose him because He wanted to choose him. I Will Be Gracious to Whom I Will Be Gracious | Desiring God The Lord will give strength to His people;The Lord will bless His people with peace. And this promise was never withdrawn. God is good regardless of what happens to you. For God had said in Exodus 33:3, I will not go up among you, lest I consume you in the way, for you are a stiff-necked people. In other words, God had said that if he goes up with them, he will wipe them out along the way. ins.style.display = 'block'; You see, the Bible is also clear that the Israel of God is not any modern nation-state and that it is not made up of one people group. And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. He may have, but you want to be careful that you do not reduce Gods. Not exactly. Psalm 34:9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. Of David. It will make you tremble when you realize how utterly dependent on God you are. Behold, for thus shall the man be blessedWho fears the Lord. How do you usually respond when you dont get the desires of your heart? Do you mature more by getting what you want or by personal. Here it is explained with the words, I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. the God of Israel, who summons you by name. Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Last week we tried to ask the question why God is the way he is, and the answer we received from him was, I am who I am. If it were up to you, what sorts of people would you choose to carry out Gods work. Why God Chooses The Most Unlikely People For The Job Gods is. ins.style.width = '100%'; Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. Firstly, God is God: he can do as he knows to be best. 1:16; Gal. Moses needed hope that God really could have mercy on a stiff-necked people who had just committed idolatry and scorned the God who brought them out of Egypt. The God of Exodus 33:19 is virtually unknown in popular American church life today. Psalm 145:19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. If we knew God for who he really is, we would be a different people. In this setting, God crowned man with glory and honor ( Ps. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong (Job 1:20-22). 8 You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; God makes you into a child of God so that you have a nature that can believe (John 1:13). And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). For the scripture says to Pharaoh, I have raised you up for this very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. So then he has mercy upon whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. He will let the grace that he gives Moses flow over onto this rebellious people. When I choose God, it is because he has first chosen me. This will help us see just what implications this doctrine had for Moses. 1. One of the first promises in the Bible is given to Abram, whom God appointed to be a blessing to the whole earth. Supporting Member - I prayed that God would give us $2,000 for an antique piece of furniture. One thing is sure that the Lord loves all His children to the point that He gave His only Son to die and save them: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). This goodness is a testimony to all that He is indeed a good God who desires good for His created beings. For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So it depends not upon mans will or exertion, but upon God who has mercy. Psalm 85:9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. My son said if we got $500, it would be a miracle. Bible Reflections - God Decides Who He Blesses Oh how we need to study the name and glory of God. Then join The Graceful Chapter Plus to gain access to more resources to help strengthen your faith and grow in intimacy with God. There is nothing outside God that constrains his gracious election of me. So in its Old Testament context the declaration of Gods absolute freedom to be gracious to whomever he pleases is intended to give Moses hope and assurance that God indeed can and will be gracious to the stiff-necked people of Israel and go with them to the Promised Land. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. Does God Bless Those Who Bless Israel? His primary responsibilities are resource creation and leadership development, which he does through speaking, writing, podcasting, and educating. Jesus point is clear: because He is the true vine, He is the true Israel of God. The point of the Bible is not about your personal success or happiness, as defined by the culture or your heart. However, the Lord also gives many special blessings to those who love and serve Him. (Gen. 27) Why would God bless Jacob, rather than Esau, when Jacob lied No other picture of God ever commended itself to me as more true to what the Creator must be. Were on a mission to change that. And this is what we should expect since the doctrine is rooted in the very name of God and is the heart of his glory. His descendants will be mighty on earth;The generation of the upright will be blessed. And Exodus 33:1819 teaches us that this self-determining freedom of God is his name and his glory. Similarly, in John 15:1, Jesus says, I am the true vine. Every Jew who heard Him would have remembered the many places in the Old Testament where Israel is referred to as Gods vine or Gods vineyard (e.g., Isa. ins.style.width = '100%'; Romans 1:24-28 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: , Romans 11:7,8 What then? What Does the Bible Say About I Will Bless Those That Bless You? Let the earth open wide, God decides who He blesses. Psalm 103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; Psalm 111:5 He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. Does God Bless Those Who Bless Israel? | Ask Dr. Brown I was shocked.
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