In Deuteronomy 16:16-17
God directed the people of the First Covenant to gather three times a year for
the feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. He also commanded that none
were to appear before the Lord empty, but that, “every man shall give as
he is able…” Recently God burned this passage into my spirit, but with a
different twist. Notice the rich were not to give little, the poor were not to
give much; but all were expected to give to the level of their ability.
Here is the “hinge,” the
idea on which this article turns—God would never demand of His own something
that He would not do Himself. If God expects us to give to His work
according to the level of our ability, then certainly we can expect Him to move
for us according to the level of His divine ability! Now this insight
gains intensity.
There are seven main
Scriptural declarations of God’s ability toward us. Certainly His abilities go
far beyond these seven areas—however, He must have emphasized these seven areas
for a reason; therefore, we should magnify them as well, by embracing these
promises and often declaring their fulfillment:
1 All Grace: 2 Corinthians 9:8 declares that “God is
able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (NKJV,
KJV). Grace is unmerited love and divinely imparted ability. There is no limit
to the amount of grace available flowing from the throne of God. Grace is just
as infinitely inexhaustible as the God who gives it. God only requires that His
people exhibit: (1) Faith—Eph. 2:8, (2) Humility—I Pt. 5:5, and (3) Sincere
love—Eph. 6:24. If these attitudes are in us and abound, the deep river of
divine grace will abound toward us.
2 Divine Help: Hebrews 2:17-18 explains concerning Jesus,
“in all things it behooved Him to be made like His brothers, that He might be a
merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make
propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered,
having been tempted, He is able to aid those who are being tempted” (MKJV). How
comforting it is to know that in our temptations and trials, the Lord Jesus is
sympathetic and ready to assist us in our journey! He is compassionate and
committed. Having faced every same temptations that we face in this world, He
understands our plight and stands ever ready to help us, even to the point of
marshalling the host of heaven.
3 Power to Stand: Two scriptures relay this excellent promise
two different ways. First, Jude 24 says, “unto Him who is able to keep you from
falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with
exceeding joy…” (KJV). The most noticeable revelation from this verse is that
it is God’s great “joy” to uphold His people and render them blameless in His
sight.If that will be the case
in the great day of resurrection (as this verse foretells), it is certainly the
case even now. The second scripture, Romans 14:4, warns: “Who are you to judge
another man's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be
made to stand: for God is able to make him stand” (NKJV). The one says God is able
to “keep us from falling”; the other, that God is able to “make us stand”—so
one way or the other, we are going to survive with the God of heaven on our
side.
4 Preservation: Paul said, “I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until
that day” (2 Tim. 1:12 NKJV). Notice that God can only keep what we place under
His authority. Only if we give Him all our hearts and lives can we expect such
blessed security. “That day” may refer to the Day of Judgment, then again, it
may refer to those days when it seems calamity and confusion knock at our door.
5 Salvation: Jesus is revealed in the Scripture as the
Great High Priest, the Great Intercessor, who constantly searches our hearts
and “ever lives” to make intercession for us “according to the will of God.”
(Ro. 8:27) Because of this, Hebrews 7:25 announces, “He is able to save to the
uttermost those who come to God through Him” (NKJV). Nothing can withstand or
thwart His prayers for those who walk in covenant with Him. When God announces His
intention to “save” us, it covers every negative thing to be faced in this
world: He will save us from sin, from satanic powers, from mental and emotional
distress, from failures, from sickness, from death, from the grave and from
eternal destruction. He is ever interceding over us and the Father never fails
to answer His appeals.
6 Incredible Provision: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in
us” (Eph. 3:20 NKJV). Notice this release of incredible blessing hinges on the
“power” that is within us—the power of faith, the power to imagine
possibilities, expect the miraculous and praise God in advance for their
fulfillment. Notice, however, that God declares He is not bound just to the
limits of our expectations but is able to go far beyond what we can even
conceive possible. What a promise! Let it be so, Lord!
7 Final Glorification: “For our citizenship is in heaven; from
which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall
transform our lowly body, that it may be conformed to His glorious body,
according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to
Himself” (Ph. 3:20-21 NKJV).
To be changed into the image of the firstborn Son of
God—what a destiny! Shining like the sun in the kingdom of our Father—what an
ultimate outcome to this journey through time! If God can subdue the dust of
mortality to His will and might, releasing us from the curse of death and propelling
us into the glory of everlasting life, if He can take spiritual paupers and
turn them into kings, to reign with Him forevermore, then truly God can subdue
“all things” to Himself. Let us praise Him in expectation!
Glory to God for His awesome ability to do these
things! Let us walk into the portal of 2014 fighting the good of faith
concerning these promises—claiming their manifestation in the Name of the Lord!
By MikeShreve
I take them all.
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