During this season of “21 Days of Prayer”, worship and praise God for WHO HE IS. Tozer in Knowledge of the Holy finds 18 characteristics of God in the Bible. (You can remember the attributes of God they are presented in this acronym: WISH TO FLOSS, JIM EGGO.) Today I’m describing “E”, “G”, “G”, and “O” – God is Eternal. God gives Grace. He is Good, and He is Omnipotent.
Eternal
God has no beginning and no end. Being eternal is similar to God’s self-existence. God always has been and will forever be, because He dwells in eternity. He sees the end from the beginning, and He is never surprised by anything. “If God were not eternal, His promise of eternal life for those who follow Jesus would have little value.” ~ Tozer
Grace/Gracious
God enjoys giving good gifts to those who love Him, even when they do not deserve it. This is the unmerited favor that God shows to us, even though we haven’t earned it or deserved it. It is a gift. Jesus is the channel through which God’s grace moves. John 1:17 reads: “…for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Through Jesus, we have Saving Grace, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.” ~ Titus 2:11.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” ~ Ephesians 2:8-10.
We have Sanctifying Grace. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification.” ~ I Thessalonians 4:3. God calls us to be set apart from sin and transformed to become more like Jesus. But He doesn’t expect us to do this on our own. He lavishes grace upon us!
“And God is well able to lavish all His grace upon you, so that in every matter and in every way you will have enough of everything, and may be lavish in all your own good works.” ~ II Corinthians 9:8.
We have Sustaining Grace. “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” ~ II Corinthians 12:8-9.
Prevenient Grace is the grace that draws people to come to Him. It is
the grace that goes before we may even be aware. “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ~ John 12:32.
We often think of these as “types of grace”. But maybe we should consider that these are not so much “types”, as referring to different “times” or “seasons” of grace. Grace draws us into union with Christ, unites us to Christ, and works out and sustains that union with Christ all through the seasons of life.
God’s grace truly is “Amazing Grace.” And what’s even more amazing is, He is not stingy. There are four important words to remember in James 4:6: God.gives.more.grace The whole verse in the Amplified version reads:
“But He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud and haughty,but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness]. ~ James 4:6
Grace is a gift and there is more than an adequate supply to enable us to live victorious lives!
Good/Goodness
God IS perfectly good. He is kind, caring, and full of love toward ALL of His creation. Goodness is part of His nature.
“The goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. This attribute of God is why He bestows all the blessing He does on His followers.” ~ Tozer
Scripture:
I Chronicles 16:34 ~ “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”
Psalm 34:8 ~ “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.”
James 1:17 ~ “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Omnipotent
God is all-powerful. He spoke all things into being, and all things—every cell, every microorganism, every blade of grass, every breath we take—is sustained by Him. There is nothing too difficult for Him. God can do anything that matches His character.
Scripture:
Psalm 33:6-9 ~ “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; He puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.”
Jeremiah 32:17 ~ “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You.”
Colossians 1:17 ~ “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
Prayer: God, what confidence we have in You as the One who is Just, Immutable, Merciful, Eternal, the Giver of Grace, Good, and Omnipotent!
You are the all-powerful God, with whom nothing is impossible. You are unchanging. Be our “constant” in a world that’s constantly changing.
Thank You, Merciful God, that Your mercy doesn’t change based on my performance, but it is who You are. Show me where I need to show mercy to others and help me live that out.
May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, this very day. Amen.
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Amen 💜
So thankful for His grace, every day
God is grace. Thank you