DOES GOD HAVE FAVORITES?
The LORD favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkindness.
Psalm 147:11
When I was in school, I always tried to finagle my way into the good graces of the teacher. My thinking was this: A teacher who knows you and likes you is always more apt to give you the benefit of the doubt when it comes to your grade.
In college, I made it a point to develop a relationship with my Calculus Teaching Assistant, Urjit Yanik. (As you may have guessed, Urjit was not from East Texas.) I frequently visited him during office hours to ask him calculus questions and go over homework problems. He knew I was trying hard to grasp all the concepts, equations and formulas. I was one of the few students who took the time to seek his help.
When it came time for the calculus final - a ten question, multiple choice test with every lengthy calculus problem having "none of the above" as a possible answer, UGH! - I cashed in my chips with Urjit. I was up every few minutes asking him questions and getting his reaction on my line of thinking. At one point, he actually came to my seat to let me know, in a roundabout way, that I may want to rethink problem #8 because the answer I had penciled in was not correct.
I ended up getting an "A" in Calculus because I studied hard AND built a relationship with Urjit that made him want to go out of his way to help me succeed. I think it would be safe to say that Urjit showed me favor. I respectfully sought his help throughout the semester, and he graciously helped me, even during the final exam.
DOES GOD DO THAT?
As the verse in Psalm 147:11 clearly states, "The LORD favors those who fear Him." God smiles upon those who continually show up at His doorstep during "office hours." He loves it when we come to Him with our questions and our problems. When He sees that we are serious about knowing Him, honoring Him and doing His will, He pours out His favor upon us. He becomes to us "our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).
And you know what else? When you really seek God and stand in awe of Him with all your heart, He shares His secrets with you. It's true! "The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant" (Psalm 25:14). "Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7).
THE BIG QUESTION?
Will you take advantage of the Lord's invitation to come to Him? Will you go to His office hours for individual tutoring? Or will you do like the vast multitudes that show up at church (like showing up at class), but never bother to take the time to really and truly develop a close, personal relationship with the Teacher?
God wants to pour out His favor on you. He wants to share His secrets with you. Office hours start now. Are you coming?
Love,
Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries
Dr. Jeff Schreve believes that no matter how badly you may have messed up in life, God still loves you and has a wonderful plan just for you. From His Heart provides real truth, love and hope on over 700 radio stations each day, in 182 countries each week on TV, and is always available online. Pastor Jeff takes no income from this ministry. All donations go to furthering the broadcast outreach. As a listener/viewer supported ministry, we thank you for joining with us to help speak the truth in love to a lost and hurting world. Go to www.fromhisheart.org for more information.
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