Broken Favor - Daily Devotional December 26th, 2009

Bible Reading Plan - Job 35-36, Zechariah 11, Revelation 12-13

Broken Favor

Yesterday was a great time of celebrating Christmas with family. As we celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus I could not help but think about how amazing His favor is.

I found myself reflecting on how He has favored Urban and my family over the past 1.5 years as we have stepped out in faith to start the church. Even just this past week His favor showed up in a miraculous way through a financial provision. We needed $4,000 to make budget by the end of the year and on Christmas Eve a friend texted me and said he sent a check for exactly that amount. Some might say coincidence but I say that it is the favor of God. This is just one recent example of God's favor in our lives.

Favor as I understand it is God's grace in action. Grace as I have studied is simply God giving us something we really do not deserve. As I think about favor I realize that it is God's very nature to want to give it to us. God does not want to break His favor with us ever but sometimes we do things and if we keep doing them it will lead to broken favor. According to James 4:17 we need to keep doing what we know to do is right and if we do not it is sin. Romans 6 gives us a look into sin and that we should no longer walk in it. It says that we must not continue in sin but rather if we have taken on the life of Jesus Christ we must live a changed life. It also seems to give the thought that God's grace does have a breaking point so therefore do not continue in sin but do what is right.

Zechariah 11:7 says, " So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders. And I took two staffs, one I named Favor, the other I named Union. And I tended the sheep". God in His love took in the people and showed them great favor. Later in verse 10 however is says, "And I took my staff Favor, and I broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples". God broke His favor with because the people did not do what they knew to do was right.

As we look at this scripture we must understand that it is us who actually breaks God's favor as we continue to walk down a path of sin. God is good, faithful and just and loves us very much but His grace does have a breaking point. We must never get to the place where we take His favor for granted because it is in that exact place where favor is broken.

For 2010 I am taking a whole new look at God's favor and I am going to do what I know to do is right so that I never get a place of broken favor. How about you?

Tomorrows Bible Reading - Job 37, Zechariah 12, Revelation 14

Dream Big
Ben