DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT - MONDAY: The Grace Of God!

"We must take time to become filled with His power; we must take time to be holy. Let us put our desires into one heart-felt petition for a baptism of the Holy Ghost, and not cease to present it until we have prevailed. So Elijah prayed; he threw himself on the ground, resolved not to rise again till his request was granted. So Jacob WRESTLED with the angel. So Daniel set his face unto the Lord his God. So the disciples continued with one accord in prayer and supplication! – Griffith John.
-------------------------------------------------------
And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. - Acts 4:33. (ESV)


With great power the apostles gave their testimony… This power they had received from the Holy Spirit, enabled them to perform miracles, that testified of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, by this they proved: that he was slain and buried, all knew; that he rose again from the dead, many knew; but it was necessary to give other proofs that would persuade and bewilder all.

This preaching and these miracles confirmed this Divine truth: Jesus died for our sins; he rose again to give us a new life, and a life that is to be lived to the full! Hallelujah! Believe therefore in the Lord Jesus Christ and receive His eternal life!

Great grace was upon them all. They all received a large amount of the favor or grace of God; and they had much favor with all of those who feared God. The favor of God is the benevolence of God and the favour or grace of God always involves a blessing or a gift to His people. God so loved this world that He gave Jesus as a sacrifice to prove it, and to allow us the entrance to his kingdom through Christ! Hallelujah!

Longing to leave her poor Brazilian neighborhood, Christina wanted to see the world. Discontent with a home having only a pallet on the floor, a washbasin, and a wood-burning stove, she dreamed of a better life in the city. One morning she slipped away, breaking her mother's heart. Knowing what life on the streets would be like for her young, attractive daughter, Maria hurriedly packed to go find her.

On her way to the bus stop she entered a drugstore to get one last thing, pictures. She sat in the photograph booth, closed the curtain, and spent all she could on pictures of herself. With her purse full of small black-and-white photos, she boarded the next bus to Rio de Janeiro. Maria knew Christina had no way of earning money. She also knew that her daughter was too stubborn to give up. When pride meets hunger, a human will do things that were before unthinkable.

Knowing this, Maria began her search. Bars, hotels, nightclubs, any place with the reputation for street walkers or prostitutes. She went to them all. And at each place she left her picture--taped on a bathroom mirror, tacked to a hotel bulletin board, fastened to a corner phone booth. And on the back of each photo she wrote a note. It wasn't too long before both the money and the pictures ran out, and Maria had to go home. The weary mother wept as the bus began its long journey back to her small village.

It was a few weeks later that young Christina descended the hotel stairs. Her young face was tired. Her brown eyes no longer danced with youth but spoke of pain and fear. Her laughter was broken. Her dream had become a nightmare. A thousand times over she had longed to trade these countless beds for her secure pallet. Yet the little village was, in too many ways, too far away.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, her eyes noticed a familiar face. She looked again, and there on the lobby mirror was a small picture of her mother. Christina's eyes burned and her throat tightened as she walked across the room and removed the small photo.

Written on the back was this compelling invitation. "Whatever you have done, whatever you have become, it doesn't matter. Please come home." She did. - Max Lucado, No Wonder They Call Him the Saviour.

We need His grace for the miracle working power to help us as we preach the gospel and witness to His great love… because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. - 1 Thess 1:5.

Loving Father, I thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit, and that whenever I preach or witness for Jesus, your grace falls upon me, that I speak not only persuasive words, but that they are accompanied by your miracle working power and for your glory! In Jesus wonderful name! Amen!