A GENEROUS MAN - PART 7

WEDNESDAY 25 DECEMBER 2024

Today, God gave us Himself as the most generous man (God in human flesh). The New Living Translation of Isaiah 9:6 reads, "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Merry Christmas!

Reference: Isaiah 32:8 New King James Version (NKJV)

"But a generous man devises generous things, And by generosity he shall stand."

This is what the Bible said concerning the true source of generosity: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17 NKJV).

His perfect gift is Christ Jesus, whom we celebrate His birth today. And Jesus Christ is the greatest gift of God's unconditional love, who came into this world to play the role of the Saviour of mankind and to give eternal life to humans. To that effect, John 6:51 reads, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (NIV).

Into the bargain, two standard theories concerning our origin and divine nature were fully established for our benefits - by Christ's victory on the cross. The first theory is the solemnity and unbreakable nature of God's promises, that are Biblically instantiated in Petrine epistolary expression [numbered as 2nd Peter 1:4], and it literally reads, "And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires" (NLT). We are not just born again, we are partakers of the divine nature, meaning that there is no single perceived tension, pressure, or conflict between our faith and Christ's eternal nature. Our faith is equally yoked with divine nature and we fully participate in that nature without limits and without ceasing, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. Hallelujah!

The second theory is that we are progressively advancing in the knowledge of His grace and truth,  and beholding the glory of God, on account of the perfect finished work of Christ at the cross. To that effect, Petrine epistolary expression also stated that, "By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence" (2nd Peter 1:3 NLT). Through this source and sort of knowledge, we can receive the best of God's benignant generosity, as well as exercise authority over all things pertaining to our lives.

Did you also notice [in 2nd Peter 1:3] that our blessings in Christ Jesus are without limits, for God has given us EVERYTHING we need for living a godly life, a significant verity which highlights His superlative generosity in all His dealings with us. To further instantiate the magnitude of the blessings, the New International Version of Pauline epistolary expression, which is numbered as Ephesians 1:3 reads, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." Stay tuned for part 8. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:14; Luke 2:11.

Guided Prayer:

Heavenly Father, your Word informed that you would give a sign, and behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and His name shall be called Immanuel. Thank you Lord for fulfilling your word by giving me the best and perfect gift, who has become my wisdom, that is, my righteousness, holiness and redemption. I remain grounded in experiencing your faithfulness, by exercising my true inherited identity in Christ, on the basis of participating in the divine nature, in Jesus' Name, Amen!