Joseph Prince Daily Devotional January 31 2022:
Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
Psalm 34:8 NLT
Beloved, just because you don’t know the Bible from cover to cover, don’t be intimidated by learned theologians who use very high-sounding theological words to try to dismiss the gospel of glorious grace.
The gospel is so simple that even fishermen such as Peter could grasp it, and yet it could also confound intellectual scholars such as Nicodemus (John 3:1–10). The learned Nicodemuses of today might hear the gospel of grace preached and leave wondering, “How can these things be?”
In contrast, the woman at the well in John 4, who encountered Jesus and His grace, couldn’t help but proclaim, “Come, see a Man!” and point people to the Savior! Today the grace revolution is led by precious people just like the woman at the well.
We have received so many testimonies of how imperfect people have risen up to become evangelists of the gospel of grace. They may not be as qualified as the Nicodemuses of this world, but what they do have is a life transformed and restored after an authentic encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Edwina is another case in point. Although she was born again when she was sixteen, every church she attended taught her she had to keep God’s laws to please Him. Believing that God was just waiting for her next wrongdoing in order to condemn her, she became rebellious, started having premarital sex, had an abortion, and ended up attempting suicide more than once. She shared:
I got married and had kids at a young age. When I got older, I tried my best to keep my life in order. I attended church, stayed true to my husband, and worked hard. But my husband was a womanizer, heavy smoker, gambler, drug addict, and an alcoholic. To keep him away from drugs, I sent him to work in Singapore.
When I eventually joined him there, he was in huge debt, still an alcoholic, and had a few girlfriends. I felt that he only wanted me to help pay his debt and it was not worthwhile to remain faithful. I started an online chat relationship that led to an affair. I felt wanted again but it just didn’t feel right.
Devastated, I cried out to God. Then, I remembered that my pastor in the Philippines had mentioned New Creation Church. So I attended a service with my husband and I cried throughout the sermon.
Pastor Prince shared how Jesus loved the woman caught in adultery unconditionally, giving her the gift of no condemnation to empower her to stop sinning. It was the first time I heard about a God who doesn’t condemn me.
I kept returning to New Creation Church, with or without my husband. I also listened to Pastor Prince’s sermons on my way to and from work. Not only did my affair come to an end, but Jesus also turned the water into wine in my marriage.
I now love my husband even more than before, and my husband also loves me. He has quit smoking, gambling, and drinking. We believe his debt cancellation is also on the way, in Jesus’ name!
I’m now so in love with Jesus and feel comfortable in His presence, whether I’ve done good or not. And I’m seeing more right living in my life now. I’m more honest and loving. I don’t boast in myself, but I boast in what the Lord has done in me.
Thank you, Pastor Prince, for being faithful in preaching the truth. And thank You, Lord Jesus, for loving me.
Beloved, as He did with the woman at the well and with Edwina, the Lord knows everything about you—every failure, every sin, and every shortcoming. Yet He still loves you with an everlasting love, a love that is completely unconditional, a love that nailed Him to the cross.
The truth is that you are, right now, the righteousness of God through Jesus’ precious blood. You can have a true and intimate relationship with THE LORD YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
The enemy may have stolen the intimacy and closeness between you and the Lord, but I want you to know that God is restoring relationships today. The grace revolution is a revolution of restoration—and the grace revolution is here.
As our heavenly Father has promised, He is setting up shepherds all around the world who are preaching THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. And His precious people shall no longer be fearful, no longer be discouraged, and no longer be lacking.
Right now I pray that as you receive the good news of the gospel of grace, you are being set free from every bondage that is weighing you down. In the name of our Lord Jesus, I see you healed from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet. I see you freed from that secret addiction that has held you captive for years. I see you whole in all your relationships. Amen!
This devotional is adapted from the book Glorious Grace—100 Daily Readings from Grace Revolution.
Credit for today’s daily grace devotional by Joseph Prince of New Creation Church: Joseph Prince Ministry/ Josephprince.org