“ABOUNDING GRACE – ATONING GIFTS!”
By J. Farrell Fisher, December 29-30, 2016
Abounding Grace, flowing like a mighty river with no beginning and no end, freely flowing to give ‘the water of life’, granting any man freedom from his strife.
Abounding Grace has seen men’s lives so enslaved to their sinful strife, so bound to the fallen sin-nature, so empty as a vessel broken, seeing life only as an unwanted token.
Abounding grace confronts the void, so desirous to convert their spoil, from empty lives to divinely forgiven, no longer to seek what dictated to them as a slave of darkness.
Abounding Grace is not a gate to an empty city, but a gracious ‘door of life’ free from God’s pity, and the ‘open door’ to the fullness of His Presence, guaranteed by His forever Resurrection Radiance!
Abounding Grace is saved by faith, the gift of God to all the human race – but not all are interested in God’s Way of Life, but sadly contented to live in the spoil of a sin-dominated strife.
Abounding grace confronts, in love, the perverse depravity of one’s self-driven nature, blinded to the reality of God’s loving revelation; the ‘city of pity’ is a life without His presence, with the godless mind like a rich man in his castle – “No need of God, I’m fleshly protected!”
Abounding grace understands ‘infidelity’ with no problem or pain with nullified ‘blessings’, but in unending love and a passionate heart, God was intent to give fallen men an eternal fresh start – the door closed to one’s old sinful self, and a new life in Christ raised by His grace with no longer a desire to depart!
Abounding grace exposes ‘self-love’ and unveils God’s heart, so intent on turning fallen men from their ‘hellish’ start; a ‘hellish’ start is pains and chains, and a death that will not die, a ‘fool’s’ dwelling with no agape love, no heavenly liberty, and no eternal light; one would think that, at least some, would turn to God’s grace, dying to flesh, but raised in His eternal Spirit!
Abounding grace is God’s glory released with glory the open door to God’s full, inexhaustible presence; like the sun, the Son of God’s arising is the Precious ‘Son’ in His awesome and eternal brightness!
Abounding grace is God’s mercy and love in full display, intent to restore fallen men to His Son’s replay, fully surrendered to Christ as Lord, captive men find chains’ broken and divine Life fully restored!
Abounding grace cannot be bound because, though inward and spiritual, it cannot be hidden, because in its full release its presence is the ‘new heart’s desire’ to honor Christ in one’s choices of life, no longer bound in sin’s selfish strife!
Abounding grace is not ‘self-made candles lit’ but life inflamed by Resurrection Presence, fully, willfully surrendered to His Eternal Essence; grace that is strength, and strength that is His fully released, abiding presence, giving to men, not a cheap imitation, but the abiding reality of His transforming Essence!
Abounding grace is not simply the “Law of God’ detecting, but the Love of God in Christ fully unveiling the heart of God and His ever-abiding desire to set a soul on fire with God’s inward and visible Resurrection, Reigning Presence!
Abounding grace is NOT ‘flesh-inspired’, like a candle that supposedly sets it’s self on fire; No, abounding grace is the richness of the Spirit, fully displayed in His unfailing efforts, in faithfully extending and expressing His great love, so gentle and sweet as the beautiful turtle dove!
Abounding grace is not ‘self-made’ determination to ‘do the will of God’, but is Spirit-inspired, Spirit-released anointing of the gracious ministry of God, unveiling special providence and supernatural power and anointing of the, yes, Sovereign, Eternal, Ever-Available, even Ever-Anxious Holy Spirit to fulfill God’s will through you!!
Abounding grace IS the “Supernatural Sun” that never sets, but moves in God’s timing in ‘high-lighting’ His best; no ‘wit’ of self-change but Sovereign administration, demonstrating the never-ending fullness of His ever-abiding purpose of Eternal-Anointing Ever-Present!
Abounding grace doesn’t ‘cover sin’ but always washes away by the blood of the Lamb the sin that crushes, the sin that mars, but through Christ’s blood raises a forgiven man as one of His “stars”! “Eternal Brightness” is abounding grace’s inward manifestation, no longer ruled by darkish limitation, but sovereignly anointed in Spirit-demonstration.
But Abounding Grace IS Spirit- Impartment of Atoning Gifts in the lives of men, redeemed by the Blood, fully released in the Spirit, ‘touching’ one’s world of need with the testimony of the gift of His redeeming love, seen at the Cross, verified by an empty tomb, Christ forever reigning in redeemed hearts by the Light of His Atoning Gift, like a mother with the ‘baby’ in her womb!
Spirit- Impartment of Atoning Gifts, individually and sovereignly implanted with no desire for any ‘rifts’, but a redeemed heart forgiven, sovereignly reconciled, with a new-life extension of His Holy intervention, expanding His kingdom in the fruit of His Spirit, willfully choosing Himself as the “Atoner” to wash away any ‘rift’.
Atoning Gifts ARE the “riches of His grace,” graciously extended to all the fallen human race; not everyone responds to the divine invitation, but to those who do, they know the heavenly inspiration! “Gifted of God”, whether in strength or in thought, Spirit- Anointing is what God has wrought!
Atoning Gifts are not ‘fleshly embellished’, but eternally given in God’s manifestation; adorned with His gifts, no fictitious addition, no ornament or imitation, but Holy Spirit-anointing in sovereign administration to testify of Jesus and His Resurrection Presence!
Atoning Gifts, whether in strength or thought, are only alive in His spiritual health, not the ‘best of men’ even with their wealth – whether the wealth of an account or that stature of one’s achievements, it’s only Christ’s Presence that extends His deliverance!
Atoning Gifts are not ‘nickels in a plate’, but the newness of Life in a new eternal beginning! Birthed in the womb of God’s very heart, “new babes” in Christ live a life never ending! Eternal is the nature of “blood atonement”, not simply one’s awareness of ‘after-death’ life, but avoidance of atonement one lives on in Hell or captured By His blood and forever one lives as heir of the Bell that rings of His Life that never ceases!
Atoning Gifts are not one’s ‘self-improvement’, not one’s inclusion of an awesome ‘self-awareness’, or, like Belshazzar with a ‘vision’, but no room for God in the inn of his life and reign! It was Emily Dickinson, in her “POEMS: BELSHAZZAR HAD A LETTER”, who said: “Belshazzar had a letter, – He never had but one; Belshazzar’s correspondence Concluded and begun In that immortal copy The conscience of us All can read without its glasses on revelation’s wall.” Yet for many, they simply stall!
Atoning Gifts are reverential revelations as the Majesty of God is forever revered, but no fear of God, no faith in His love, fallen men continue seeking their fulfillment of ‘flesh-exaltation,’ bowing before their altar like unbelievers of the past, they bow to worship in that which does not last!
Atoning Gifts? Christ’s open door to forgiveness and reconciliation, so boldly stated, “Follow Me, and I’ll make you fishers of men,” becomes rationalized by His eternal “If”, because, in man’s fleshly worship, he adores what his sinful nature bows to, so captured in devotion to his own call, and no desire to hear “If” when, “I am my all in all”!
Atoning Gifts? If Christ’s ‘free gift’ is “acceptance as I am,” will fallen men acknowledge their crucifixion with Christ was eternally sound because in myself I was eternally bound – bound to a nature that was not of God, but resembled the sod on which cows shed their blobs?
Atoning Gifts? Freedom from a ‘private life’, but purchased and owned and ruled by our Lord, who willingly walked from Heaven’s Door to Hell’s Gate, no longer ‘my world within my way,’ but “purchased by Christ’s blood”, forever living as a ‘saint set apart’ to honor Him in all that now rules our hearts – Kingdom allegiance is the theme of our lives, forever empowered by the Spirit who endows every true believer in his/her moment of power! We’re “not our own”, but purchased by His blood, we are His rivers spreading in God’s eternal flood!
Atoning Gifts? Reconciled to God, we shall be being saved by His life – sacrificial life like His death on the Cross, redeemed men see ‘death to self’ no longer a loss, but redeemed by the blood, and made one in His resurrection, His chosen people manifest Heavenly Reflection! ‘Astute minds’ are ‘self-reflections’ while “Atoned Lives” are Heaven’s manifestations – salt and light in a tasteless, darkened world, Christ’s holy men walk to restore all that was lost in their sinful choices, but all regained in His Calvary manifestation!
No ‘make-shift’ stars of a fleshly creation, but the Holy Presence of Heaven’s “Star of Bethlehem” never fading, but more gloriously illuminated when ‘death to self’ is unreservedly yielded, faith in Christ becomes His hymn of praise as yielded hearts glory in His Cross, dead to themselves, raised in “new life”, anointed in His Spirit,, and lifting Him up, His Spirit in us, testifies of Christ!
It was John Newton and Francis J. Haydn, in the 1930’s classic hymnal, entitled “The American Hymnal, who wrote the Hymn, “Glorious Things of Christ Are Spoken,” which in “Abounding Grace and Atoning Gifts”, has been the theme in this day of my life, December 29, 2016! It says:
‘Glorious things of You are spoken, Zion, city of our God; He whose word cannot be broken, Formed you for His own abode; On the Rock of Ages founded, What can shake your sure repose? With salvation’s walls surrounded, You may smile at all your foes.
See, the streams of living waters, Springing from eternal love, Well supply your sons and daughters, And all fear of want remove; Who can faint, while such a river, Ever flows their thirst to assuage? Grace, which, like the Lord, the Giver, Never fails from age to age.
Round each habitation hovering, See the clouds and fire appear For a glory and a covering, Showing that the Lord is near! Glorious things of you are spoken, Zion, city of our God; He, whose word cannot be broken, Formed you for His own abode.”
What did Paul challenge us with in 1 Corinthians 10:31? “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” AMEN?