Favor is rooted in grace, not human achievement
Favor is rooted in grace, not human achievement
Mary wasn’t chosen for performance; she was chosen by grace. Favor from God did not come because she had earned it or because she met a spiritual checklist. The gospel flips the expectation that God’s approval is bought by our effort; instead, it is given freely to those who receive it.
Resting in God’s favor changes how you live. It removes the frantic striving to impress God and invites a posture of humility and gratitude. When you accept that God’s work in you begins with His mercy and not your merit, you can breathe, serve, and love from a place of freedom rather than fear.
Romans 9:16 (KJV): “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”
Reflection: Identify one area where you are trying to earn God’s acceptance (performance, approval, achievement). What is one concrete habit you can stop this week to remind yourself that grace, not performance, is the ground of your relationship with God?
To listen to the sermon that corresponds with this devotion, click the link: https://www.mbcpb.org/media
Mary wasn’t chosen for performance; she was chosen by grace. Favor from God did not come because she had earned it or because she met a spiritual checklist. The gospel flips the expectation that God’s approval is bought by our effort; instead, it is given freely to those who receive it.
Resting in God’s favor changes how you live. It removes the frantic striving to impress God and invites a posture of humility and gratitude. When you accept that God’s work in you begins with His mercy and not your merit, you can breathe, serve, and love from a place of freedom rather than fear.
Romans 9:16 (KJV): “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”
Reflection: Identify one area where you are trying to earn God’s acceptance (performance, approval, achievement). What is one concrete habit you can stop this week to remind yourself that grace, not performance, is the ground of your relationship with God?
To listen to the sermon that corresponds with this devotion, click the link: https://www.mbcpb.org/media
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2026
January
February
Embracing God's Call with Complete Obedience 2/6 Making God's Invisible Kingdom Visible 2/5Pointing Others to Jesus, Not Self 2/4Living a Spirit Controlled Life 2/3True Greatness Through Humility 2/2Worship the Christ, Not the Calendar 2/9God's Verifiable Entrance into History 2/10Ancient Prophecies, Divine Fulfillment 2/11God's Purpose in Inconvenient Journeys 2/12Make Room for Christ in Your Life 2/13God's Sovereign Hand in Life's Delays and Detours 2/16 The Incarnation: God Stepping into Our World 2/17Jesus Understands: Our Savior Walks Our Roads 2/18Jesus Saves: Our Sinless Substitute and Mediator 2/19Worship: Our Natural Response to God's Revelation 2/20God Meets Us in Our Messy Fields 2/23Heaven's Glorious Interruption Brings Good News 2/24The Savior's Humble Arrival is for Everyone 2/25Our Encounter Demands a Worshipful Response 2/26Worship: Praise, Proclaim, and Ponder 2/27
March
The Submitting Savior's Perfect Obedience 3/2Finding Peace in Seeing Christ 3/3The Cost of Salvation and Enduring Faith 3/4Faithfulness in the Waiting Seasons 3/5 Intentional Parenting for Spiritual GrowthThe Priority of Consistent Worship in the HomeThe Danger of Assuming Jesus is With YouGod's Higher Purpose in Our Confusion Our Primary Identity is Found in the Father Faithfulness in the Ordinary Prepares for God's PurposeGod is at work in our quiet, ordinary seasons God’s power is made perfect in our weakness and griefGod often uses unexpected messengers to deliver His truthTrue repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of directionBaptism is the public declaration of a prior inward transformationThe Danger of Familiarity Without TransformationReal Repentance Bears Visible FruitConfronting the Hidden HeartRepentance Changes Our Daily ConductThe Personal Question of ConvictionThe King Who Comes in Humility 3/30/26The Danger of Our Own Expectations 3/31/26
April
The King Who Walked Forward Purposefully 4/1/26 Obedience Without Negotiation 4/2/26Worship That Sees the Savior 4/3/26God is already at work before you arrive 4/6Why seek the living among the dead? 4/7The King who chose to stay for you 4/8Salvation is a simple cry for remembrance 4/9He walks with you in your brokenness 4/10Day 1: The Superiority of Christ Over All Things 4/13 Day 2: The Transforming Power of Internal Change 4/14Day 3: The Courage to Proclaim Uncomfortable Truth 4/15Day 4: Christ Identifies With Us in Our Mess 4/16Day 5: Our Identity is Secure in Christ's Approval 4/17The Seventy-Seven Name Breadcrumb Trail 4/20A Crime Scene, Not a Hall of Fame 4/21Chosen by an Adoptive Father 4/22The Wait in the Workshop 4/23Your Place in the New Family Tree 4/24A Name on God’s Hands 4/27 The Unseen Relay Race 4/28 Building a Boat for 100 Years 4/29The Night God Changed a Name 4/30
May
While We Were Yet Sinners 5/1The Wilderness and the Bait 5/4Temptation is Not Sin 5/5The First Adam and the Last 5/6 The Attack on Your Identity 5/7It is Written 5/8Stones and Hot Biscuits 5/18A Crown Without a Cross 5/19The Whisper in Weakness 5/20Who Sits on the Throne? 5/21Twisted Scripture on the Pinnacle 5/22 The Scroll in the Nazareth Synagogue 5/25 As Was His Custom 5/26To Heal the Brokenhearted 5/27 Deliverance for the Captives 5/28Today This Scripture is Fulfilled 5/29
June
The God Who Names the Stars 6/8 Love’s Billboard on a Hill 6/9The Grand Canyon of Sin 6/10Heaven’s Rescue Mission 6/11Receiving the Gift 6/12 The Gracious Words from Nazareth 6/15The Doctor and His Hometown 6/16Grace for the Unexpected 6/17The Barrel That Did Not Run Out 6/18From Your God to My God 6/19The Man Behind the Medals 6/22The Captive’s Courageous Word 6/23 Pride at the Prophet’s Door 6/24The Humility of Seven Dips 6/25A Clean Man Goes Home 6/26
1 Comment
Mary being chosen was ,also, a fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus would be a descendent from King David. Mary was a descendent of Nathan, a son of King David. God always has a plan.