Finding the Favor of the King

Finding the Favor of the King

Last week we started studying the book of Daniel, and like every book we are studying it has quickly become my favorite, at least for now. As we study chapter one and understand the dynamics of being held in captivity, and being forced to change literally every aspect of your life or face death, Daniel's conviction of his faith truly humbles me. From the very beginning of his captivity he makes it known that he is a child of the most high God, the God of his fathers, our God, and that he will not compromise. You notice that he does not do so with arrogance but rather very diplomatically, in a way that makes his actions mutually beneficial to all. He is able to do so because he first has found favor with his King, the God of heaven and earth. You see Daniel had the favor of God upon him, and because he found God’s favor he was able to have the favor of man, and eventually as e will see the favor of the king of this world.
This chapter challenges me, it causes me to refocus and examine many aspects of my life, it causes me to ask the question; “do I have the favor of my King, my Lord, and my Savior?”If not then how does one acquire the favor of the King? Yes these are very interesting questions for us to ask of ourselves,after all shouldn’t all believers ultimately desire to have God’s favor upon them? As I search the scriptures I find that truly having the favor of the Lord is something attainable to each and every man, woman, and child upon the earth, after all we are born with His favor. No truly we are, we are born with the opportunity to be redeemed from death by the innocent blood of Jesus that was given as payment for all it?I believe the true challenge for those of us who have chosen to believe, and accept this wonderful gift,is maintaining the Kings favor,(particularly in our minds). How do we become living lights that shine as a reflection of His glory? You see that is true favor, when you begin to shine as Jesus shined because you reflect who He is, truly then we have found favor, have we not? Or is it when we are persecuted for His names sake, or maybe when our world is turned upside down by some cataclysmic event in your life and you yet you continue to remain faithful, maybe then you have found HIs favor? As I have pondered these question sand more and continued to pray I find myself desiring all the more in love with the concept of finding God’s favor, I find myself more intrigued by the pursuit of it, and yes I have come to some conclusions through His word. As I seek for ways to find His favor I have found more ways in which to loose it,. Maybe the true key is to favor is discovering these pitfall's and purposing with my actions to avoid them. In searching things that would displease God I found the following: Proverbs 6:16-19 “These six things the Lord hates, Yes seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift at running to evil, a false witness that speaks lies, and one who sows discord among the brethren.” Ouch! Surely these are pitfall's i must purpose to avoid. A Second place I found things the Lord is displeased with was Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,idolatry, sorcery, contentions, jealousy, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissent ions, heresies,envy, murders, drunkenness,revelries, and the like:of which I tell you beforehand, just as I told you in times past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Now before we go on it is crucial to point out that the writer says “those who practice such things” not those who do these things once, or without understanding. We must never get so caught up on law that we forget the grace and mercy that Jesus has provided us through His death and resurrection, to do so would surely render all men hopeless. No the reality is if we desire to find the favor f the King these are the things we are to avoid. One last place I will mention in the word where we are given direction (there are many, many, more) is in Hebrews 11:6 where we are told the following: “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Therefore if we desire the Kings favor maybe we should practice faith, what is faith you ask? Hebrews 11:1 says this: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” If you believe in Jesus you are practicing faith, is there more, is there farther one can go in search of faith? Yes of course, but the most important is the belief in Jesus, for without it you have not even begun the adventure, you truly have no hope.
We have seen the things the Lord is not happy with, now let us look at the things He calls us to in order to find favor. In Matthew 22 from verse 36-39 Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself, truly following the greatest commandment will bring favor of the King will it not? And then there is Jeremiah 9:23-24 that tells us what the Lord wants us to delight in : “But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these I delight, says the Lord”. Surely if the Lord delights in a man understanding Him then one truly should do so in order to find the favor of the King, could this be the answer?
As I ponder these passages and more I truly have found for myself the way in which I will pursue the favor of my King: I will practice the greatest commandment of all, I will pursue love, I will practice 1 Corinthians 13 to the very best of my ability, for if I love those He loves with the same manner in which He loves them, surely I cannot fail to find His favor. Today this the journey for me continues, how about you, will you seek the favor of the King, I must warn you, it is not as easy as it may seem, but the rewards far outweigh the cost.

Pastor Gene Burroughs
Shasta Lake Church
“A place of New Beginnings”