STRENGTH/ March 2nd, 2014
If I walked
into any local gym and asked them what should I do to gain strength, they would
introduce me to a coach and a big set of weights. They
would probably suggest I drink whey protein drinks and cut down on sugar and
fat. It would take lots of time, sweat
and energy. If it was really what I wanted
I would do it.
I was
humbled this week as I studied Joshua chapter 1 for a lesson I was doing for
children church. It contains one of
those scriptures, we Christians like to “throw” around. You know those “feel good” scriptures when
things aren’t going well. God has begun
to shed a new humbling light on his TRUTH when I open it these days. Which leads me to my WORD for the day from
God’s WORD; STRENGTH.
In Joshua
1:1-9 The Lord commands Joshua 3 separate times to be STRONG and BRAVE. The verse we like to throw around at times
is: “Here is what I am commanding you to
do. Be STRONG and brave. Do not be terrified. Do not lose hope. I am the Lord your God. I will be with you everywhere you go.”
Oh how my
flesh is weak. I LOVE to ask God for
Strength and for Courage and Joy and Peace….But how often I don’t follow His
commands that promise these things. God
knows what is for my best, and if I had to make my own laws to gain STRENGTH,
what a mess they would be. If I only read verse 9, I wouldn’t know the
whole truth. The 8 verses before verse 9
tell all of the things the Lord commands of us.
To read his law, his WORD and OBEY it, to study it day and night, and do
not turn to the left of right of it. Ooops.
Right after
the command to be STRONG and BRAVE, the Lord commands us to not be terrified or
lose hope and he will be with us. The
end of this verse really stuck out to me.
Why would God ask us to be STRONG and BRAVE and then almost contradict
it with the opposite of it by saying, don’t be scared or lose hope? WOW, I thought to myself. It’s because he KNOWS that is our
tendency. He knows our weaknesses are to
have fear and lose hope. That’s why I
need HIS STRENGTH not my own. I will
naturally be scared and weak. He is
naturally STRONG!
Dear
God, I am sorry for wasting so much time
feebly attempting to use my STRENGTH for your Glory. Thank you for challenging me this week from
your WORD in the book of Joshua. Just as
you called Moses and Joshua and they had weaknesses, please take my weaknesses
that I see as STRENGTH and BREAK any pride I have when I hold onto fears and
false hopes. Take them all Lord and I
will obey YOUR WORD, so the strength I
ever have is YOUR STRENGTH.
Join me
today, in replacing our WEAKNESSES with God’s STRENGTH.
HUGS. SMJ
