Change

What Is Strength?

DrJayCook Change, Strength , , , , , , ,

I can say whatever I want, regardless of whom it hurts.  I can force my way on others.  I can use brute force when it feels right.  I do not listen to anyone.

Is that it?  Or is that a façade of strength when it is actually foolishness?

I do not believe that anyone wants to lack strength, but it often is elusive.

Billions of people live under cruel and oppressive governments – they have no control.  Millions of people live as refugees because their former lives were unbearable – they have no control.  Millions of people took the wrong path and became addicts – they now have no control.  Countless people are constantly bullied (and with social media, it is relentless) – they have no control.  People live with the effects of lies and deception by cruel people – they have no control.  Health issues arise – and there seems to be no control.

Where is the strength we need?

Do our circumstances dictate our strength?  Or is there an anchor that can give us the needed strength?

The Apostle Paul discovered that no matter what he faced (and he faced a lot), God is greater.  He stated in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “The Lord said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.’  Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.”

That is not an easy concept to grasp.  We do not want to admit weakness.

However, that may be our problem.  We tend to pretend to be who we are not.  Instead, we should be honest about our reality and our needs.

I love how the prophet Isaiah put it in Isaiah 40:29-31: “He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless.  Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.”

God never promised to take away our troubles.  He did promise to help us through them.  And when He does, we find the strength we need.

On top of that, He designed His church to be a place to find support and strength from others who share our journey.

Please do not fake strength.  Please do not seek strength in yourself.  Find true strength in the One who IS strength.

The following resource is a devotional book that anyone can benefit from. Click the picture to discover more…

Routines That Are Not Routine

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I had to start walking, take proper nutrients, and eat correctly to lose the weight.  I had to read and listen to podcasts to learn.  I had to start doing things to learn (and maybe master) those things.  I had to make certain activities a routine part of my life to see change.

For many, life is nothing but a routine.  We do the same things, the same ways, the same time, and wonder why life can be depressing.  But what if life could be more?  What if life could be amazing?

In John 10:10, Jesus said, “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.”  THAT is the kind of life that I’m talking about.  It’s the kind of life that (I believe) everyone wants.  Abundant life.  Meaningful life.  Purposeful life.

However, it isn’t going to happen until our routines line up.

Jesus also told us what it means to live the kind of life that we all want (deep down).  He said in Luke 9:23, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

To follow after him, you have to choose to accept him as your Lord and Savior.  He is not going to force you to do it, he does not give salvation willy-nilly, and he said that you have to choose to do it.  He has to enter your life – your routines.

Jesus also must become your chief aim.  He must come first.  He does not deserve or accept leftovers, but that is what we often given him.  We work Monday through Friday, get stuff done on Saturdays, and are wiped out on Sundays – so, we often put ourselves first and “skip” worshiping and serving him.  However, the truth is that you choose what comes first in your life.  You choose.

To be first, we have to deny ourselves.  He cannot be first if we keep jumping in front of him.  Paul (in Galatians 2:20) explained it like this: “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  After all, if we know that Jesus wants what is best, we should realize that our schemes do not lead to the best.

Ultimately, the routines get changed when we seriously accept our responsibilities to Jesus.  He said that his mission was to provide the way to be saved, so he faced the cross and died because of our guilt to offer that salvation.  Our cross – our responsibility is to be willing to give our all to the one who gave his all.  And that includes being willing to do whatever he desires – daily.

Getting what you desire takes effort.  It requires a change in routines.  So, if you want to get what is most important in life, Jesus becomes the aim.  Will you choose what’s best?

Need some help in forming the right routines? Click the picture below to see a great resource…