Tag: strength

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What Does It All Mean

Do you remember the days of Jr. High English when you had to diagram sentences? Ok, does that show you how old I am?

Well, if you remember that then this next sentence will require that you get a legal pad or larger, turn it sideways and begin diagramming.

The Apostle Paul was writing to the “saints” in Colossae and to us “saints” who live in the world today. Don’t get hung up on the word saints. In the Bible a saint was anyone who had found new life in Christ. So…you are a saint!

“This is what we pray: that God will make you completely sure of what he wants by giving you all the wisdom and spiritual understanding you need;  that this will help you live in a way that brings honor to the Lord and pleases him in every way; that your life will produce good works of every kind and that you will grow in your knowledge of God;  that God will strengthen you with his own great power, so that you will be patient and not give up when troubles come. (end of the 1st sentence)
Then you will be happy  and give thanks to the Father. He has made you able to have what he has promised to give all his holy people, who live in the light. God made us free from the power of darkness. And he brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son.  The Son paid the price to make us free. In him we have forgiveness of our sins.”  Colossians 1:9-14

Paul prayed that God would make us sure, not just sure, completely sure of what God wants by giving us wisdom and understanding, all the wisdom and spiritual understanding that we need. This wisdom and understanding will help us live a life that honors and pleases the Lord in EVERY way.

This wisdom and understanding will cause our lives to produce GOOD works of every kind.  This wisdom, understanding and good works will cause us to grow in our knowledge of God.

Then Paul prayed that God will strengthen us with power, but not just power, His great power so that we will be patient (have endurance) and not give up when trouble comes.

Now that we have endured and not given up we will give thanks to our Father because He has made us free from the power of darkness (this was His promise to us) and brought us into His Son’s kingdom where we have freedom and the forgiveness of sins.

WOW!!!

Thank you Mrs. Morgan for teaching me to dig through subjects, predicates, nouns, verbs, direct objects, indirect objects, adjectives, adverbs and prepositional phrases. In doing this, I learned how to study out the word of God and to know that every word has meaning and purpose.

God doesn’t waste words – In the beginning He said, “Light be” and light was. So when you find a couple of verses filled with so many words – take time to find the meaning packed in each one. It’s there you will find the wonderful message of God’s love, His wisdom, understanding and strength!

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Safe on Stormy Seas

Dave and I like to watch historically factual movies. Over the last few months we have seen stories on the life of Mary, Queen of Scots; a prison ship that sailed from England to New South Wales; a series on the founding of the western frontier; one based on the fur trappers and traders that opened northern trades routes and another on the Revolutionary War.

At some point during each one of these we have made the comment that we certainly have an easy life compared to those who came before us. We had to consider how we would have reacted if we had been alive during those times.

This morning while I was praying and thanking God for the life I have I began to consider these people and their hardships and then I thought of Paul, the apostle. His life was impacted by persecution and peril. I focused in on his strength and resolve. I want you to see his comments. I think you will find hope and encouragement by seeing how the Lord met him in his greatest struggles.

Paul accepted the life of a missionary. He traveled Europe and Asia proclaiming the message of Christ. Each city he went too had converts but also critics. Some of the critics sought to discredit Paul by bragging about their credentials. This is where we find Paul speaking up in II Corinthians 11. The passage I am including is lengthy but please read it. Listen to the words of a man who has faced severe danger and persecution.

“Are they Jews? So am I. Are they from the family of Israel? So am I. Are they from the family of Abraham? So am I. 23 Do they work for Christ? I have worked for Him much more than they have. (I speak as if I am crazy.) I have done much more work. I have been in prison more times. I cannot remember how many times I have been whipped. Many times I have been in danger of death. 24 Five different times the Jews whipped me across my back thirty-nine times. 25 Three times they beat me with sticks. One time they threw stones at me. Three times I was on ships that were wrecked. I spent a day and a night in the water. 26 I have made many hard trips. I have been in danger from high water on rivers. I have been in danger from robbers. I have been in danger from the Jews. I have been in danger from people who do not know God. I have been in danger in cities and in the desert. I have been in danger on the sea. I have been in danger among people who say they belong to Christ but do not. 27 I have worked hard and have been tired and have had pain. I have gone many times without sleep. I have been hungry and thirsty. I have gone without food and clothes. I have been out in the cold. 28 More than all these things that have happened to my body, the care of all the churches is heavy on me. 29 When someone is weak, I feel weak also. When someone is led into sin, I have a strong desire to help him. 30 If I must talk about myself, I will do it about the things that show how weak I am. 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is to be honored and thanked forever. He knows I am telling the truth. 32 In the city of Damascus the leader of the people under King Aretas put soldiers at the gates to take me. 33 But I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and I got away.” II Corinthians 11:22-33 NLV

People either hated Paul or loved him. His message was one of life and peace but it was greatly opposed yet he kept going. Where did he find the strength? He tells us.

“8 I asked the Lord three times to take it away from me. 9 He answered me, “I am all you need. I give you My loving-favor. My power works best in weak people.” I am happy to be weak and have troubles so I can have Christ’s power in me. 10 I receive joy when I am weak. I receive joy when people talk against me and make it hard for me and try to hurt me and make trouble for me. I receive joy when all these things come to me because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” II Corinthians 12:8-10 NLV

Do you see the answer to Paul’s prayer? “When I am weak, then I am strong”. That’s the same answer that Christ gives to us. When we feel weak, helpless, hopeless, discouraged, misunderstood, pick on or abandoned we can find strength in our weakness because Christ will come to make us strong. Paul wasn’t always saved from the storm but he was always safe in the storm.

“Christ is the one who gives me the strength I need to do whatever I must do.” Philippians 4:13 ERV

Jesus said, “A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” John 10:10 CEV

We have Jesus’ word that He came to provide us with a good life, a life of victory and peace. He promised to give us strength for whatever comes our way. So many times we want a life that is “storm free” and start to cave when troubles come. Remember, Daniel wasn’t saved from the lion’s den but in it. Noah wasn’t kept from the flood but he was safe above it. Jesus wasn’t kept from the cross but rose victoriously from the tomb. Here’s one final thought from the Apostle Paul. One that will give encouragement and hope.

“We are like clay jars in which this treasure (God’s strength) is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us. 8 We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. 9 In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again. 10-11 We face death every day because of Jesus. Our bodies show what his death was like, so that his life can also be seen in us…

17 These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing. 18 Things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. That’s why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.” II Corinthians 4:7-18 CEV

We need to be like Paul, always aware that God is with us. We draw our strength from Him when we face “little troubles”. We get up and go on knowing that God is there to keep us safe on stormy seas.

When we are weak, we are strong in God!

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He Knows My Name

To my grandchildren I am known as Besta; to my kids it’s Momma; to Dave, I’m Kris. It gives me such a warm feeling of love and belonging when I hear them call my name.

Did you ever watch the movie Ever After with Drew Barrymore. It was a cinderella-type story. In one of the final scenes, the man she loves finds her in her nemesis castle. All through the movie she has disguised her identity and has been going by an assumed name. But now as he approaches her, the music swells and he says, I love you, Danielle. She says “Say it again” and he repeats “I love you”. “No, not that. Say my name again.”

It’s amazing what it does to you to hear someone say your name in a loving way. Now listen to this story of how being called by name changed a woman’s life.

It was early in the morning, about sunrise. The women who loved and followed Jesus, the ones who had their lives changed by His ministry, went to the tomb. They were taking spices to anoint His body properly for burial. Their hearts were aching and they had to do something to show their love and devotion for their Lord. Only one thing – who would roll away the stone? Surely the soldiers who were guarding his body would only laugh and mock but they had to try. When the women approached and saw the stone rolled away their hearts sank – “Where’s Jesus? Where have they taken Him?” Desperation came rushing in.

“The angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, the one who was killed on the cross. 6 But he is not here. He has risen from death, as he said he would. Come and see the place where his body was. 7 And go quickly and tell his followers, ‘Jesus has risen from death. He is going into Galilee and will be there before you. You will see him there.’” Then the angel said, “Now I have told you.” 8 So the women left the tomb quickly. They were afraid, but they were also very happy. They ran to tell his followers what happened.” Matthew 28:5-8 ERV

The women went to the disciples and reported that they had seen an angel, the empty tomb and that Jesus was risen!!! From the pit of depression to the height of ecstasy. The Savior, the Messiah, Jesus was alive! However, the men who heard their report didn’t believe them. I’m not sure why but they didn’t.

“But the apostles did not believe what they said. It sounded like nonsense. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb to see. He looked in, but he saw only the cloth that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in. It was just lying there. Peter went away to be alone, wondering what had happened.” Luke 24: 11-12 ERV

Mary Magdalene must have followed Peter and John back to the tomb. If they didn’t believe her and the other women who reported what the angels had told them, “He is not here. He is risen”, could they have been wrong? She needed to know what had happened to Jesus. The tomb was empty and His body was gone. Mary had to know – where is my Lord?

“10 Then the followers went back home. 11 But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. While she was crying, she bent down and looked inside the tomb. 12 She saw two angels dressed in white sitting where Jesus’ body had been. One was sitting where the head had been; the other was sitting where the feet had been. 13 The angels asked Mary, “Woman, why are you crying?” Mary answered, “They took away the body of my Lord, and I don’t know where they put him.” 14 When Mary said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the man in charge of the garden. So she said to him, “Did you take him away, sir? Tell me where you put him. I will go and get him.” John 20:10-16 ERV

I find myself at a loss of words, I can’t adequately convey the heart ache, the despair, the confusion, the anguish that Mary must have been going through. Jesus had saved her, He had delivered her from seven demons. She had never known life, true life, until Jesus set her free and now He was gone and she didn’t even get to say good bye!

And then it all changed with just a word:

“Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and said in Aramaic, “Rabboni,” which means “Teacher.”
17 Jesus said to her, “You don’t need to hold on to me! I have not yet gone back up to the Father. But go to my followers and tell them this: ‘I am going back to my Father and your Father. I am going back to my God and your God.’”18 Mary Magdalene went to the followers and told them, “I saw the Lord!” And she told them what he had said to her.” John 20:16-18 ERV

One word, just one word – Jesus spoke her name and she knew! “Mary.” The flood of emotion was overwhelming; relief, joy, love, and peace. Tears, I’m sure. As I read her story it brought tears to my eyes.

Have you ever really been at the bottom? I mean the very bottom where you weren’t sure you even wanted to go on living? Everything in your life has come crashing in and all hope is gone – have you been there? I have. And with one word, one short message you hear Jesus speak your name! “Kristi.” Sweet and softly spoken, you know that you have not been forgotten. Jesus knows me, He loves me and He called me by name.

The story of the resurrection is this: Jesus died and rose again, defeating death, hell and the grave; He faced it all to call you by name and let you know you are truly loved and forgiven. If you listen, you’ll hear Him speak your name today.

“Do not be afraid. For I have bought you and made you free. I have called you by name. You are Mine! 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you pass through the rivers, they will not flow over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The fire will not destroy you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, Who saves you.” Isaiah 43:2-3 NLV

I love the words of this old hymn:

“I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
Refrain:
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.”

I hope you can hear Jesus calling you by name today. There’s no greater joy than hearing Him say, I love you!

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Sit – Stand – Walk – Jump – Run

Good Morning – Time for some aerobics to start your day!

Does that sound like fun? This morning we are going to exercise and the Scriptures are going to be our instruction. So let’s get started…

“Training your body helps you in some ways. But devotion to God helps you in every way. It brings you blessings in this life and in the future life too.” I Timothy 4:8 ERV

Our first exercise is sitting. Yes, it’s an exercise. Back straight, feet on the floor. Deep breath in, now exhale. And repeat. It’s important to have your lungs filled with oxygen, good posture, no slumping, shoulders back and open up that rib cage. Take a look at how profitable sitting was for these two men.

“As they went away from the city of Jericho, many people followed Him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the side of the road. They called out when they heard that Jesus was going by. They said, “Lord, take pity on us, Son of David!” 31 Many people spoke sharp words to them. They told the blind men not to call out. But they called all the more, “Lord! Take pity on us, Son of David!” 32 Jesus stopped and called them. He asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 33 The blind men said to Jesus, “Lord, we want our eyes opened! 34 Jesus had loving-pity on them and put His hands on their eyes. At once they could see, and they followed Jesus.” Matthew 20:29-34 NLV

Sitting is important. Sitting in the right place is even more important. These aren’t the only ones who experienced miracles by sitting close to Jesus. The multitude on the hillside who came to hear Jesus teach had to sit down before they were fed by the 5 loaves and 2 fish. Mary sat at Jesus feet listening to his words and Jesus said it was a good thing.

After sitting it’s important that we stand. Standing is a strength building exercise.

“God is wonderful and glorious. I pray that his Spirit will make you become strong followers 17 and that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. Stand firm and be deeply rooted in his love. 18 I pray that you and all of God’s people will understand what is called wide or long or high or deep. 19 I want you to know all about Christ’s love, although it is too wonderful to be measured. Then your lives will be filled with all that God is.” Ephesians 3:16-19 CEV

When we stand we develop stamina, strength and a firm foundation. Strength! I can hear our instructor telling us – feet apart, backs straight, knees slightly bent – stand!

We’re halfway through this workout – next let’s get those arms pumping, knees raised high as we walk! Walk it out.

“As you have put your trust in Christ Jesus the Lord to save you from the punishment of sin, now let Him lead you in every step. (walk) 7 Have your roots planted deep in Christ. Grow in Him. Get your strength from Him. Let Him make you strong in the faith as you have been taught. Your life should be full of thanks to Him.” Colossians 2:6-7 NLV

This is true strength training. Do you see that in each of these verses?

Now on to jumping. It’s important that we avoid jumping! I hear some of you cheering at that. No jumping. Most of us jump more than we think – we jump to wrong conclusions and sometimes we repeated through out the day. No jumping!

“They will not be afraid of bad news. They are confident because they trust in the Lord. 8 They remain confident and without fear, so they defeat their enemies.” Psalms 112:7-8 CEV

Finally it’s time to get in our morning run. If you’re like me running was never my way of exercising but done God’s way I will be obedient and run.

“I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize. 13 My friends, I don’t feel that I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead. 14 I run toward the goal, so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done. 15 All of us who are mature should think in this same way. And if any of you think differently, God will make it clear to you.” Philippians 3:12-15 CEV

Don’t give up – don’t quit – keep running and you’ll be rewarded.

Are you ready for the cool-down? I am. Take a deep breathe, arms raised toward heaven.

“Be quiet and know that I am God. I will be honored among the nations. I will be honored in the earth.” Psalms 46:10 NLV

Great job! Now go out into your day knowing that you have the spiritual strength you need.

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How Far Is East From West

I’d like to pose a question to you this morning. How far is the East from the West?

If you start to travel north from where you are now, how far will you go before you are heading south? You will only go north until you come to the North Pole and then you will head south to the South Pole. Once at the South Pole the process of going north will repeat again. Now, how far east do you have to go before you begin going west? Picture a globe of the world in your mind, head east, keep going until you start going west and then stop. Unlike north/south travel east/west will continue on. A remedial example but it’s pertinent to today’s verses.

“With all my heart I praise the Lord, and with all that I am I praise his holy name!
2 With all my heart I praise the Lord! I will never forget how kind he has been.

3 The Lord forgives our sins, heals us when we are sick, 4 and protects us from death. His kindness and love are a crown on our heads.
5 Each day that we live, he provides for our needs and gives us the strength of a young eagle.

6 For all who are mistreated, the Lord brings justice.
7 He taught his Law to Moses and showed all Israel what he could do.

8 The Lord is merciful! He is kind and patient, and his love never fails.
9 The Lord won’t always be angry and point out our sins; 10 he doesn’t punish us as our sins deserve.

11 How great is God’s love for all who worship him? Greater than the distance between heaven and earth!
12 How far has the Lord taken our sins from us? Farther than the distance from east to west!” Psalm 103:1-12 CEV

This is one of my favorite Psalms and I’ve only listed about half the verses in the Psalm. I encourage you to read the whole Psalm and have provided a link for you here. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+103&version=CEV

Each morning I spent time thanking the Father for His goodness and blessings. Look at this, forgiveness from all our sins – healing all our diseases – protection – strength – justice.

I had grown up with teachings on forgiveness. After all that’s the reason Jesus came. He died so I could be forgiven. But I wasn’t as familiar with these other blessings, not familiar at all. In fact, I had heard it said that God would make you sick to teach you a lesson and that He might cause your business to fail to keep you from becoming greedy. God, the Father, has been blamed for so much that He has never done.

He is patient, kind, his love never runs out. He’s not angry with us and He doesn’t give us what we deserve. In fact, He removes our sins from us. That means when He forgives, he forgets! The worse thing that you’ve ever done has been forgiven and removed. Amazing!

God wants relationship with us; he’s not holding us at arm’s length. Just the opposite. He is drawing us in, welcoming us, embracing us. No matter or circumstance He is here to provide us with what we need. Yesterday I needed strength, today I need protection, tomorrow I may need healing – whatever my need the Father wants to take care of it.

No wonder King David said with all my heart I will praise the Lord. God hasn’t changed since David’s time so let’s join in on that praise today!

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True Strength

Dave and I had the wonderful opportunity to be up in Chandler this last week with Kaci, Stephen, Sam and Kristine. We headed up early Sunday morning – Kristine was born before we got there but we saw her when she was less than 7 hours old.

After we left the hospital, we took Sam home and became his playmate for the next few days while Momma & Dadda stayed with baby sisser at the hospital. He’s not quite two and full of energy. (There is a reason the Lord gives you children while you are young.) We older folks just don’t have the stamina we had in our 30’s. Sam is a sweet boy and we had tons of fun!

Then the rest of the family joined us and we were there another couple days before heading home. So sweet to see this family melt together – San’s excitement seeing his Momma and Daddy after being separated for 3 days, accepting his new baby and Kaci and Stephen making sure Sam knew he was special and loved. It was great!

But then came time to come home! Home and rest. Spent most of our day yesterday doing that very thing…resting. Sometimes the things that drain us are joyful and exciting, at other times it can be situations that are difficult and emotionally and physically taxing.

True strength comes from one place. When we wait on the Lord we are renewed in strength and this strength is a fruit of taking joy in the Lord. (Nehemiah 8:10) That joy comes when we focus on Him; His goodness, His grace, His mercy, His provision.

The people in Nehemiah’s day were rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and during the reconstruction they came across the scrolls containing God’s word. As the priest read, the people were saddened and became repentant because they had fallen away from following God’s word.

“The people started crying when God’s Law was read to them. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher, and the Levites who had been teaching the people all said, “This is a special day for the LORD your God. So don’t be sad and don’t cry!”
10 Nehemiah told the people, “Enjoy your good food and wine and share some with those who didn’t have anything to bring. Don’t be sad! This is a special day for the LORD, and he will make you happy and strong.”
11 The Levites encouraged the people by saying, “This is a sacred day, so don’t worry or mourn!” Nehemiah 8:9-11 CEV

Finding God’s word first convicted them and then it encouraged them. It brought them reason to celebrate, reason for hope, it brought them strength!

Do you need strength today? Physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, financial – then look to God’s word – it will bring you joy and in joy is your strength.

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