Be Strong and Wait for the Lord
The apostle Paul was not a super human, but a regular human clothed in weaknesses and limitations like all the rest of us. On one occasion he pleaded with God to remove an impairment that afflicted him. God responded to Paul’s plea by pointing out, “My power is made perfect in weakness,” 2 Corinthians 12:9. We should regard those impairments that God doesn’t take away by his power as friends not enemies. Every impairment actually prepares us to experience God’s power. Isn’t that what God said to Paul? Dear friends, be encouraged to keep putting one foot in front of another when things in life don’t go according to your plans or your wishes. God designed you to WIN even in the midst of what appears lost. Since Divine energy works in our favor, we accept Psalm 27:14 as our motto: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
Share this:
Be Strong and Wait for the Lord Read More »
“Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge,” Proverbs 23:12.
Since review is the price of knowledge we should often remind ourselves of the first and greatest commandment in the Bible. When someone asked Jesus to designate the most important commandment in the Bible, our Lord immediately quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Then our Lord unhesitatingly declared that this is the first and greatest commandment. Let’s often remind ourselves that this commandment states the goal of keeping all commandments found in Scripture. Therefore, we hate every impediment to loving Father, Son and Holy Spirit more. We shun everything that diminishes our affection for the Lord. Living with the first and greatest commandment in mind makes us more than conquerors through him who loved us and gave himself for us!
The Lord looks for confidants to whom he can pour out his heart and thoughts. The dictionary defines “confidant” as “one to whom secrets are entrusted”. Proverbs 3:22 declares, “The Lord…takes the upright into his confidence.” So, by his Word and his Spirit, God pours his thoughts and his feelings into everyone who seeks to please him. Keep reading the Word and spending that private time communing with him in praise, thanksgiving and adoration. In this way you become the Lord’s confidant; his trusted companion!
The eighth book in the Old Testament, Ruth, shows how intimately God is involved with guiding your steps. A much less than prosperous Jewish lady named Naomi lost her husband and two sons two untimely deaths. She returned from a country called Moab to Israel and her hometown of Bethlehem. After moving from Moab to Bethlehem, her daughter-in-law Ruth asked her mother-in-law’s permission to “go to the fields and pick up the left over grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor” (Ruth 2:20. What an indefinite request: “anyone in whose eyes I find favor.” Well, God led Ruth’s steps even though she was unaware of it. The field she worked in belonged to a distant relative of Naomi’s husband. This man, Boaz, was older than Ruth, but she caught his attention. Eventually, Boaz and Ruth married and their child became the great-grandfather of the second king of Israel named David from whom Jesus descended.
Many years ago I began recording Verses that Vivify during my private reading of Scripture. My secretary types these verses into a file on our computer. Consequently, this blog shares with you the verses that vivify from the book of Job. I trust they are a blessing and encouragement to you and build a new appreciation for the book we call Job.
Instantaneous electronic communication fills 21st century humanity with a constant birage of news about earth’s troubles. This knowledge can easily overwhelm us with dread and remorse. In fact, Jesus predicted, “On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity….People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world,” Luke 21:25-26.
Isaiah 65:13-14 lists several promises God makes to his servants. “T
I’ve attended many Christian services and meetings where people reported wonderful, dramatic answers to prayer. These fine folks related how God healed their disease, saved their relatives, rescued them from financial doom, or preserved their children’s marriage. The congregation raised hands, praised the Lord and applauded. The preacher rejoiced and quoted, “The things that are impossible with men are possible with God.” …