My Strength
“The
Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name; He will
teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I
said to you” (John 14:26)
There are many
areas where we tend to fail in the Christian life. For instance, we as
people often fail to live for Him because we think we can’t, and another
mistake is that we think we can. It’s not you and me doing the work –
it’s the Lord in us who does all good things.
When we come
to Christ, UNDERSTANDING fills us, for we see ourselves as we really
are. In Him, our perspective is changed. Instead of comparing
ourselves to those around us, God emerges within our understanding, and
we recognize He is wonderful! And, of course, we see, in this shock of
awareness – we are not (though He loves us, just as we are).
John Calvin
said, “Before God there remains nothing of
which we can glory, save only His mercy”, and his statement is
true. As beings (in relation to God), we flunked the course, we failed
the exam, we lost the race and didn’t carry the day. Is there ANY good
thing in us? Yes, there is good for us, when we accept Jesus Christ as
Savior and Lord of our lives!
If we breathe
“yes” to Him, God says “yes” to us. Everything is different. From that
moment we no longer are the enemy at the gate of the camp of our Lord.
We become His friend, and most important of all, He becomes your Friend
and mine.
From a simple
human perspective, there are “good” people and “bad” people. The
“kindly” are easily seen, portrayed as they are against the black velvet
of those who are vicious in nature. The merely human individual seems
good by comparison with those who “fly the black flag of piracy” (a
phrase from law school) and harm others for their own purposes.
And yet, we
have the testimony of the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul, that “ALL
have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
There are no exceptions. The true nature of sin, by the way, is that we
want to succeed on our own; but He (God) created us for relationship
with Himself and one another.
The aging
process is so interesting. We have weaknesses but we also have
strengths in life and we have enjoyed every one of our strengths. As we
grow older, the same weaknesses we had before are often present (in
exaggerated form), and we also acquire new INabilities we never expected
or wanted.
Physically and
mentally we lessen in effectiveness and see that we cannot do for
ourselves or others as we once did. We wonder, “Why, God?” Many want
to be “nice” people. We are supposed to be “ready
to give, willing to share” (1 Timothy 6:18), not “greedy to get
and anxious to take.” Jesus taught us, “Give
and it shall be given unto you” (Luke 6:38), but sometimes, in
receiving, we finally learn how to really give.
We might think
we have much to give, and we might indeed have something that will
lighten the load of another human being. And yet, it’s God who will get
us (and them) through. Human efforts are simply bandages that wear out
and are eventually discarded. The wound needs to be HEALED, not
bandaged, and only God can do that work in our lives.
Paul the
Apostle was severely weakened by events in his life, which were awful in
nature and far beyond his ability to control them. Beatings,
imprisonments and heartaches would seem to be poor soil for spiritual
growth, but Paul had them all and more. And yet, it was out of such
disasters that the Lord told him, “My grace is
sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness”
(2 Corinthians 12:9).
Recently,
several of us were in a setting in which we were ministering one-on-one
to others, and I was delighted to be praying for a group of about a
dozen people, one at a time. We had been with the group for more than a
day, and I noticed anew that I no longer am able to easily remember
names. I tend now to pray by need, rather than by name, because I might
get the name wrong.
Later, one of
them, in giving her testimony, spoke of her disappointment that the
pastor who prayed for her, did not use her name. “Use my name,” she
thought, but he did not. I did not know if she was one of those I
prayed for, and I felt an infinite sadness, for I want to be EFFECTIVE
in the lives and needs of other people.
She
experienced pain that she had not been personally recognized. She, like
so many, has felt “invisible” to other people. As she continued
sharing, she mentioned another, later time when that same pastor DID use
her name and it blessed her. As she continued sharing, it became
apparent she had a WONDERFUL experience but it was not because she was
authenticated by a mere human being. She met the Lord, as we all did
during that time, and HE KNOWS YOUR NAME. Our names are in the Lord’s “book
of life” (Philippians 4:3), and He has said, “I
will not forget you; behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My
hands” (Isaiah 49:16).
N. T. Wright,
a New Testament theologian, said, “We live
in a world full of people struggling to be, or at least to appear
strong, in order not to be weak; and we follow a gospel which says that
when I am weak, then I am strong. And this gospel is the only thing
that brings healing.” It’s not that we TRY to be weak, anymore
than it makes sense to “try” and be humble. We just are what we are,
and what we are includes plenty of weaknesses. Yet He knows you and
loves you – just as you are.
God is
PERSONAL to each one, and He wants His personal touch to be felt – by
you! Jesus Christ inscribed us on the palms of His hands by dying for
us on the cross. His death allows us to really LIVE for the first
time. And I continually find that, when and where it really counts, the
following is true for me: “The Helper, the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name; He will teach you all
things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you”
(John 14:26). Yes, I am inadequate to live the Christian life. And I’m
sorry to tell you – so are you. But HE IS adequate in every way and
will change your life for the good – forever .
Lord, we
receive You, now. Change our lives. Let us TRUST in You. In Jesus
Name. Amen.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
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