| Good Morning Everyone, Our theme for this month: “Resilience” Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord my Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights!” Habakkuk 3:19 (CSB) Our thought for today: “But what do you use all those muscles for?” I recently read a story about a late-night television host who was interviewing three muscle-bound bodybuilders. They were standing there on the stage in front of the television audience in their tight little shorts with no shirts on. They had muscles on top of their muscles. The men were freakishly large, pumped up, and flexing. Unimpressed, the host looked at them and said, “So, what do you use all those muscles for?” Without responding, and as if this answered the question, one of the men simply struck a bodybuilder’s pose and displayed his large muscles. The host, still unimpressed, responded, “No, no. You didn’t understand my question. What do you “use” those muscles for?” Again, the same man simply struck his poses and showed off his muscles. His answer was clear. He didn’t actually use the muscles for anything. It was all for show. They developed those muscles so others could look at them and admire their muscles. In yesterday’s devotional I wrote that overcoming our challenges and limitations helps to make us stronger. It makes us stronger physically, mentally, emotionally, and most important, spiritually. To support that claim, I quoted James 1:2-4: “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” But that passage is actually just part of a much larger body of Biblical literature that supports the truth that God wants us to be strong, and that He will help to make us strong. Habakkuk 3:19 is another of those many verses and passages. But to what purpose? Why does God make us strong like that? Is it just so others can see and admire our strength? Another way of considering this would be, “What do you use all those muscles for?” I can assure you that God does not make us strong just so we can show off and have others admire us. He also doesn’t make us strong just so we can then use our strength for our own benefit. Resilient Christians understand that God will and does make us strong, but then He intends for us to use that strength in good, meaningful, and productive ways that honor Him and which blesses others. There’s more that needs to be said about this and so we will continue this discussion tomorrow. For now, please know that if God has made you strong, He didn’t do it just so you can show off and so others can admire you. He also didn’t do it simply for your own benefit. I encourage you to use your strength to help and bless someone else today. God Bless, Pastor Jim |
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