This is where your strength will come from

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “God’s power in you and for you”

Our Bible verse for today: “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.” Galatians 2:20 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “This is where your strength will come from”

After decades of work as a pastor and counselor helping people to work through the issues of life that hamper, hinder, and even haunt them, I continue to be amazed at how many people remain shackled to and limited by their past. People who suffered trauma or abuse as a child often spend much of their adult lives getting over their childhood. Victims of rape and domestic violence suffer from those wounds for years, sometimes for a lifetime. And even if they do work through it and the wounds heal, the scars remain.

There are many issues in life that hurt us and hold us back. It could be childhood trauma that we have never effectively dealt with, or a broken marriage, or work-related problems, or a wayward adult child, or much more. And if we allow them to, those issues can distract us and even weaken us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Life is filled with problems and somehow, we must to learn to deal with them and then get beyond them.

Jesus certainly faced His share of problems – much more than anything any of us are faced with. In John 5:19 He explained how He did it, “Truly I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does these things.” Jesus received His direction from and drew His strength from the Father. He so identified with the Father, and was so intent on doing the Father’s will, that it was the source of His strength to do the things that had to be done.

This is what the Apostle Paul was writing about in Galatians 5:20 too. He so identified with Christ, and stayed so closely in-sync with Him, that it was the source of his strength to do the things that needed to be done. And that’s the answer for us as well.

If your focus is on this world – all the wrongs that have been done to you, all the hurts you have experienced, all the problems you face now, and all your fears about the future – you can easily become overwhelmed and weak. But if (like we learned in yesterday’s devotional), you give all that stuff to God and focus instead on knowing His will and being obedient to it, you will find the direction and strength you need to live victoriously in and through Christ.

This is how you live beyond your problems. This is where your strength comes from. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Share this:

Related

Leave a comment Cancel reply