The Well
The Well |
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Connecting Hope to the Hurting | |
Friday
March 7, 2008
"Be strong and courageous, for you will lead my people to possess all the
land I swore to give their ancestors. Be strong and very courageous. Obey all
the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful
in everything you do. Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day
and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will
you succeed. I command you — be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or
discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Joshua
1:6-9
God's words to Joshua are also His words to you. No matter what you are doing or what you are going through your Father wants you to be strong and courageous.
As I write this I am in tremendous pain. The pain goes from my back, down my legs, and into my feet. It is overwhelming and I could allow it to drive me away from God, but praise His name, it drives me to Him. I know that He has allowed this pain as a test. Will I succumb to the pain or allow Him to be my strength?
If there is one major emphasis God has shown me recently it has to be that all that I am is a result of being His child. He is my strength. He doesn't just tell me to be strong and courageous without providing me the strength and courage necessary to complete the task He gives me to complete.
God wants perfect obedience from us. Every time I read that He wants us to adhere to His law, the Holy Spirit brings me to Matthew 7:12, "Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets." We are to treat people the way we want them to treat us — with dignity and respect — even though they may give the impression that they don't care.
One of the mistakes I made with my children was treating them like they behaved. In other words, if they were behaving badly I bought what they needed from the dollar store. If they were being obedient I bought their things from J.C. Penney's. Wrong! That is not the way I want to be treated — it was the way I was treated growing up.
If we are going to make a difference, if we are going to walk in the ways of God, we cannot base anything we do on the flesh. We must walk according to the Spirit and the Spirit will direct us to love every time! It takes courage to love people when they are spitting in your face and going against everything you believe in. Yet, that is exactly what God expects of us. If we are looking unto Jesus and trusting God's Word He will provide us with the strength and courage necessary at the moment we need Him. Now, honey, there ain't nothin' better than that!
Father, I praise You for Your promises! I praise You for Your provisions! I praise You for taking an old fruitcake like me and turning me into the vessel of victory You planned for me to be all along. Touch that heart that is reading this today — the person who has lost all hope of getting to the Promised Land. Give them a taste of supernatural strength and courage. Wrap them in Your grace.
