Tag Archives: Strength

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Love and Grief

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“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved, and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7)

This was not the topic that I originally intended for this week’s post, but given a few divinely inspired events, my plan was changed.  As is my habit, I started the day with the “verse of the day” emails from Bible Gateway and KLove. The one from Bible Gateway was a portion of Psalm 139.  It is a favorite of mine for many reasons; one of those is that it was the last passage my parents read together on the eve of my mother’s death.  That circumstance coupled with the quote that I posted this week beckoned me to consider love and grief.

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Forty Year Stretch

Marriage, Commitment, Love and God

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“Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.  Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.  What will man do to me?’  Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”    Hebrews 13:4-7 

This past weekend Marie and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary.  While I would like to say that it was an entirely blissful 40 years, that would not be a true statement for two reasons.  We are both fallible humans still in the process of sanctification and there have been trials that have tested our faith in each other and our God.  However, what I am able to declare as true is that those 40 years have been blessed and I would, therefore, like to share a bit of our walk with you.

If you read from the beginning of Hebrews 13, you will see that Paul is asserting a list of essential behaviors for the body of Christ; they are in essence keys to living well.  Honoring marriage is just one of them.  However, if you look beyond the issues themselves, you see a few common denominators that allow for success in these areas. 

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He Gives Strength

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“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired.  His understanding is inscrutable.  He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power.” Isaiah 40:28-29

Tasks that I wanted to complete yesterday, or at least start in a substantial way, got transferred to today as I just couldn’t function anymore.  Acknowledging my weakness, I went to bed in an attempt to get rested and start early today.  That didn’t happen either as my body demanded more rest than I had allotted time for.  Needless to say, I have felt that I was behind and thoroughly depleted all day.  Strength is one of those things that we take for granted when we have it, but causes great frustration when it’s lacking.  However it’s not just physical strength…sometimes we need the strength meet a need or change a habit or maybe we need the spiritual strength to live the life to which God has called us.  Whether we are trying to live a life that honors our Lord, overcome a challenge in our life, or just get through the day, strength is often a pivotal factor that determines how successful we are.

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Your Consolations Delight My Soul

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“If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.  If I should say, ‘My foot has slipped,’ Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up.  When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.”  Psalm 94:17-19

I was preparing to go to yet another funeral this morning and was looking for peace within my own heart.  In this case, it was not a close friend, but rather the husband of someone I admire and have great affection for.  His widow is a dear soul and a godly woman who has been so kind to me that I ache for her.  We also have various connections with some of her children through church and business dealings.  In fact, her son is one of the morticians that helped with both of my parents’ funerals.  In short they are a family that I have great respect for as they regularly exhibit both kindness and integrity.  With that on my mind as I spent time with God this morning, He brought Psalm 94 to me…or more specifically, verse 19 and reminded me that this is one of those times to trust Him to be all that we need.  While the context of the psalm speaks to “evil doers”, the basic message still applies to all of our circumstances.  Consider each verse carefully.

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The Hope of Christmas

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Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.  Proverbs 13:12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.  Proverbs 13:12

Have you ever felt hopeless?  As the passage above says, hopelessness makes the heart sick and the world becomes a very dark place.  When I first became ill, that was very true in my life.  The pain I was enduring was relentless and creating a sense of fear and dread in our family.  The anxiety and uncertainty that it produced were intolerable.  If that wasn’t enough, I couldn’t reconcile God’s love with my illness.  I certainly didn’t see how any part of it could be working to my good, or to God’s glory.  Further, the Christians in my life at the time focused on my physical wellbeing, but never asked about my soul and did not attempt to present God’s spiritual truths that might apply.  As a result, I greatly desired my death.  Honestly, I desired it more for my wife and children than for myself.  As much as I wanted the pain and frustration to stop, I was most concerned about the damage that my illness and my inability to handle it were doing to them.  Daily I begged God to end my life.  In short, I was hopeless and my hopelessness was creating an adverse atmosphere in our home.  Thankfully it did not end there.  Eventually I learned to manage my illness somewhat, we became part of a church body that sought God’s will in all things and surrounded us with those who encouraged us in our faith, and the passage of time gave me the confidence that I could make peace with my circumstances.  However, the greatest change came when the word of God and the impact of Christians seeking to encourage me on a spiritual level invaded my illness and helped me to see that God had purpose in my pain and that it truly would work for my good and, more importantly, for the glory of God.  While I still struggle with the frustrations that come with living in a fallen world, it is the contrast between those dark days and the change that came with truth of scripture and the promises of God that keeps me going, points me to God and gives me hope.  One of the things that we celebrate as a part of the Christmas season is the hope that we have…hope in our God, hope in the salvation the Christ provides, and the hope of eternity.

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Thanksgiving Part 3

Thankful for Our Circumstances

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Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Most people are fairly comfortable being thankful for God’s provisions and for the people in their lives.  While we may not feel that our circumstances are quite as perfect as those depicted in Norm Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want”, we can generally muster a fairly strong attitude of thankfulness.  Certainly when we feel that things are going relatively well, we are filled with thankfulness, but what about when the times are tough.  Thanksgiving of 1992 I woke up in the hospital after having an ERCP the previous day.  I was in pain and groggy; I barely remember celebrating the holiday, let alone being thankful. 

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Carpe Diem

Seizing the day

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Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.  Ephesians 5:15-16

Today has been a rough day.  My symptoms have been flaring and I have found it difficult to keep moving and be productive.   Fatigue and lack of focus are making it rough to think and to write let alone maintain a healthy attitude.  That’s often the case for those of us struggling with illness.  Whether it’s dealing with our infirmities in general or the various symptoms that present themselves, days are regularly difficult and require much effort to endure.  Many trials offer similar effects.  It may be grief, caring for a dying loved one, attempting to redirect a rebellious child or any of the other life traumas that completely overwhelm us, but whatever “it” is, we are easily shut down and find it difficult to manage the affairs of the day let alone be industrious or thrive. 

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No Coninsidences

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“The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”  Deuteronomy 31:8

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”  Psalm 121:1-2

This year has been as season of challenges and unplanned events.  While on vacation in July, my wife broke her ankle which led to surgery and several weeks of not bearing weight on her left leg.  Needless to say, it has caused challenges of various sorts for both of us.  Additionally, we’ve just returned for a trip that was to be a relaxing time at the beach.  Given the recent surgery, we considered canceling; however, as the trip included our aunt and uncle, we chose to proceed as planned desiring to take advantage of every opportunity that we have to spend time with them.  What was not planned was a hurricane Irma heading straight toward our chosen location.

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Life Is Like a Pack of Crackers

Guest Post by Shelly Hendricks

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“You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.” – Proverbs 19:21

A frustrated woman, that’s what I was one day not long ago as I tried diligently to wrap and fold neatly, a pack of crackers. Sounds like a simple task, right? Try it sometime, and really pay attention to what happens. I found a few interesting tidbits that day that I could relate to life.

A pack of crackers, first pulled out of the box, is a beautiful thing, especially for a mind like mine that craves order. The package is crisp and smooth. The crackers are lined up neatly in a row, no breaks or crumbs in sight. The seam opens smoothly and they are crisp in your mouth. Then comes the trouble… how to return the package to a decent-looking state without losing your mind.

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Hide and Seek

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They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  Genesis 3:8

Sometimes when our grandsons come to our house, they like to play hide and seek.  It is such a different game than when I was a kid.  As children, they have not yet learned how many clues they may give away in the process of hiding nor have they learned to listen for clues that I may offer.  As an adult, I’ve learned to listen for those clues.  Fairly certain of their hiding places, I usually take extra the time to “search” rather than going directly to them which allows for more enjoyment of the game on their part.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, I believe that we often try to hide from God.  Three common reasons we do this are: like Adam and Eve, it may be due to sin; there may be trials in our lives that cause us to doubt God’s goodness and love for us; or it may be as simple as lack of engagement in our spiritual life.  Pulling away from God is exactly where Satan wants us as it leaves us open to temptation.  Through his lies, he seeks to either turn us from God or at least immobilize us and lose our passion for God and engaging in the work that Lord may have planned for us.

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