Strength to Carry On

"So, my dear brothers and sisters,

be strong and immovable.

Always work enthusiastically for the Lord,

for you know that nothing you do

 for the Lord is ever useless."

1 Corinthians 15:58

Discouragement rears its ugly head as she witnesses the fallout of sin all around her: Broken marriages, pain, suffering, abuse, murder, corruption, deceit.  She works hard in the ministry God has given her to the lost families in her community, but it's sometimes hard to see any fruit.  What's the point? she thinks.  No one is listening and everyone wants to continue living the way they always have, despite the trouble that brings.  She wonders if its time to give up.

Do you ever feel like giving up?  We all do at times, but we can take encouragement from the fact that God is accomplishing what He wants to bring about, even if it can't be detected by the human eye.

It's easy to feel discouraged when working with the lost.  Having experienced the victory over sin and death that Jesus provides, I am eager to pass on the hope I possess, knowing that my work is not in vain.  Sometimes, though, the very world I am trying to minister to brings me down.  It is this very hope, then, that can give me the courage to persevere.

Stand Firm

The defiant and jubilant atmosphere quickly turned to that of panic and despair.  The intimidating chariots of their oppressors approached at an alarming rate.  As the crowd numbering over 2 million frantically searched for an escape route, they realized their predicament, seemingly all at once: They were pinned against the Red Sea.

"Why did you bring us here, Moses?  Weren't there enough graves in Egypt?  We were better off as slaves!"  The people who earlier praised their liberator were now quick to cast all blame upon him. (Exodus 14:5-31)

Instead of joining in the fervor of alarm, Moses stood firm, saying, "Don't be afraid.  Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. . .The LORD himself will fight for you.  Just stay calm." (Exodus 14:13-14 NLT)

I am no different than the Israelites, panicking when things seem hopeless.  Instead, I want to take on the faith of Moses who chose to believe in the sovereignty and power of God while everyone around him was highly alarmed.  It is important to remember what Moses seemed to know;  when things seem at their worst is usually when God is about to blow the roof off the place!

The hope I have in Jesus can give me the strength to stand firm and wait on His deliverance.

Give Fully

He was the perfect picture of a Hebrew: Circumcised at eight days of age, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, affiliated with the Pharisees and committed to following the Law with the severest level of compliance.  

Despite his bloodline, religious background and supreme effort, Paul considered his relationship with Jesus Christ to be of the highest value.  While his credentials previously meant everything to him, they now paled in comparison to the joy of knowing Christ. (Philippians 3:5-8)

Consequently, Paul was willing to offer himself completely to the work of the Lord.  However God chose to use him, Paul was eager to submit, so much so that toward the end of his life, he could look back and say that, "my life has already been poured out as an offering to God."  (2 Timothy 4:7 NLT)

God has given so much to me, just as He did for Paul.  I may not hold the credentials Paul did, but my spiritual heritage is rich in grace and mercy. (1 John 3:1)  Therefore, I have the ability to live fully in submission to God's will, as Paul did.  

First, however, I must cast away my fears, let go of my expectations, and shed my insecurities.  Then, I can take on the counsel of Oswald Chambers as he spoke about Jesus' command to feed His sheep.  Jesus gave us nothing with which to feed our brothers and sisters, but Chambers said,  "The process of being made broken bread and poured-out wine means that you have to be the nourishment for other souls until they learn to feed on God."

The hope I have in Jesus can give me the strength to give myself fully to the Lord I love.

Maintain Heavenly Perspective

The man drew a crowd as he sketched a map of the city under siege on a large brick.  Then he laid on his left side for 390 days, then turned to his right for 40 days.  All the while he was tied up with ropes, staring at Jerusalem.  During this time, he ate barley loaves baked over a fire made with dung as the crowd watched in disgust.

As if this year-long spectacle wasn't bizarre enough, the man then drew out a sword and shaved off all his hair.  Next, he produced a scale on which he weighed out three equal sections of his hair.  After performing some kind of strange pantomime, he then set afire one-third of the hair on the brick map.  Once the flames subsided, he scattered the second bundle and began hacking away at it with his sword.  Finally, he flung the remaining hair up in the air, except for a few strands which he tucked away in his robe.   Most people agreed: This guy was certifiably crazy.

While God used Ezekiel to do some strange things, each ritual was an illustration of the judgement that was to come against the people of Israel and Judah.  (Ezekiel 4-5)  I wonder how Ezekiel felt about performing all these bizarre practices?  How was he able to obey when he knew he was being made to look like a fool?

Ezekiel maintained a heavenly perspective, paying more attention to His Father's opinion than to that of the people around him.  It was more important for Ezekiel to be used by God than to see results or to live what the world sees as successful.

I can take a lesson from this prophet.  There are times when I know in my heart God wants me to do something that looks bizarre.  It could be to homeschool, give away all my belongings or to leave a lucrative business to minister to the homeless on a full time basis.  Whatever it is, people will think I'm crazy.  But if I take on the attitude of Ezekiel, caring more about pleasing God than people, I will feel emboldened to carry on.

The hope I have in Jesus can give me the strength to see beyond the temporal into the eternal.

Focusing on what is going wrong can lead to a feeling of hopelessness and a desire to quit.  But if I can keep my eyes on Jesus as the author of my faith, I can stand firm like Moses, give fully like Paul, and maintain a heavenly perspective like Ezekiel.  Then, I can persevere, knowing my work for the Lord is not in vain.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I can remember the work God is doing behind the scenes.

How often to I look for evidence of God's work or seek results as a sign of success?

When do I hold back instead of allowing God to freely use me?