Strength: May 15, 2013

Today's Word for Wednesday MAY 15, 2013

STRENGTH

DEFINITION:

Having the capacity for endurance; vigor; firmness or courage; power by reason of influence, authority, resources or numbers.

SCRIPTURE:

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." II Corinthians 12:9.

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:6.

I will love You, O Lord, my strength. Psalm 18:1

The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid. Psalm 27:1

He is my strength in time of trouble. Psalm 37:39.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Today's athletes spend hours every day working on increasing their strength so that they may excel in their sport. In fact it is amazing how many hours they work at this and how committed they are for success.

Have you ever wondered what kind of world we would live in today if believers in Jesus spent the same amount of time daily as these athletes do to increase their personal strength in the Lord and knowledge of God's Word?

As believers we should learn something from this illustration and be challenged anew to spend more time working on increasing our spiritual strength by not only reading God's Word but studying His Word and communicating to Him so He can talk to us. Do you have the same dedication for success as athletes do to work this hard at what you believe?

When we think of strength as written about in the Bible, we think of Samson. He was a judge of Israel for some 20 years. He was known for his great physical strength but later in his life his moral weakness became his downfall.

God promised Manoah, according to the account written about Samson in Judges 13-16, a son that would deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines. God instructed Samson parents to raise him to be a Nazirite. A Nazirite could be either a man or a woman who was set apart from the things of the world for the service of God. A Nazarite was to never use a razor on his hair but let it grow long. God then endowed Samson with great bodily strength.

God gave Samson the strength to be victorious when he was up against the Philistines but foolishly Samson yielded to the temptation to use God's gift of physical strength for his own selfish purposes. Physically Samson had great strength but spiritually he was weak. Samson did not have the strength to resist the seduction of a Philistine woman named Delilah.

Samson fell in love with Delilah and revealed to her that he was never to cut his hair because of his Nazirite vow to God. Delilah betrayed him and told the Philistines and they captured Samson and cut his hair and he died a slave.

God is the source of our strength and He wants us to rely on His strength not on our own. Samson neglected to give God the glory for his strength and broke His commandment to serve the Lord.

As believers we need to be committed to our Lord in a new and fresh way today and ask Him for new strength to serve Him. Read carefully the verses we have written above and they will give you the assurance that GOD IS YOUR STRENGTH IN ALL YOU DO --- when you put your complete trust in Him.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 118:24:

This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

PRAYER:

Thank You for the confidence we have that You are our strength for all of our activities. Thank You that we can rely on You for wisdom and guidance. Help us to rely on Your strength and in turn may we give You all the honor and glory for all that You accomplish through our family.