I’M TIRED AND NEED SOME STRENGTH!

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.”
(Philippians 4:13)

MEDITATION:
Do you ever have days when you feel tired and listless?
You may think to yourself,
    “I’ll be glad when this day is over so I can go back to bed”
You may even take some ‘power naps’ during the day in an
effort to get revitalized.

If your tiredness is a result of some virus, then you know it will pass
eventually, but you may require a few days to regain your strength.
But if it is not a virus, then our mind can go into overdrive, can’t it?
We try to figure out what is causing this weakness in us; we want to
know what’s going on; we feel like we need a boost of energy and
strength.

The challenges of living can feel like that at times, can’t it? We
strive to maintain good relationships with others, do a good job
at work (and/or at home), encourage and help others, etc. Our
efforts can produce pleasing results, but it still just seems to sap
our strength at times.

As a believer, the challenges can be even greater as we strive to be
more like Jesus. Paul tells us that because Christ has given him
the strength he needs, he can accomplish anything the Lord desires
of him. He was also confident that he could overcome any obstacles,
or heartaches in his life (and he had plenty of them, didn’t he?).

So how do we receive the strength of Christ in our lives? Paul seems
to be telling us that Jesus truly lives within him. There was a unique
closeness Paul had with the Lord. It was a relationship that many
people seek, but never find.

What prevents us from having the same kind of closeness Paul had
with the Lord? It could be that we have never fully yielded to the
power and control of the Holy Spirit (which we were given access
to when we received salvation).

When the spirit of Jesus lives within us:
    – Pride will not dominate our lives
        (because Jesus has a humble heart).
    – Hatred and bitterness will not control us
        (because Jesus has a loving heart).
    – We will have mercy and compassion for others
        (because Jesus has an understanding and forgiving heart).
    – Selfishness will not dominate us; we will want to
        serve the Lord and put others ahead of ourselves
        (because Jesus has an unselfish heart).
    – We will not lack forgiveness for those who have mistreated us.
        (because Jesus forgave those while they were causing His death).

When His spirit lives within us, His presence will permeate our minds,
our thoughts, our words, our actions, our emotions, our attitudes, and
our relationships with others. We need to make a choice to surrender
to His will, and its not an easy decision, because our natural tendency
is to respond to things in a different way than Jesus does.

ACTION:
How much of your life are you still tightly hanging onto? Are
there any areas of your life where you have not allowed the
Holy Spirit to have complete control?

Have you given Jesus His special place within your heart?
If the answer is, “No”, then ask yourself,
    “When do I plan to relinquish everything to Him?”

Have you felt His presence permeating your life and spilling over
to those around you? Do you ever do or say something, and think
to yourself,
    “That’s not how I would normally do, so it must
      be the result of the Lord working in my life”

Do you have an overwhelming thankfulness for the agonizing
physical and emotional pain Jesus suffered for you? Do you
have a desire to know the spiritual gift you were given when
you were saved, and do you want to use it to answer God’s
call to serve Him? If you don’t have these desires, what do
you think is preventing them from being  part of you?

When we commit to following the Lord, we are also surrendering
our will for His will in our lives. And His will is for us to become
participants in what God the His Father is doing to love, forgive,
and point others to Jesus, and salvation.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise to
‘give me strength’ for all things. Forgive me if I
have failed to totally submit my life to You. Teach
me to focus on eternity so it will motivate and impact
all that I do in this life. Live in me today, so I will
radiate Your love and grace in all that I do and say.
Thank You Jesus, for suffering a humiliating and
painful death for me. Create in me a desire to serve
You every day from a heart that remembers what You
did for me. I need Your strength, so I am asking You
to help me to fully open up my heart and life to You.”

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