Zechariah 4:6 “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” Says the Lord of hosts.
In this fitness craze that we are experiencing
in this country, some have made the local gym their second home. You read and
see on advertisements everywhere how people go to fanatical lengths to get
their bodies into shape and keep them cut. But, which person is better able to
help other people in need; the strong or the weak? Pastor Kennedy admits that perhaps
the answer is not all that clear. But, it is hard to argue that meek Mother
Teresa of Calcutta, India was not as or more capable of helping people as the
strongest man in the world. The effect she has had in the lives of the sick and
the poorest of the poor is immeasurable.
"Give
me the strength to be ever the light of their lives, so that I may lead them at
last to you." – Prayer by Mother Teresa
I
remember a quote by Jock Ewing from the old (1978-1991) TV series show Dallas
that bothered me enough to stick with me: “If
I did give you power then you've got nothing. Nobody gives you power. Real power is
something you take.” Thank God, in reality, many of the world’s
greatest individuals have been those who have not been physically strong,
muscular, or healthy. Nor have they had great wealth or power.
Matthew
5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for
they shall inherit the earth.”
The
Bible tells us in Psalm 37:11 “the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall
delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Keep in mind that meek doesn’t
mean weak; it means “power under control.” Giving into sin, gratifying and
going the way of the flesh, the God-rejecting world system and the devil is the
true weak and easy way on the wide path to destruction. It actually takes more inner-strength
to not give into the sin nature of the fleshly desires; consciously and
deliberately walking in the Spirit, obeying God’s holy Word, Will and Way. The
greatest individuals have often been those who have had to deal and struggle
with monumental problems, like Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
1 Corinthians 1:27-29 “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”
The
Apostle Paul makes a similar point here, and in 2 Corinthians 12:10,
where he states: “That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults,
hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am
weak, then I am strong.” Why is this? When we feel that we are
strong and feel like we are able to handle everything, then we get the credit and
the glory for what we do. However, I’ve heard it said that when we hit
rock-bottom, the only way to go is up, because now God can work with us, instead
of fighting us every step of the way ... because when we are meek, weak and helpless,
then God can work through us, and it will be His work done though us, done for His glory. That
is true strength.
In
Christ, Brian
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