We have taken on this attitude of self-sufficiency, relying upon our own strength. Is this the attitude God want us to have? The Bible didn't say, "You can do all things through your own strength," instead it said in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." "I can!"
"How?"
"Through Jesus Christ."
"Why?"
"I need help and He will be my strength."
We might be at the pinnacle of self-sufficiency, but God has an amazing way of bringing us down, bringing us to the door of Christ-sufficiency.....weakness. In our weakness we realize we need Christ, we need His strength to carry us.....but first we need to relinquished self and become Christ-sufficient.
I was recently reading the book of Joshua and was amazed at how God showed Israel where their strength lay. In Joshua 5, after the Israelites had crossed the Jordan and crossed over to the enemy side amongst the Amorites, Canaanites, Hivites and all the other 'ites'...God said to Joshua
"Make stone knives and circumcise the People of Israel a second time.”
At that point I thought...why didn't God tell them to be circumcised before the crossing of Jordan while they were in safety? Circumcision is a painful procedure, but especially so in adulthood. So imagine, all these mighty warriors, grown men who had just been circumsised were standing in the enemy's territory. Because of the circumcision, they were at their weakest point. Think of it, you are physically weak and incapable of fighting, what's more, you're on the wrong side of the Jordan! For an Israelite soldier, that is the last place you want to be! However, do you think God had forgotten that minor detail when He commanded for the men to be circumcised? Of course not! He had a lesson for them to learn...one that we would do well to learn.
....."When they had completed the circumcising of the whole nation, they stayed where they were in camp until they were healed."
What if the enemy had attacked? They would have been doomed, but, they were not relying on their own strength.
What was God saying to the Israelites and to us today? My strength is sufficient for you.He is calling us to rely on His strength and not our own. To become more Christ-sufficient and less self-sufficient. At the point when the Israelites strength was zapped, they had to totally depend on God...in their weakness God became their strength.
Today, face the difficulties of life, not in your own strength but in the strength of the Lord.
Kem :)
Picture Story: I recently decided to teach myself to play the banjo......as I entered the room to begin my first lesson I realized that I had forgotten to bring a stool and the banjo strap.I decided I didn't needed them, but after a minute, I realized that the banjo was way too heavy to be played without a strap or even a stool. Yet I was determined to play it without them...."I am strong enough, I lifted and carried heavier stuff than this banjo." After about five minute of struggling with holding up the banjo and trying to learned to play a note, I realized my strength was not sufficient.
"How?"
"Through Jesus Christ."
"Why?"
"I need help and He will be my strength."
We might be at the pinnacle of self-sufficiency, but God has an amazing way of bringing us down, bringing us to the door of Christ-sufficiency.....weakness. In our weakness we realize we need Christ, we need His strength to carry us.....but first we need to relinquished self and become Christ-sufficient.
I was recently reading the book of Joshua and was amazed at how God showed Israel where their strength lay. In Joshua 5, after the Israelites had crossed the Jordan and crossed over to the enemy side amongst the Amorites, Canaanites, Hivites and all the other 'ites'...God said to Joshua
"Make stone knives and circumcise the People of Israel a second time.”
At that point I thought...why didn't God tell them to be circumcised before the crossing of Jordan while they were in safety? Circumcision is a painful procedure, but especially so in adulthood. So imagine, all these mighty warriors, grown men who had just been circumsised were standing in the enemy's territory. Because of the circumcision, they were at their weakest point. Think of it, you are physically weak and incapable of fighting, what's more, you're on the wrong side of the Jordan! For an Israelite soldier, that is the last place you want to be! However, do you think God had forgotten that minor detail when He commanded for the men to be circumcised? Of course not! He had a lesson for them to learn...one that we would do well to learn.
....."When they had completed the circumcising of the whole nation, they stayed where they were in camp until they were healed."
What if the enemy had attacked? They would have been doomed, but, they were not relying on their own strength.
What was God saying to the Israelites and to us today? My strength is sufficient for you.He is calling us to rely on His strength and not our own. To become more Christ-sufficient and less self-sufficient. At the point when the Israelites strength was zapped, they had to totally depend on God...in their weakness God became their strength.
Today, face the difficulties of life, not in your own strength but in the strength of the Lord.
Kem :)
Picture Story: I recently decided to teach myself to play the banjo......as I entered the room to begin my first lesson I realized that I had forgotten to bring a stool and the banjo strap.I decided I didn't needed them, but after a minute, I realized that the banjo was way too heavy to be played without a strap or even a stool. Yet I was determined to play it without them...."I am strong enough, I lifted and carried heavier stuff than this banjo." After about five minute of struggling with holding up the banjo and trying to learned to play a note, I realized my strength was not sufficient.
