Renewal

Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:30,31NLT

You wearied yourself by such going about, but you would not say, “It is hopeless.” You found renewal of your strength, and so you did not faint. Isaiah57:10

We are all subject to the troubles and worries of the day as we work our way through this life.

The words of an old Gospel song come to mind:
Living below in this old sinful world
Hardly a comfort can afford
Striving alone to face temptation so
Now won't you tell me
Where could I go but to the Lord
Where could I go oh where could I go
Seeking the refuge for my soul
Needing a friend to save me in the end
Won't you tell me
Where could I go but to the Lord

As we get that little bit older, these verses become more pointed, and important. Energy and stamina are the bywords of youth when you can take on the world. But now, you are left with little energy and lots of memories. What was once a dreaded time of life, has now become welcome to say the least.

The renewal the prophet speaks about is not to take us back to the strength of our youth, although that would be good, it talks about having a renewal of energy to take us through each and every day without flagging or falling. Whether you are a younger person, or an older, more mature believer, we will all have enough strength for the needs of the day. When you are having a hard time and your faith is being tested, whether young or old, Philippians 4:19 assures us that our “God will supply all your need according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus.” His strength can never be exhausted! Amen to that thought.

Abundant Life

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John10:9,10

I think we need to ‘KISS’ these verses. Let’s Keep It So Simple! And look at the content and context. Jesus came to this earth, and into the Christian’s heart to give him/her life, but not just any life, it’s abundant life. Some translations describe it as overflowing life, and that’s extraordinary living. Who would not want that? Or to put it another way, why would anyone want to pour cold water on this promise?

The phrase “The thief comes only to steal” is a clue to who would want to spoil the Christian’s full and abundant life, and it is a thief. Someone who would steal your joy. The trouble is that our abundant life can be most in jeopardy and stolen by other christians who will decide (for you) that you are not living your life correctly. Perhaps you are watching the wrong Christian TV programs and movies, or reading the wrong inspirational books, enjoying the wrong Christian music, or even listening to the wrong Christian pastors and leaders. This is being done on an industrial internet scale by those who would want to mould you into their image of who God is to them, and by extension, should be to you too. However, I hope you can hold on to the fact that as Christians we have abundant life, and as the following verses confirm it is full of joy and gladness. I for one need to hold on to my future reward which is great in heaven. Amen, and thank you Lord for the positive message of the Gospel which grows in joy, rejoicing, and abundant life.

And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah8:10

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew5:11,12

Inner Strength

Be strong and [be] very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Joshua 1:7 NIV

We all have those ‘goto’ verses where we find help, strength or comfort, and sometimes all three like this one! But like all of God’s promises, this one comes with a condition. Our salvation is free for the asking. Yes, you have to want it enough to ask for it and only then it is given as a free gift. In this verse, the condition is obedience to the law of Moses, but Jesus brought an extension to the law, so I suggest that our condition today, is to obey the commands and law of Christ.

Not straying to one side or the other is easier said than done, but it is required, no it is necessary for our success in life. Did you notice that being strong and courageous came first? Only then to taking care and obeying the law? By staying on the straight road, then and only then God’s people would be successful, and not only where they were, but wherever they went!

The strength of our convictions must come first, and the other things follow. There was a time that I thought we must not get sidetracked to the left or right, but that’s not the timeline of the verse, is it? As modern language would say, we have to ‘man up’ (or woman up!) with all the strength God will give us, and ultimately we will be successful. Just as it was for Joshua, so we are keeping good company. I can almost hear you asking, how on this earth are we supposed to find this strength. The answer is found in the very next verse where it says: “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Joshua was to be obedient to the law of Moses, but we have the greater law as given by the Son of God and the apostles. Now I must ask myself the question, am I up to reading and studying the Bible, so that I will overcome? That’s something we must each work out for ourselves, so how about you?

Myopic

Jesus said to him, “Do you believe this just because I said I saw you under the fig tree? You will see much greater things than that!” John 1:50 ERV

We can’t always see the big picture, and so we settle for a small vision. We are short sighted, and Jesus’ words tell a story that applies to us today too. Jesus was calling Nathaniel to follow Him, and it appears from the text that Nathaniel believed because Jesus saw him under a fig tree from far away. That was enough to settle it for this disciple, but Jesus’ promise to Nathaniel that he “will see much greater things than that” is one for us to grasp too.

When we strain to see things too closely, we lose the ability to pull back and therefore lose context. Guilty? I think we all are at times. We become content in our little shells, going to church, singing the songs, praying and can miss the significance of our salvation through grace. We are greater than the sum of our parts.

It’s not the going to church, singing, or praying that saves us. These things are just the outflowing of a full heart of thankful worship for eternal life. While we journey through this life, we have fulness of joy. We may not always be happy because tough times hit us just like other people, but joy is different. In fact we are reminded that it is our strength to get us through the hard times when it can be difficult to smile.

And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 ESV