Thursday 26 Apr 2012

Thursday Reading: Philippians 4:13

Key Verse: Philippians 4:13
13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Devotion:
And then there is the one verse which always gets underlined in my bibles! W. Barclay wrote “Prayer will never do our work for us. What it will do is strengthen us for work which must be done.” (or something like that) This is a cross-stitch that my mother made for me and continually reminds me each day when I get up because of the prominent position it has in my flat. Without this verse to remind me of the importance of such a quote, the quote is just another thing that someone has said which would otherwise go straight over my head (like many things do).

God does not want us to be as strong as oxen so that we can face anything without a care but rather to be brave enough to face anything just because we do know that He is going to be with us. When the Israelites were looking to God, He would support them and He would show them just how awesome He was by wining many of their battles before they actually went into war. He would tell them that they had to trust in Him and that He would deliver the enemy into their hands; but the first step would have to be that they looked to Him, lifted up their prayers to Him and then trusted in Him.

That is what God continue to look for from each of us; that willingness to bring our wants and needs to Him in prayer and to then look to Him for answers and support through those prayers. It is His initial love for us that has made this all possible and it is because of His continuing love that we now know that He will give us that strength so that we can accomplish more in our lives. It is not because we grow stronger and more able to do things but rather that we rely on Him more to continue supporting and strengthening us so that we can face more.

It is not the want or need for more that should drive us forward but rather the knowledge that we will be able to face more and do more because He continues to give us more resolve to achieve more so that He can get the glory for what He has done for us. If we are not going to acknowledge that it is Christ who is behind us then we should not be expecting His support; rather like expecting to have a regular gift from God without ever thanking Him for what He is doing for us! It is not a requirement that God should give us anything but it is instead out of His love for us that He continues to give us all that He does. Remember, it is His gift to us and He does want us to be stronger but we must remember it is from Him!

Points to Ponder:
Do you remember Christ when things go wrong?

Do you still remember Christ when things are going right?