Where Does Your Great Strength Lie
Strength is becoming more and more popular in our society. I'm hoping that this phenomena is not all bad, that it might help us to view the body for what it can do instead of how thin it can be, but that's a topic for another time. Instead let's talk strength from the One who crafted the body and breathed life into it (Genesis 2:7).
We like the facade of strength, because it usually means muscles and ripples and solid bodies. But strength that is simply on display is really not strength. Strength is something you prove. What good is it to have bulging muscles if you can't actually do something with them?
In the Bible we are told of a man named Samson and this man was STRONG- like rip off gates to cities and carry them a great distance strong. Super strong. Well, Samson wasn't the greatest example of someone who followed the Lord with his whole heart and he really liked the ladies. One lady in particular, Delilah wanted to find out the source of his strength. She asked him a few times-
Judges 16:6 Where does your great strength lie?
For those who know the story of this man, you know it is because he was a Nazarite from his mother's womb, meaning that he drank no strong drink and never cut his hair. Yes, that is the correct Bible answer, but if my husband made the same vow, would that instantly give him Samson strength? Nope. The strength of Samson was in his obedience to walk in that Nazarite calling that God had on his life. Even though he liked the ladies and mixed in with crowds we wouldn't choose for our kids, his strength was never taken from him.
Where has the Lord asked for your obedience? Where has He made it clear that you are to be doing this or that? It is in the obedience that we realize the strength, not before or after, but DURING. And even more important, we understand that its not OUR strength, but it really is the Lord's strength.
I remember learning Olympic lifting and being told that that the closer the barbell stayed to your body, the easier it was to move. If you think about that concept in everyday life you will know that it's true. Why don't we walk with heavy objects extended far out in front of us? Because they're heavier that way. We bring heavy objects in close because that's where we have the strength to hold them. If you were to carefully watch an Olympic lifter, you would see that they are actually moving themselves around the barbell more than they are actually moving the barbell. It's fascinating and an incredible display of athleticism and strength.
What does any of that have anything to do with strength for life and obedience to the Lord?
We spend so much of our time worrying and being concerned with things that are far out from us, things that we don't have the strength to take on. And it exhausts us of our strength. We need to take those thoughts captive, apply Philippians 4:6-8 and focus on the paths of obedience that the Lord has brought up close and personal into our lives. He does not owe us the strength to deal with the worries and cares of this world, instead He tells us to cast them on Him, because He has the muscles to handle those. Instead we should be most concerned with walking in obedience, because THAT'S where His infusion of strength into our lives is found.
We like the facade of strength, because it usually means muscles and ripples and solid bodies. But strength that is simply on display is really not strength. Strength is something you prove. What good is it to have bulging muscles if you can't actually do something with them?
In the Bible we are told of a man named Samson and this man was STRONG- like rip off gates to cities and carry them a great distance strong. Super strong. Well, Samson wasn't the greatest example of someone who followed the Lord with his whole heart and he really liked the ladies. One lady in particular, Delilah wanted to find out the source of his strength. She asked him a few times-
Judges 16:6 Where does your great strength lie?
For those who know the story of this man, you know it is because he was a Nazarite from his mother's womb, meaning that he drank no strong drink and never cut his hair. Yes, that is the correct Bible answer, but if my husband made the same vow, would that instantly give him Samson strength? Nope. The strength of Samson was in his obedience to walk in that Nazarite calling that God had on his life. Even though he liked the ladies and mixed in with crowds we wouldn't choose for our kids, his strength was never taken from him.
Where has the Lord asked for your obedience? Where has He made it clear that you are to be doing this or that? It is in the obedience that we realize the strength, not before or after, but DURING. And even more important, we understand that its not OUR strength, but it really is the Lord's strength.
I remember learning Olympic lifting and being told that that the closer the barbell stayed to your body, the easier it was to move. If you think about that concept in everyday life you will know that it's true. Why don't we walk with heavy objects extended far out in front of us? Because they're heavier that way. We bring heavy objects in close because that's where we have the strength to hold them. If you were to carefully watch an Olympic lifter, you would see that they are actually moving themselves around the barbell more than they are actually moving the barbell. It's fascinating and an incredible display of athleticism and strength.
What does any of that have anything to do with strength for life and obedience to the Lord?
We spend so much of our time worrying and being concerned with things that are far out from us, things that we don't have the strength to take on. And it exhausts us of our strength. We need to take those thoughts captive, apply Philippians 4:6-8 and focus on the paths of obedience that the Lord has brought up close and personal into our lives. He does not owe us the strength to deal with the worries and cares of this world, instead He tells us to cast them on Him, because He has the muscles to handle those. Instead we should be most concerned with walking in obedience, because THAT'S where His infusion of strength into our lives is found.
Psalm 68:28-Your God has commanded your strength,
Strengthen, O God, what You have done for us.