Most of us feel totally inadequate to face the issues in
our life. We pull our self up by our bootstraps every morning, put one foot in
front of the other and move forward through the day, doing the best we can. Living in
this stress-filled life with no spiritual basis for coping with its issues or
making positive choices are more than most people can bear.
We struggle with inadequacy, shame, doubt, uncertainty,
weakness and anxiety, which end up putting our body in the state of physical
and psychosomatic illness. For many people, they have no support system. This
is a travesty and drives them to use addictions of all kinds in order to cope
with their feelings about life’s pressures (Galatians 5:19-21).
There are many paradoxes in the Bible and the one, which
applies here, is that in order to be strong, we must first realize that we are
weak. God uses the broken and foolish things in the world to confound the wise (1
Corinthians 1:27). Our flaws give us compassion for other people. We never
stand in judgment, because we are just as defective as the next person. However,
God is our only judge (James 4:12).
God loves it when we come to the end of our self and look
up into His waiting, loving face. The weaker and less competent we are, the
more God can use us for His glory. Peace of mind and spiritual
assurance of God's presence in our life affects our body, soul and spirit
positively and gives us a new life and an eternal hope, which ignites our
passion for God (Romans 8:11).
The Creator of the Universe transforms us from the inside
out by dwelling within us (2 Corinthians 5:17). He removes our wounded
heart of stone and gives us a compassionate heart of flesh (Ezekiel
36:26). God uses our unique idiosyncrasies, formed in us by a lifetime
of nature and nurture, for His glory (2 Corinthians 12:9). His
Spirit gives us the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). The weak
can now say, “I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Prayer:
Father God, as a natural, carnal person, we attempt to live
independently of You and Your plan for our life (Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians
2:10). We live out of harmony with You and reap a wind storm of
consequences. Remind us not to depend on our human understanding, but to
consult You in every moment of our day. Thank You for Your redemption in our
life and for caring about every aspect of it that we face.
Thought for the Day:
God changes our life by giving us His new birth and eternal
life in Jesus Christ. He takes us from our lowly state and exalts us as
co-heirs with Christ of His entire Kingdom.
- Romans 8:17; 2 Corinthians 4:7
