Do you feel that you are at the end of your rope? Don’t worry. As Woodrow Kroll points out “our quitting point is God’s beginning point”. When we are finished trying to manage on our own, God can step in.
We can’t summon up strength on our own, but God is our strength.
We can’t use yesterday’s manna, but there will always be new manna in the morning.
We can’t store grace, but there will always be enough if we are in Christ Jesus.
Certainly the faithful love
of the LORD hasn’t ended;
certainly God’s compassion
isn’t through!
They are renewed every morning.
Great is your faithfulness.
(Lamentations 3: 22-23, CEB)
Every morning I do plea for new mercy and fresh courage. Because there is no going without God’s grace. And guess what? God is happy to pour out new mercy and fresh courage for all of us!
Just think of Joshua. He did not receive strength and courage only when he was selected to be the leader after Moses. Joshua found his courage day by day in the strength God provided him. Joshua lived by faith battle by battle. God was with Joshua every step he took. Without God Joshua wouldn’t have had the needed strength and courage to lead. But with God he became an invincible leader.
The same way we can find new mercy and fresh courage in the strength God provides us daily. If we try to make it on our own, we just wear ourselves down. But when we walk with God, there will always be a fresh supply of mercy and courage available! We just need to ask!
In order to be successful Joshua was also instructed to always ponder and meditate the word of God and also put it in practice. The same goes for us:
We are to chew on Scripture day and night.
We are to let the Word of God change us inside out.
We are to obediently follow God wherever He leads us.
We are to put everything we have into serving God.
We are to continually dwell in God’s presence.
Because…when the Holy Spirit dwells in us we can do anything God asks us to do.
Then it’s not a question about our inadequacies but about God’s possibilities.
Then it is about the strength God provides us day by day.
Then it’s about receiving new mercy and fresh courage.
Then it’s about living in grace and walking with God.
Nothing better than that!
Gracious God,
Give us new mercy and fresh courage!
Pour out grace and mercy, love and hope!
Fill our empty hearts with your joy.
Give us strength and courage.
Empower us and equip us and
then use us for your glory!
You are beyond wonderful!
You are beyond amazing!
You are beyond awesome!
Be praised forever and ever!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Q4U: How does God sustain you?
Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you fill up new mercy & fresh courage! Be strong and courageous! God is with you!
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Do you want to win a copy of the Common English Bible softcover edition? Just leave a comment on any blog post this week (or any week during the blog tour). The winner will be announced again on Monday!
All these CEB give aways are possible because I am participating in the Common English Bible Blog tour. During the next two months I will mostly be using the Common English Bible (CEB) on my blog posts. Let’s check out this fresh new Bible translation!
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Image courtesy of John Silver. Linking up today with What’s on Your Heart Tuesdays &Soli Deo Gloria & One Word at a Time: Fresh Blog Carnival.
