His Strength, not Mine

Good Tuesday morning! Yesterday I wished you a happy Halloween. Today, with much greater feeling, praise God it's over for another year! Late in the evening one in a veritable parade of little Scream ghosts came trudging up the sidewalk. Moving slowly, head down, obviously worn out, if they had used this one in the movies no one would have been frightened in the least bit. By that time I was dragging a bit myself. Just before that, one candy-grabber had commented how tired of walking he was, but I noticed that he had not stopped yet. This morning I had the thought that at the end of this life we should be in the same shape. Dragging slowly over the finish line, obviously worn out, but still going as long as any unsaved persons remain. We just cannot stop while we have life and breath left in our poor old bodies. Doesn't that just sound easier for kids to do?

As we get older, working to the point of exhaustion just seems to be so much less desirable. Nothing is worth that anymore, certainly not a bag of candy. The body doesn't recover as quickly; the pain in the joints seems like it will never heal. Praise God there are other ways to serve the Kingdom! If salvation for the unsaved depended upon a bunch of older Christians running two marathons each day, the unsaved persons would probably be doomed. Only in God's strength could any of us run one marathon tomorrow, much less two. Wait a minute... maybe that is the key, God's strength. We see how much God's strength is needed in that absurd example, and yet why do we think that our faltering weakness is the only thing that holds us to the narrow path to the promised land? Jesus doesn't walk beside us just for the conversation, ya know!

The only way to finish this race strong is in Christ. Your strength, my strength, it ain't gonna happen! We need to have the Holy Spirit in us, Jesus beside us, the hand of God upholding us to finish this race. You and me do not have it in us to finish or even go in the right direction when we depend only on our own strength. We need Jesus and we need Him all the time. Praise God that His strength is made glorious in my weakness, because I certainly have plenty of that!

Have a wonderful new day in Christ!

Bucky