Thursday, August 27, 2015

He Is Our Strength, Here and Now

"He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength." (Isaiah 40: 29)

Too many of us still try to make ourselves strong.



Yet even under the Old Covenant, God offered Himself to us to be our strength:

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him." (Psalm 28: 7)

and

" God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46: 1)

He is our strength and help right now.

Why can we say this with confidence today?

Jesus!

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation." (Isaiah 12: 2)

The name Jesus means "Salvation", and Jesus our salvation is our strength, because He is our life:

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)

and then:

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2: 20)

and also:

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ,who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 1-4)

Paul would later write to Timothy:

"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;" (1 Timothy 1: 12)

He would write to the Corinthians:

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15: 10)

Jesus is our strength, ,,for He is our life, and He is here and now working within us to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2: 13) causing us to work mightily for Him through Him (Colossians 1:27, 29)

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