EXTRA ENERGY WHEN WE NEED IT
I came home from work and went out to water the flowers and throw the ball for Peanut. As I was getting ready to come in, it hit me that tomorrow is the garbage day when they pick up extra stuff –OHHH NOOO! I desperately needed to put out as many of the pruned, cut branches I could, but I was pretty sure I didn’t have an ounce of extra energy to do it. I turned toward the door to go inside but looked around at the pile of branches and the empty garbage cans, and I made the decision just to start.
Partway through I heard myself saying, “Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Lord,” and I kept going until I stuffed as many branches into those cans as I could. Putting cut branches in the garbage cans may sound like a trivial task, but to me it was important. To God, all things we do are important.
Have you ever noticed how you can think you have no energy to do a job, or you don’t want to do it at all, but if you make the decision just to start it, soon you feel like someone gave you a shot of supernatural adrenalin and you just keep at it till the job’s done? I think that’s the Lord. The Bible says He gives us strength.
In the book of Joel, the people were already working hard, but they also had a war on their hands. God said: “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, ‘I am strong’” (Joel 3:10). The Lord made sure they would win the battle as well as having a great harvest.
When we feel like we don’t accomplish as much as we’d like, many times it’s because we just don’t start. How much closer would we be to our goals if we’d started when we first intended to? It’s up to us to start. God can’t make us do anything against our own will. He’s given us freedom of will. When we start something, any project, anything that’s good for us, it’s up to us to start, but then the Lord, by way of the Holy Spirit in us, can energize our physical bodies (including our minds) to get the project done.
The truth of Philippians 4:13 is awesome: “I can do all things through Christ which strentheneth me.”
But we don’t have to do everything alone. Yes, we are responsible for deciding to start, but the Lord also provides help. When Moses went to battle, God told him he had to hold up his hand to have victory. But Moses got tired. When his arm began to droop because he couldn’t hold it up for an extended period, he got two others to help him, and they won the battle.
“And Moses said unto Joshua, ‘Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.’ And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
So Joshua destroyed the Amalekite army with swords. And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘Write this for a memorial in a book,’” (Ex. 17:9,11-14).
Sometimes at work, I’ll take on a difficult-looking faux finish. I get it started, but if I’m having a hard time, I’m not ashamed to ask for help, and the girls jump in, and we get it done.
Let’s take notice of those times when the Lord gives us extra energy for ourselves, or extra help from others and remember to thank Him.
Love, Carolyn
CHECK OUT MY BOOKS AND BOOKLETS ON:
No comments:
Post a Comment