Skip to main content

Don't Waste Your Strength!

In my previous post, I wrote about “sound” words.  Those are words that are solid, firm, reliable and stable.  They are also free from error and are based on thorough knowledge and experience.  But it’s not enough to just define what they mean, it’s also crucial to determine their source.

The sound words that are sound in every way come from Jesus:  “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness,” (1 Tim 6:3)

Prior to the post about “sound words”, I wrote about words that are not “idle” words.  These not “idle” words are mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy:  “They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” (Deut 32:47)

Such words, as other translations put it, give life and they mean life for us.

In this post, I want to focus on one aspect of what sound words and words that are not idle words can do.  Again, in going to the book of Deuteronomy, we find this:  “Soon you will cross the Jordan River, and if you obey the laws and teachings I'm giving you today, you will be strong enough to conquer the land.”  (Deut 11:8)

Many versions translate the laws and teachings as commands or commandments.  As for “you will be strong enough”, here is how other versions translate that phrase:

  • that you may be strong
  • so that you may have the strength
  • so that you stay strong
  • then you will be strong

 

While the words themselves didn’t necessarily give strength, when the words were obeyed, it was then that strength was gained.  And yes, it must be acknowledged that we are not part of those to whom strength was gained in order to go in and conquer the land.  Yet obedience is still a hallmark of the Christian faith..

And, to give an example of how important it is, we can look at it from an opposite perspective.  That is, what could possibly happen to our strength when we are not obedient to God’s words?  David gives us some insight into this when he wrote about what he experienced: 

“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.  For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.  I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” (Ps 32:1-5)

When David disobeyed and kept silent about it, his strength was dried up.  When he finally acknowledged his sin and confessed it, he was forgiven.  And not only that, He also entered into God’s blessings.

So while we likely won’t get strength in our day to go in and conquer the land promised to Israel, we can still experience our strength being dried up when we disobey His commands.  And I don’t know about you, but I would prefer to not go about life with my strength being constantly dried up!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Excel Still More!

To excel, according to some of the meanings from a few dictionaries, is to surpass others, do extremely well, outdo, do something better than anyone else. In 1 Thessalonians 4:1, we find the phrase “excel still more”.   It prompts the question:  if we are already doing something better than anyone else, why would we be encouraged to do even more? Perhaps it would be helpful to see the wording that other translations use for “excel still more” to see why we would be encouraged to do so.  Here is a sampling: • abound more and more • to keep doing so more and more • but try even harder • live that way more and more. • that you progress even more. • that you increase more and more in how you ought to walk Maybe it would also be helpful to see some other verses where the word “excel” is used: “Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which when translated means Dorcas); this woman was excelling in acts of kindness and charity which she did habitually.”...
Post a Comment
Read more

Value Proposition

Value proposition:  it’s a marketing statement that summarizes why a consumer should buy a product or use a service.  It should clearly and concisely communicate what customers can gain from selecting a particular brand over that of its competitors. In a value proposition, you don’t want your product to be viewed as being worth less than what your competitors offer.   But even worse, in a bit of a quirk of how letters and spaces can fall, if you take out the space between “worth” and “less”, you get “worthless”, which means something of no value.   If that word is used in conjunction with how your product is viewed by customers, it’s a word that will likely kill your brand. In the book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul, in a sense, communicated some value propositions. In chapter three, he starts off with describing the value of some things that many considered as extremely valuable in that day and age.   They had to do with status and achievement in the reli...
Post a Comment
Read more

Can't Get No Satisfaction

One of the songs that were popular in my youth was not particularly upbeat or helpful but it probably did express some of the angst of my generation.  It was not one that particularly resonated with me but as I recently read the book of Haggai, it did come to mind, well, at least some of the lyrics did.  It was the Rolling Stones song with the lyrics “I can’t get no satisfaction”.  Take a look at the chorus of that bleak song:   I can't get no satisfaction; I can't get no satisfaction; Gonna try and I try and I try and I try; I can't get no - I can't get no –   Now take a look at Haggai 1:6 – “ You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” It sure sounds like the people of Judah couldn’t get any satisfaction with the things of life that normally should have brought some type of s...
Post a Comment
Read more