Food 4 Thought: Strength
July: Strength | June: Health | May: Spiritual Gifts | April: Sacrifice | March: Leadership
Each month the Men's Department of Holiness Tabernacle Church Of God In Christ has been given a theme to meditate on and the Food 4 Thought section will focus on each monthly theme. We believe that our responsibility is to Provide, Protect, Prevent and Procreate and the Food 4 Thought section will consist of articles that will encourage you to think, encourage you to grow, encourage you to act and encourage each man to be productive members of the Church and society.
Strength
When we hear the word strength, our minds often go to how physically strong someone may be. Even Webster agrees and first defines strength as the quality or state of being strong, continuing with bodily or muscular power. Society seems to agree with this definition through its obsession with appearance and attractiveness. An article by the same name, however, explains how there are men that appear to be really strong because of their large muscles, but can only lift an average amount of weight. At the same time, there are some men that are small in stature, but can lift their body weight plus, very easily. I thought this concept would be applicable to the Holiness Tabernacle Men’s Department as we focus on strength.
Strength or some variety of strength appears in the Bible 307 times. Some references speak to the physical definition of strength, especially those dealing with Samson, but many refer to the strength that is found in God. This is evident in the first chapter of Joshua, where the Lord emphasizes to Joshua after the death of Moses to “be strong and of good courage” in verses six, seven and nine. The focus is the strength that would come by trusting in God and His promises towards the children of Israel. We as men of God should rely on Him first for everything no matter how big or how small. In Nehemiah 8:10b we know that “the joy of the Lord is [our] strength.” As we seek God and follow after His will for our lives, it increases our strength to stand in spite of what we are faced with and increases our joy.
Our strength is rooted in the Lord and His Word. Psalm 28:7-8 tells us, “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. 8 The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.” We can look like strong men and be without God or we can be strong men and know we have strength by being with God. The choice is really up to each one of us. Choose you this day whom you will serve. Will it be God or man? Would you rather be physically strong or strong in God? Never take your strength in God for granted because we see what His strength can do – just look at the testimonies of David against Goliath, Elijah on Mt. Carmel and Joshua at Jericho.
Here are some ways to increase your strength:
- Pray: The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16b)
- Fast: Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. (Matthew 17:21)
- Praise the Lord: But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. (Psalm 22:3)
- Attend Church Regularly: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20) Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25)
- Have Faith: And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. (Luke 17:6)
- Show Love: And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Becoming stronger takes work whether it is physical, mental and spiritual. The real question is: are you willing to put the work in to do so? Men of HTC, get more of God and gain the strength to make the difference in the world around us. Your true strength lies in the Lord and that’s Food For Thought!!