Tag: resources

All the Powers of the Universe Form Within Us When We Receive Christ as Our Savior

Luke 1:35
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

Just as the Blessed Virgin Mary had the Son of God placed in her womb when the Holy Spirit came upon her, the Son of God is placed within each of us by the power of the Holy Spirit when we receive Jesus as Our Savior. Just as Mary carried Jesus Christ alive in her body, we carry Jesus as a living fount of holiness, righteousness, loving kindness, mercy and forgiveness. All that He is and all the powers of the universe have been formed within us.

If we had any natural resource of such incredible value within us, would we ever allow our attentions to be diverted from this precious resource? Would we ever hesitate to share the fruits of our resource with the world around us? Would we ever put aside for even a moment the thought of the magnificent power that we held?

Let us not overlook the power that dwells within us. Let us recognize and proclaim Christ Jesus. Let us strive to have His nature within us be as real and as fruitful as the seed received by the Virgin Mary.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son to be the fruit of the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We bless the name of Jesus as we rejoice in His presence within us. We pray, Father, that we will never set Jesus aside. We ask that the Holy Spirit aid us in allowing Jesus to pour His life into ours every single moment that we live and breath. May we clamor for His attention. May our holy communion with Our Savior lead others to be drawn to Him. We ask all these things in the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

God Uses the Obedient Ones to Serve Him in Unimaginable Ways

Judges 3:31
After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel.

For most of us, Shamgar is another one of the Bible characters that goes by mostly unnoticed. It is so easy to breeze right by Shamgar when reading in Judges. Today’s passage and one brief mention in Judges 6 contain all that the Bible reveals about Shamgar. But God’s inerrant Word wastes nothing. Every person mentioned in the Holy Scripture is worthy of study. So it is with Shamgar.

Shamgar was in a line of judges who served Israel. Some of the judges were disobedient to God, bringing defeat and misery upon the Israelites. Some of the judges were obedient to God, bringing victory and peace upon the Israelites. Shamgar was an obedient judge. We know that because he saved Israel from their enemies.

We can surmise a few things about Shamgar that should be inspiring to us. He was probably a simple man, a farmer (as implied by his use of the oxgoad as his weapon). Because he was obedient to God, he was given the supernatural power to slay the Philistines using his cattle prod.

God used Shamgar to save the nation of Israel from the Philistines. God is not limited by our abilities nor our resources. He delights in using the obedient to orchestrate His will on earth. He is waiting to use us.

Let us surrender all that we are and all that we have to Almighty God. Let us come to serve Him in ways that we cannot even imagine.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for revealing to us in Your Holy Word how You use your obedient children to carry out Your plans on this earth. We rejoice in knowing that You will release Your supernatural power through anyone of us as we surrender to Your calling on our lives. We exalt the name of Jesus who has made us worthy to serve You. We pray, Father, that Your Holy Spirit will inspire us to join You in Your work on earth. We pray that You will provide the grace and strength that we need to gain the victory that You have set aside for us. We ask all these things in the name of Our Omnipotent King, Jesus Christ.

Humble Yourself Before Jesus and Open the Way to His Perfecting Work in You

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

At times, we all experience things in our lives that make us feel like we are not strong enough to overcome. At times, we all are tempted in such a way that it feels like we are near faltering. Rejoice!! We are in the perfect position to have Jesus provide all that we need for victory. He is just waiting for us to recognize our weakness and call on Him to draw on His resources.

The apostle Paul was told by Jesus that Jesus’ strength was sufficient for all of Paul’s needs. Jesus emphasized to Paul that His power was made perfect in Paul’s weakness. Paul recognized this truth and leaned upon it through all of his trials. He became the most prolific writer in the bible and led the way of evangelizing the gentile world to Christianity.

When we come to recognize that there is nothing in us that is worthy without Jesus Christ, we open the way for His perfecting work in our lives. When we humble ourselves before Our Savior, we build on our relationship with the One who seeks to perfect us. Through it all, in spite of our weaknesses, the evidence of His presence in our lives becomes visible for all to see. We must be ever mindful that it is not about the work that we do for ourselves. It is about the relationship we have with Jesus that releases victory in our lives.

Let us surrender to Our Savior King. Let us present our weaknesses to Him so that He may perfect His strengths in our lives. Let us become living testimonies to His power.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the grace that You pour into our lives through Your Son, Jesus. We seek the power of Your grace in our lives. We ask forgiveness for the times that we by-passed Your grace in order to operate out of our own perceived strength. We pray that Holy Spirit will aid us in leaning on You for all of our needs and guiding us in all that we do. May Your strength be perfected in our weakness. We ask all these things in the name of the Strength of the Needy, Jesus Christ.