Find Your Strength in the Lord

We can find our strength in the Lord in three ways;
Through the talents he blesses us with,

Philipians 4: 13 “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” No matter the task that is set before us, we can, through our faith in the Lord, accomplish God’s work. Every talent that we possess is a gift from God. Skills that the Lord has given us can truly make a difference in this world. Even those skills that we may view as unimportant may make the difference in someone else’s life. The Lord provides us with the tools necessary to enrich his kingdom and lead others to His Word. It is our responsibility to use those gifts to the glory of our God. Through the Spirit, He provides us with the opportunities to perform His work in this world. Remember the Sunday school song, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!” This song reminds us that we need to share the gifts that the Lord has given us. It is not enough to just put your offering in the collection plate each Sunday. The Lord instructs us in the parable of the talents. Matthew 25:23 “His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.” Do not waste your talents by not sharing with those in need.

With His Word that strengthens us,

Psalm 23: 1 “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” We are the sheep of His flock. Our Lord protects us, provides for us, and nurtures us. But, the Lord does not want us to be the sheep that stand and are led to slaughter. 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5 “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” God gives us the tools to counter the arguments against the knowledge of God and to expose the faulty reasoning of those that would promote a false gospel. If we choose to dwell in His Word, God will give us the counsel required to speak out for Him. Matthew 10: 16, 32-33 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 32 Whoever publicly acknowledges me I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever publicly disowns me I will disown before my Father in heaven.” Our Lord has made it abundantly clear that, as Christians, we are expected to be faithful witnesses. A faithful witness is compelled to stand up for God’s Word, not sit back and be “on the fence” or “not get involved’. Many of God’s sheep are trapped within the ELCA and are being led away from Him. If we do not speak out against this false gospel of bound conscience, we acquiesce to that doctrine and are no better than someone who denies our Lord.

By His love which He shares with us and invites us to share with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Lord also charges us to love one another, Matthew 22:37-39 “Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love is a great responsibility. To love someone is to give oneself to them, place their needs before your own and to protect them above even yourself. If we truly wish to love one another, we need to support our brothers and sisters in Christ, not only with our prayers, but in action. Many sheep will be led down the easy path of destruction, by those invoking the terms tolerance, acceptance, and social justice that they use to fuel their ambitions in the secular world. It is not enough to stay true to our faith and remain an island within the ELCA.  As fellow children of God, it is our responsibility to help lead our brothers and sisters back to the narrow road that leads to salvation.