Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
Joshua 1:9
![]() I was trying to decide what to write for this post this week when I bounced up on an interesting video about inmates saving the life of an officer. It seems the officer was on duty when he started feeling unwell. The inmates were locked in their cells upstairs and no other officer was nearby. Some of the inmates were able to see the officer at his station and noticed that he took off his hat, which he never did, and started fanning himself. They then observed when he fell unconscious. They started screaming his name, trying to revive him. By this time of course all the inmates, even those who could not see him from where they were, realized something was wrong. They continued shouting his name until finally he revived, and although in a semi-conscious state, he was able to press the control to open their cell. They rushed down the stairs to his assistance and were able to call for help. What I found interesting was the care and concern of these men for this officer on duty. They could have ignored him but they didn’t. When interviewed they spoke about his kind and friendly attitude towards them. It was this that prompted them to be willing to rush to his assistance because they knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would do the same for them. I was moved by this video to see the good there is in each of us but I see God in this as well. God could have allowed that deputy to become ill by himself somewhere with no one around to help him, but He didn’t. He allowed him to fall into that situation in an environment where He knew he would get help because of the kind of seeds he had planted there – seeds of love and kindness. God made sure that he would be taken care of. I don’t know whether or not the officer is a child of God, but we see God’s mercy and grace extended. How many of us can look back and see God’s mercy and grace extended in our own lives – especially when we know we didn’t deserve it? At the end of the day, the one thing that comes to my mind is this ... it’s all about Him. It’s all about His mercy, His grace, His love, His salvation extended to us whether we deserve it or not. If it were about us I’m afraid many of us, myself included, know full well that we would be in trouble. Yet, God doesn’t depend on our love for Him or on all the good things we do. His love, care and concern are about who He is NOT who we are. I think about David. He did some good things: he killed Goliath, he was a man after God’s heart, He was a worshipper, yet, he committed adultery and murder in almost the same breath and only came clean because he was caught! He didn’t always handle his family situations very well and this almost cost him his throne later on in his life. Yet, God loved him, covered him, blessed him and did not hold his shortcomings against him. I think we can all think about times we know we fell short and yet God was still there for us – and we didn’t even deserve it. The verse that comes to my mind is this: “My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9a). His grace, His undeserved favor, is sufficient. There is nothing I can do to deserve it, it’s all about Him. There’s nothing I can do either to stop it, it’s all about Him. My weakness does not turn Him off, it doesn’t chase Him away. In fact, my weakness, I guess, is what causes His grace to shine more. His strength, in fact, is perfected through my weakness. I don’t have to have it all together, I don’t even have to do everything perfect. My weaknesses, inabilities, insecurities, sin, are what gives Him the opportunity to be God in my life. Actually, I wouldn’t need Him, if my life was perfect, none of us would. I would be self-sufficient, totally capable of handling myself on my own. Mind you, this is not an opportunity here to embrace and excuse sin, but rather the opportunity to hold on to the God who just does not let go of us. It is all about Him and if you don’t have a personal relationship with Him I encourage you to invite Him into your life. The God of the universe wants a relationship with you, He wants you to come as you are and whatever needs fixing He’ll help you with it. And for those who already have that relationship with Him, I encourage you not to give up on Him. He has been too good, too faithful, too merciful for you to turn your back on Him. Allow Him to continue loving you even when you don’t feel you deserve it because in His eyes NOTHING can separate you from His love for you (Romans 8:35, 38-39).
1 Comment
Annie brebnor
20/2/2021 04:58:45 pm
So true...God is not so much impressed by our show of strength but rather our willingness to be weak so His strength is perfected..#notaboutme
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February 2025
AuthorThis blog provides inspirational nuggets inspired by the Word of God and serves to encourage and motivate Christians in their Christian walk. |