Hope

Finding Joy…and Strength

As a college professor, the start of a new semester can sometimes sneak up on you. I imagine it’s the same for the students as well as for anyone who has a “break” and then has to get back to the normal routine of things. As I prepare for the new year, there are times when the amount of things that have to get done seemingly exceeds the amount of time that I have to do them. Staying up later and getting up earlier in order to accomplish those things tends to exacerbate the feelings of exhaustion and being overwhelmed. It’s a hard adjustment to make.

However, as I have been reminded of recently, my source of strength isn’t in the amount of sleep I get (although I do need sleep) or in my ability to cross things off my to-do list. Instead, as Scripture says, “the joy of the Lord is my strength” (Nehemiah 8:10b). Strength comes from rejoicing in what He is accomplishing, not what I’m doing. Strength comes in finding joy in Who He is, not who I am.

The beautiful thing about this is that God is never changing;  He is Who He is – always. Additionally, God is always at work for His purposes. What this means is that there are always reasons to rejoice. There is never a time that I can’t find joy in Him, which means there is never a time that I can’t find strength.

God tells us that He will renew the strength of those who hope in Him –  so much so that it will be as if they are on the wings of eagles. When we find our joy in Him, when He is our source of satisfaction, we may be tired, but He will help us run like young men. He will give us what we need to persevere – joyfully and in His strength.

 

How can you find joy in the Lord today?

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Growth

Mission Accomplished

The start of another year. It’s a time for goals to be made as well as hypotheses for how long it will take us to achieve them. These goals not only help us mark our progress but help us to know when we have completed what we set out to do. They are a way to identify success – to know that the sacrifices that we made, the time we invested, was worth it.

This inclination to measure progress is not unique to secular pursuits. Churches may set goals in regards to attendance or new memberships. Individuals may have aspirations in regards to the time that they will spend reading the Bible or memorizing His Word. We  may set good and beneficial goals for ourselves that will further our understanding of Who God is and deepen our relationship with Him. The problem arises when we think these goals are the end; when we think achieving them means that we have arrived. For the Christian, there is no earthly achievement that marks the pinnacle of our walk with Christ. This comes when Christ calls us Home.

Years ago, President George W. Bush found himself in a public relations nightmare when he stood on an aircraft carrier with a “Mission Accomplished’ banner hanging in the background. Time would demonstrate that success hadn’t been achieved in Iraq and in fact that the war would wage for years to come. We face a similar problem when we think achievement of the goals that we set here completes what God has given us to do. If we are still on this Earth, then there is still more that He has for us. Our mission is only completed when we are in His presence. He, not our goals, decides when our work here is done.

So as we start a new year, let us make sure that we resolve to love more and work harder for the sake of God’s Kingdom. At the same time, if we are still here next year, let us remember that we haven’t accomplished all that God has for us, and let us run hard after Him, so that when our mission here is over, we can here Him say “Well done.”
What are your goals for the new year? How will you continue to run hard after Christ even if you “accomplish” what you’ve set out to do?

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