Strength Tag

December 27, 2015

Three Levels of Love, part 2

Here’s a sad thing about America. It’s okay to be passionate about anything except God. You can be passionate about movies; thousands dressed up in Star Wars costumes to watch the latest movie in the series. You can be passionate about sports; millions of Americans wear the jerseys and caps of their favorite college or professional teams. You can be passionate about politics; and that will be dominating the news for the next eleven months. You can be passionate about cooking, about exercise, about fashion, or about your hobby. But to be passionate about God—that’s a no-no in America. People will call you a fanatic, a nut case.

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October 27, 2013

Standing Firm in an Unstable World

You’ve heard the expression, “Don’t just STAND there, DO something.” But we can turn that around when it comes to the Christian life. “Don’t just DO something; STAND there.” Because the Christian life doesn’t start with action, it starts with conviction and belief—standing on truth. That truth always leads to action, but first we must stand firm on what we believe. As Martin Luther said when he was charged as a heretic by the Catholic Church, “Here we stand. We do no other. God help us.” Someone said that if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.

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November 27, 2011

Are You Wired for 220?

Christ in you changes your life. This is only a cup of hot water, but when I drop this tea bag in it, it changes the color and the nature of the water. For the water to exist now is for tea to exist. If the water could talk it might say, “It is no longer I (water) but tea lives in me.” Not many people drink hot water—there isn’t much taste there. But water turned into tea becomes a delicious drink. The tea adds value. Even so, in the Christian life, Christ in you changes your nature. He changes your life from being bland and boring to be exciting and thrilling.

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January 21, 2007

I’ll Be Meek Without Being Weak

Meekness is strength under control. In the same way God wants to lovingly break you and put you under His authority. He wants to make you sensitive to His leadership; ready at any time to respond to the commands of your Master. Rather than following your own will, you are following the will of God. As you consider your level of meekness, simply answer this question: Have you allowed god to break your stubborn will?

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July 19, 1998

A Foretaste of Glory Divine

I admire women and men who can take a piece of fabric, put it down on a table, and then can take a dress pattern and put the pattern down on the fabric and cut out along the dotted lines, and then sew it together, and have a beautiful garment. That’s a miracle to me! I want you to know that I could never do that. What God is saying, “Upon the fabric of human suffering, I have superimposed my Biblical pattern, and if you will understand what I am trying to do, the result will be something beautiful if you just don’t mess it up.”

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