ENDURING STRENGTH
Today’s Scripture: “’And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” Mark 12:30, ESV
Theme: Loving God with all your strength means choosing to do and live as you know is right, because you love God.
ONLY TWO BELIEVED THE PROMISE
Six-to-one odds. Those may be the odds against you as you seek to passionately follow Jesus. When we look at the story of Joshua and Caleb in the Old Testament, we see that Moses sent out a party of twelve men to check out the Promised Land. (You can read the story in Numbers, Chapters 13-14.) Out of the twelve men, only Caleb and Joshua came back encouraging Moses and the Israelites to fearlessly invade and take the country that God had promised them.
Odds are that you will face opposition when you seek to whole-heartedly, passionately, follow Jesus. You will face opposition from people and from a world that denies God’s existence. Even well-meaning people close to you may counsel you to avoid doing anything too radical.
INTEGRITY
Yet, the Bible tells us that we should let our passion for God carry over into our everyday activities. That is, if we are passionately following Jesus, we will be diligent in our work—honest, trustworthy, making good use of our resources. We’ll tally up the cash drawer accurately, even if the camera is turned off. We won’t be the ones the boss has to worry about stealing company property or cheating on an expense report. Jesus-followers are the ones that can be trusted to do the right thing, no matter who’s watching. Like Caleb and Joshua, your actions and encouraging words will show that you believe God is real and that He is to be obeyed.
ENDURING STRENGTH
Did you know that even when Caleb was an old man, he was strong—strong as he was as the bold, young spy. The Bible says it was because “he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel.” Joshua and Caleb both used their youth and their strength to serve God, Who in turn blessed them with more strength and long life.
Make it Personal: When we pour our strength into following God whole-heartedly, we are witnesses to the world of the change that God has made in our hearts. Where are you setting an example in your sphere of influence? Where do you need to wholly follow?
Pray: Lord, grant me strength to stay the course. Give me courage to commit to all You have put before me. Give me moral strength, and the ability to fight peer pressure. Protect me from the temptations of Satan and help me overcome in the spiritual war around me. Thank You for the witness of Your followers down through the ages. Help me to be strong today, even in the face of opposition. May it be, O Father, that today Your love will show through me! Amen.
Read: Joshua 14:6-14; Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Timothy 1:7
Weekly Memory Verse: “Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”’” Mark 12:29-30, ESV