Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.”

WILL IT EVER GET EASY?

I go to the gym just about every day. Now I am not bragging, believe me. It’s a matter of necessity. At my age I have found if I don’t exercise every day I quickly lose everything I have gained in stamina and strength. It seems the older I get the harder I have to work to maintain the level of fitness I desire. It’s hard work, and some days I just don’t want to go to the gym. Some days I give in to that urge to skip, but I always pay for it the next trip.

This verse in Ephesians encourages me though. Why? Because my spiritual strength does not depend on how hard I work at it. Sure, Bible study and prayer time is important for me to do, but the source of my strength is NOT my efforts. The source is God.

TEACHING MOMENT

How strong do you want your children to be spiritually? Most parents, if not all, want their children to have the spiritual strength to deal with life’s challenges. We must do our part to help them. We pray for them, read them His word and teach them to follow Him. But we cannot pass on to them our spiritual strength any more than we can pass on our physical strength. They have to rely on God for that.

In this verse for today, there are three different Greek words used for “strong,” “strength” and “might.” They each have a slightly different meaning. The first word has to do with the ability of strength, the second with the exercise of strength and the third with the innate character of strength. Don’t you want your kids to have all those? Then pray for them to know God fully and surrender their lives completely the strength of the Lord. Only He can pass that on to them.

Now, back to the gym I go!