Ought or Want

Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees.
(Heb 12:12)

Years ago, after running a marathon, my knees were so feeble that I had could hardly step over a curb and I had to be extremely careful going down stairs. They soon recovered. But, as the years go by, their strength is in decline. This is partly due to the natural effects of aging and partly due to my lack of consistent exercise.

If our spiritual knees are weak then we will not have the courage or ability to walk in the paths of the Lord. Physically, our strength comes from external resources and fuel. A health expert has said, 'Deep breathing alone has made many a weak man strong and many a sick man well.' Spiritually, our strength also comes from another resource, the Lord Himself. In our soul, we can inhale the truth and gradually replace our wrong ideas. By reading and meditating on God’s word to us, by praying and spiritually breathing in His spirit, we can strengthen our weak knees and feeble arms.

On the surface, personal Bible reading, meditation on God’s Word and prayer seem impotent. In addition, I’ve often been personally inconsistent. Yet, in spite of the inconsistency, this spiritual exercise has helped bring dramatic change that has fundamentally altered the direction of my life and of our family. As an example, most of our children owe their very lives to the results of the changes wrought by prayer. Many of them would not have even been conceived if my attitude toward children had not been changed by the Lord speaking through prayer, His spirit and His word..

Daily spiritual deep breathing will gradually and inevitably have a powerful effect. Then, by exercising our faith and actually doing something out of our comfort zone, we gain strength to take another step forward. Lack of consistent exercise is guaranteed to lead to weakness. Enter into training and discipline. Breathe deeply of Truth, Love and Life! By doing so, we get new ideas, fresh perspectives, and genuine strength to do what we ought instead of what we want.

Project:
Commit to new strength by committing to some spiritual discipline.
Take time to set your alarm earlier.
Prepare a place with a Bible, notebook and pencil.
Share your new commitment with someone else.