Our action is our service and our service is our strength.
~ Lisa Blair
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
I’ve read this scripture time and time again and I found new meaning in the phrase about strength after having studied the Book of James.
- We are to love the Lord with all our heart. There should be no doubt or division.
- We should love the Lord with all our soul. There should be no wavering.
- We should love the Lord with all our strength. There should be no weakness in how we serve the Lord, we should give every action our full effort, never be slack, or exhibit a waning of perseverance. We received our strength through God’s grace and should not treat it as if it is an albatross around our neck, an annoying burden.
The epiphany came when I read the word strength. I never really thought about strength in that way before. It’s amazing that as you read and study the Bible the Holy Spirit deepens your understanding of what God is saying and how He marries the Old Testament and New Testament; the OT being the prophetic base of the coming of Christ, and the NT being the fulfillment of the prophecy.
To further understand the scripture, let’s look at Deuteronomy 6:7, we are commanded to teach our children. Our children can include the extension of those within our realm of influence. Looking through the lens of the NT, we are instructed to share the Word with those around us in strength.
Biblestudytools.com offers 40+ encouragement and strength scriptures. I included several below.
Philippians 4:3
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
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.’
Gaining strength is an ongoing process that becomes more intentional throughout our walk. When we feel weak or fatigued, or feel that it is easier to circumvent a situation that calls for our input using the Word to generate the action or service, we must activate the strength God has so graciously given us. Strength is defined in the Online dictionary as, a good or beneficial quality or attribute of a person or thing. We are blessed with God’s attributes.
Remember, – God commanded us to be strong. We stay strong to exude joy and strength that comes from the Lord. Strength is observed through our actions, the way we demonstrate Christ’s virtues in our behaviors, and through sharing the Word, they are visible and invisible attributes. We are to be doers of the Word so others can draw near to the Lord.