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| Something to consider.... |
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When we are faced with a new challenge there are always lots of things to consider…. time, resources, other commitments and repercussions, to name but a few. But highest on our list is often the question as to whether we are up to it; do I have the necessary abilities – the physical stamina, the intellectual prowess, specific talents etc. It’s natural of course to think this way, but actually when God asks us to do something he doesn’t want to know whether we are ‘up to it’ (because invariably we aren’t!) but whether we are ‘up for it’ – which is a totally different consideration. God seldom seems to call us to do what is easy, convenient and possible; rather he calls us to do what seems difficult, inconvenient and impossible… which is why we need faith; which is why we need HIM. In Genesis we read how God called Abram to leave Mesopotamia , to walk the length and breadth of a new land (later Israel) and there to become the ‘Father of a great nation.’ Physically Abram wasn’t ‘up to it’ – he was already 80 years old and impotent. We tend to major on this – his inability to father children – but at 61 a ten mile hike seems daunting enough to me, let alone a call to walk, and keep on walking, throughout an entire nation! But although Abram wasn’t ‘up to it’ he was certainly ‘up for it! By faith he obeyed God and set off on the journey of a lifetime. Romans 4:19 tells us that he ‘did not weaken in faith when he considered own his body, which was as good as dead (he was 100 after all!) or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.’ No, both he and Sarah had something else to consider which overrode every other argument. Hebrews 11:11 records this beautifully: ‘Sarah received power to conceive…. Because she considered him faithful who had promised’. That’s the secret! It all boils down to what you consider. Hebrews 3:1 exhorts us to ‘consider Jesus.’ This principle is relevant to every aspect of our Christian walk, but briefly let me home in on this matter of seeking to have a Spirit-controlled appetite and regulating our weight so as to experience optimum health in our bodies. I know that many of you have tried many, many times to gain victory in this area and even with the Stop Dieting~ Start Living course you may have been less successful than you had hoped. It’s difficult under such circumstances to pick yourself up and carry on. ‘Better not to even try than to face another failure’ is the spurious logic we use. We consider our track record; we consider our aging and ever-expanding bodies with their weakening muscle-tone and gravitational sagging; we consider our weak will and the overwhelming odds which come against us, emotionally and physically, and we give up. Well don’t! Consider something else: Consider Jesus – He is your High Priest ever interceding for you; He is your strength in weakness; He is your Rock and salvation; He is all-powerful and nothing is too difficult for Him. If He can move mountains, then He can certainly help you to shift a few extra pounds! Consider Him faithful who has promised. So, are you up for it? Then go for it – and the great God who is able to keep us from falling be with you. |
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