I’M JUST SO TIRED

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint.”- ISAIAH 40:31

Have you ever wanted to lose weight, but weight just does not want to lose you? You find your running shoes from three years ago, dust them off and step outside, do 2.7 seconds of stretching, and off you go. You are jogging. But when you make it to the end of the block, you can’t breathe and are an excellent candidate for a heart attack. You promise to never do this again and limp home.

“I’m just so tired” is my number one excuse to not work out. I just worked ten hours at my job, the kids have soccer practice, dinner needs to be fixed, and my spouse needs attention. Clothes need to be folded, dishes need to be washed, and something needs to be repaired. I’m just so tired. I say this constantly.

God doesn’t advertise energy drink, coffee, essential oils, yoga, or whatever it is people turn to first to get their energy fix. He is crystal clear… “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength…they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not get faint.”

God is here for you 24/7/365. He never takes a lunch, a break, or a holiday. He will carry you when you are tired and give you strength when you ask. He will not let you down. But you have to trust Him, and that’s the first part of the verse that most people forget about.

Heavenly Father, you said if I trust you that you would give me new strength. Help me to trust you with every fiber of my being. I need the strength to finish the good work that you assigned me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Go Deeper — List 3 areas in your life that you would like to trust God with more. Pray and meditate on those 3 things daily for a week and ask God for guidance and wisdom on how you can make the next step to trust more.

Walking God’s Way

The Holy Spirit will transform us—from the inside out.

Galatians 5:22-23

Who doesn’t enjoy accomplishments? Most of us like being recognized for our achievements, whether it’s landing a big client at work, winning the chili cook-off, or training a baby to sleep all night. These are all good things, but God’s purpose for us is so much deeper. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that our character is important to God. That’s why He instructs us to walk by the Spirit, so that the deeds of the flesh are replaced with God’s attributes.

• Love is the foundation for all other virtues. We cultivate it by embracing God’s unconditional love for us.
• Joy is contentment regardless of our circumstances.
• Peace comes from trusting God and surrendering to Him.
• Patience is developed by trusting God’s perfect timing.
• Kindness is God’s compassion reflected to others.
• Goodness occurs as we mirror His righteousness and justice.
• Faithfulness means we are steadfast and trustworthy.
• Gentleness comes when we approach others with humility.
• Self-control requires us to exercise restraint and rely on the Holy Spirit’s strength.

 Growing in these virtues makes us more Christlike and testifies to God’s transformative work in our life. And that’s an accomplishment worth celebrating.

Christ’s Precious Wounds

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a lamb standing, as though it had been slain.

Revelation 5:6

Why should our exalted Lord appear in glory with His wounds? The wounds of Jesus are His glories, His jewels, His sacred ornaments. To the eye of the believer, Jesus is altogether lovely. We see Him as the lily of matchless purity, and as the rose crimsoned with His own blood. We behold the beauty of Christ in all His earthly pilgrimage, but there never was such matchless beauty as when He hung upon the cross. There we saw all His beauties in perfection, all His attributes developed, all His love drawn out, all His character expressed.

Beloved, the wounds of Jesus are far fairer in our eyes than all the splendor and pomp of kings. The thorny crown is more than an imperial diadem. It is true that He no longer bears the scepter of reed, but there was even in that ignominy a glory that never flashed from a scepter of gold. Jesus wears the appearance of a slain Lamb as His royal dress in which He wooed our souls and redeemed them by His complete atonement. And these are not only the ornaments of Christ: They are the trophies of His love and of His victory. He has divided the spoil with the strong. He has redeemed for Himself a great multitude that no one can count, and these scars are the memorials of the fight. If Christ loves to retain the thought of His sufferings for His people, then how precious should his wounds be to us!

Behold how every wound of His
A precious balm distils,
Which heals the scars that sin had made,
And cures all mortal ills.
Those wounds are mouths that preach His grace,
The ensigns of His love;
The seals of our expected bliss
In paradise above.