Strengthening Exercise: Pick Up Your Bible
...My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:9
My sister and I recently visited Zion National Park with the intention of hiking the easier trails. (We aren’t quite as agile as we used to be.) As we hiked one trail, we were surprised at its steepness and difficulty. We figured the hardest part of the trail must be at the beginning.
As we pressed on, a woman coming down the trail passed us, red faced and weary. She smiled and said, “You can do it!” That’s when my sister questioned a nearby hiker and discovered we were on the wrong trail. I later learned the trail we were on is listed as one of the most dangerous hikes in the world!
Hiking a difficult trail requires physical training for strength to climb. But the reward is worth the effort--you are enabled to reach the heights and take in breathtaking views. Even as physical exercise builds strength, so exercising our minds helps build spiritual strength. Studying God’s word and meditating upon it is a vital exercise for every believer. It strengthens us by embedding Christ’s unequaled ways and character into our hearts and minds.
How diligently are you studying scripture so you can increasingly know Jesus Christ and grow in spiritual strength?
The apostle Paul pursued a life-long goal of knowing Jesus. Therefore, when he experienced weakness, he was able to say, ...when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). Because of Paul’s deep relationship with Christ, he personally experienced the Lord’s perfect power.
As you study the Bible, you learn of the Lord’s all-sufficient character. As you abide in Jesus, you experience His character in each life situation. In weakness, you experience His power. In grief, His comfort. In storms, His peace. You come to know through experience that His grace and character are abundantly sufficient for you!
Lord, give us a hunger to know you more fully. Give us diligence to study scripture, and use it to strengthen us daily.
Jan Burkhart
