II Chronicles 15:7 “Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.”
Previously, we learned from King Asa that seeking God takes work. We looked at the truth that weakness is only a problem if you are working. I have been to a few hospitals recently, and do you know what almost every patient (if he is alert and awake) is doing? Watching TV! In a sense, weakness isn’t a problem for him; weakness is a problem for the doctor and nurses who have been working twelve-hour shifts to care for him!
Time and trouble may make us weak, but why should we be strong? First, our history should encourage us to be strong. That is what happened in II Chronicles 15:2-6. God established a principle in verse 2, and then illustrates it in the next few verses. The principle in verse 2 is this: “The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.” King Asa and the people had a history of turning to the Lord in trouble, and “he was found of them.” (verse 4)
The same principle is true for us today. Haven’t you seen God work in your past? Sometimes when a “big thing” is coming up, I get “tunnel vision” and my vision is limited to just what is going to happen. Often I am reminded to remember how the Lord has provided, how He answered prayers specifically and perfectly, and how good He has been in the past. You can and should be strong today based on your history.
You can also be strong today because of God’s character. The verse this morning is a promise: “for your work shall be rewarded.” Our work will be rewarded, not by you or me, but by the very One who gives us the strength to do it! It is a win-win situation.
God does reward. Remember today that weakness is only a problem to those who are working. In spite of time or trouble, God is trustworthy to both strengthen and reward.
“Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.”
Prayer Requests:
1. Protection and provision for staff
2. Safety for churches traveling home tonight and tomorrow morning
3. Churches traveling to the Ranch this weekend from Iowa, Florida, Ohio, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, South Carolina, Alabama, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
Camp Quotes:
“What we need is always better than what we want.”
-Evangelist Jim Cook