The Source of Our Strength

 

The Source of Our Strength

Scripture Readings (NLT)

1 Corinthians 10:24

"Don't be concerned for your own good but for the good of others."

Ephesians 3:17-19

"Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God."

Psalm 37:3, 5

"Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper."

"Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you."

The Source of Our Strength

It is easy to love others when life is going well. It is much harder to be selfless when we are exhausted, discouraged, hurting, or overwhelmed. Left to our own human strength, looking out for the good of others before ourselves feels nearly impossible. Our sinful nature naturally pulls us toward self-preservation, self-promotion, and self-gratification.

Many of us know what happens when we spend our lives serving our own desires. We chase what we think will make us happy. We seek comfort, control, recognition, security, or pleasure. Yet no matter how much we gain, there is still an emptiness that remains. The more we focus on ourselves, the smaller our world becomes. We become consumed by our own struggles, disappointments, and fears. Relationships suffer. Compassion fades. Hope grows dim.

Ross and I have experienced seasons like that ourselves. There were times when our focus was on surviving our circumstances, carrying our burdens, and trying to solve every problem through our own strength. The weight of life felt heavy. Fear, frustration, and disappointment often took center stage. When we looked only at ourselves and our situation, our faith weakened and our ability to see the needs of others diminished.

But God, in His mercy, did not leave us there.

Through Jesus Christ, He restored what sin had damaged. Christ drew us back to our Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He reminded us that our identity is not found in our failures, our fears, or our circumstances, but in His love. As our roots began to grow deeper into Christ, something beautiful happened. We found our faith growing stronger. We found peace where anxiety once ruled. We found purpose where hopelessness had lived.

Most importantly, God reopened our eyes to the hurting people around us.

The very pain we once carried became a bridge to understanding others. The struggles that once consumed us became opportunities to encourage someone else. We began to see people not as interruptions to our lives but as souls loved by God. Christ transformed our wounds into compassion and our trials into testimonies.

Paul describes this beautifully in Ephesians. He prays that we would be rooted and established in God's love. Picture a mighty oak tree. Its branches provide shade, shelter, and protection to everything around it. Yet the secret of its strength is hidden beneath the surface. Its roots run deep.

The same is true for us.

If our roots are planted in our circumstances, we will be shaken. If our roots are planted in our own abilities, we will eventually become exhausted. But when our roots grow deep into the love of Christ, we draw from an endless source of strength.

Jesus never asks us to manufacture love on our own. He fills us with His love so that it overflows into the lives of others. Selflessness is not the result of trying harder; it is the result of trusting deeper.

Psalm 37 reminds us to trust in the Lord and do good. We can serve others because we know God is caring for us. We can give grace because we have received grace. We can show compassion because Christ has shown compassion to us. We can love because He first loved us.

When we are rooted in Christ, we no longer live merely for ourselves. We become living examples of God's love, extending His mercy, encouragement, and hope to a world that desperately needs Him.

The deeper our roots grow into Christ, the greater the fruit of His love becomes in our lives.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your unfailing love and faithfulness. Forgive us for the times we have focused more on ourselves than on You and the people You have placed in our lives. Forgive us for trusting our own strength instead of depending on Yours.

Lord Jesus, thank You for restoring us to the Father and for filling our hearts with Your love. Root us deeply in Your truth and Your grace. Help us to understand more fully the width, length, height, and depth of Your incredible love.

Holy Spirit, strengthen us each day. Open our eyes to the needs of those around us. Use our experiences, our struggles, and our victories to encourage others who are hurting. Teach us to serve selflessly, love generously, and trust completely in You.

May our lives reflect the goodness of our Triune God. Let Your love overflow from us so that others may see Jesus in everything we do.

In the mighty name of Jesus we pray,

Amen.

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

forever and ever.

Amen.

BELIEVE, OBEY, BE BLESSED, AMEN.

BOBBA