Be strong and courageous

Ecclesiastes 7:20  Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

There is a country music song made popular a few years back, by Mac Davis, titled “Lord it’s hard to be humble.” The song is about a conceited person who thinks they are perfect in every way. Have you ever run into someone who thought they were perfect?

 The plain cold hard facts are, no one on this planet is perfect. We are flawed, broken, imperfect beings. We are prone to failure on a regular basis. We strive for perfection in the machinery we design and build, yet know that we are incapable of perfection ourselves. We may try to lead perfect, sinless lives. We may struggle with our frailties. We may be driven to despair from our inability to improve to any level closer to perfection. But we are just plain broken. When we accept our weakness, we are finally able to accept the strength of God within our lives. When we minimize our selves, God the Father can fill what we are lacking. Ecclesiastes 7:20 is just how it is. Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.  And when we accept our weakness, we can embrace the strength that flows out from God the Father, Jesus His Son, and the Holy Spirit. When we have the faith we need, given to us by God, we are strengthened beyond human comprehension. The faith of a mustard seed is an example from the New Testament to move the proverbial mountain. And for the person with faith, the words of Joshua 1:9 are embraced. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

We may be flawed, weak and imperfect, but we need to be frightened. The Lord God is our strength in our weakness and He is with us wherever we go.

PRAYER:  Father we are often frightened by what we know or understand. We are often afraid to try for fear of failing or being hurt. We seek Your strength and comfort. We long to be courageous to face the challenges of our world that only You can overcome. We offer this prayer of hope in the name of Jesus who is our hope and our salvation, Amen.