Strengthen Yourself (In the Lord) – Do Anything – Seek Your Path – Know People

To be caught up. It is a goal I like to have, but rarely achieve without pushing something off the list. I have a short path for one aspect of my life today, so hopefully nothing stalls me out.

We are busy trying to help Big D decide where to go to college. It will be a long process, but we have been doing what we can to be ready for the application due dates and trips we can take before school starts. I marvel at the path with which I chose college. Especially how diligent I was about my class selections to prepare, my class selection while there, and my diligence in deciding on a graduate school. As I have noted before, I try to follow the path God has laid out before me and to “Seek Your Path”. I once had a phrase I liked along this theme. It was “Pray as if it is all up to God, but work like it is all up to you.” The idea being that if you are not putting in the effort, you might not find what God is really calling you to.

Do Anything is a reference to relying on God. If I tried to run a marathon right now, I would likely not make it. I have not trained, and I have some knee issues. If I had to start a new company, I would feel equally unprepared and find excuses. While God is unlikely to give me supernatural stamina to finish a marathon or heal my knees, there is no reason He could not provide me the resources necessary to make a new company succeed. The thing to do is to not try to do things in and of ourselves, but to remember that if God calls us to do anything, He will provide all that we need to succeed. I read about that in 2 Peter chapter 1 today. It is a promise.

Strengthen Yourself (In The Lord) refers back to David spending time with God to help him run the country and serve both God and the nation. The world around David was chaotic and not keen on following God. It was his desire to follow God that led the nation out of the troubles with the judges and Saul and into the heights that Solomon would rule. Just as he founds success by following God, we can find strength from God by studying His word and spending time learning to use it to our advantage.

Know People. This is one of my major weaknesses. I do not know people as well as I could. I do not put forth the effort I should. I know I need to spend time and ask questions. I need to care. I do care, so I need to learn to act like it.

I must strengthen myself, I must seek my path, I must do anything, I must know people, and then I can be the light; sharing the call of Christ to come to a saving relationship.