Good Morning:
Repetition may be the mother of learning, but it can also bring weariness. The faithful student who has been studying for weeks for a final exam can grow sick of the studies in the final days. The spouses who have the same arguments again and again can be tempted to simply ignore the problems they have instead of improving their marriage. The parent who has been ignored by their child time after time can entertain the idea of giving up on correction and simply letting the child have their way.
We all have times in our lives when we feel weariness set in. Perhaps it has to do with the actions of others, or perhaps it has to do with a sin that we daily struggle against. It is wearrying to fight against our sinful flesh and fail nonetheless. Often, when we’re struggling against sin, we can feel like a wrung out rag or empty fuel tank. We can think that we have nothing left to give in the fight to serve our Lord. However, even if we feel weak and powerless in our fight, the truth is far from that. The prophet Isaiah reminds us what our LORD does for those who are weak and powerless ” He [Jehovah] gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength” (Isaiah 40:29). On our own we are weak and powerless in the struggle against sin, but with the LORD we are almighty and ever victorious in the fight against sin.
We still sin daily, but that is only when we try to fight the good fight alone. When we rely solely on our own reason, strength, and will power to resist the temptations of the world we fail every time. However when we place our hope to resist sin and our strength for this fight in the LORD, then we cannot fail. Of course, this is something we imperfectly do. The more worn out we feel, the more tempting it is to think that avoiding sin and serving God is all up to us. The reality of the situation though, is quite the opposite. When we are worn out, frayed, and weak, our LORD is strong for us. He picks us up, binds up our wounds, and gives us the strength and power to continue living righteously for Him.
He does all of this for us and more because He has called us from before time began to be his children. He anointed us with the oil of salvation that His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, died for on the cross. This same Jesus promises us strength for today and always because He conquered death by not using the limitless strength and power He had at His disposal and instead let Himself be crucified and suffer hell for us. As the Apostle Paul says, ” how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).
In Christ, Pastor Naumann
