A SHORT MEDITATION

Many years ago, some where around 926 - 886 BC, there

was a king in Israel named Asa.  A good name even today.

Asa was a good king and God let him have peace in his

kingdom for the first ten years of his reign.  Then another

king came against him with a million man army.  But king

Asa only had an army of 580,000 to defend his kingdom 

with. 

So when king Asa went out to fight with his smaller 

army and he prayed out:

"O Lord, you can help a weak army as easily as 

a powerful one, Help us now, O Lord our God, 

because we are relying on you, and in your name

we have come out to fight against this huge army.

Lord, you are our God; no one can hope to 

defeat you."(2 Chronicles 14:11 GNT)

God helped Asa and his small army totally defeat

the much larger army.

About fifteen years latter another army came against

King Asa.  But this time he handled it differently.

Asa used some political manipulation and bribery.

It seemed to work.  But Asa did it his way and not

God's way.  And Asa's career went down from there.

When God was rebuking king Asa through the 

prophet Hanani we pick up this clue;

"The Lord keeps close watch over the whole

world, to give strength to those whose hearts
are loyal to him."

 (2 Chronicles 16: 9 GNT)  

Hey! That's you and me too.  Want strength

for that battle that is too big for you.  There

is your answer.

TIRED

"Don't you know?  Haven't you heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God;

he created all the world.

He never grows tired or weary.

No one understands his thoughts.

He strengthens those who are weak and tired."

(Isaiah 40:28,29 GNT)

Jesus said,

"Come to me, all of you who are tired

from carrying heavy loads, and I 

will give you rest.

Take my yoke and put it on you,

and learn from me, because I

am gentle and humble in spirit;

and you will find rest."

(Matthew 11:28,29 GNT)

SOURCE OF STRENGTH

"Don't you know?  Haven't you heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God;

he created all the world.

He never grows tired or weary.

No one understands his thoughts.

He strengthens those who are weak and tired.

Even those who are young grow weak;

young people can fall exhausted.

But those who trust in the LORD for help

will find their strength renewed.

They will run and not get weary;

they will walk and not grow weak."

(Isaiah 40:28 - 31TEV)

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AM I USELESS ENOUGH FOR GOD TO USE?

Moses "...was taught all of the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man in words and deeds."

-Acts 7:22 (TEV)

This is outstanding. Here is God's chosen man;

educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians,

a great man in words,

a great man in deeds.

He is in the prime of life, forty years old (v.23).

And he knew what his God given mission was (v25).

I have read that Josephus gives an account of Moses even being general of an Egyptian army.

Wow! What a man to lead God's people out.

But God could not use him like that.

God had to send him to the desert for forty more years to get all the wisdom of the world out of him.

And as God does with all his outstanding saints,

Break him.

After forty years we see in the account of the burning bush, (Exodus ch. 4)

that Moses could not even talk well any more.

We see a man whose self esteem was shattered.

[Sorry, but even self esteem can get in the way.]

Moses is finally a "nothing".

Now God can use him.

Remember Peter?

Bold and confident. Going to follow Christ to death it's self.

But with his denial of Christ it broke him.

He cried like a baby and then went back to fishing.

Or the apostle Paul.

A proud Pharisee trained at the feet of Gamaliel.

But on the road to Damascus busted, brought to nothing.

Now that you have all of your degrees,

titles,

abilities

and experience.

Are you read to serve God?

It might hurt.

Let's learn from the apostle Paul.

"But to keep me from being puffed up with pride because of the many wonderful things I saw, I was given a painful physical ailment, which acts as Satan's messenger to beat me and keep me from being proud. Three times I prayed to the Lord about this and asked him to take it away. But his answer was; 'My grace is all you need, for my power is greatest when you are week.' I am most happy, then, to be proud of my weaknesses, in order to feel the protection of Christ's power over me. I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

-2 Corinthians 12:710 (TEV)