and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:29-31 (NIV)
By persisting in a habit of self-denial, we shall, beyond what I can
express, increase the inward powers of the mind, and shall produce that
cheerfulness and greatness of spirit as will fit us for all good purposes;
and shall not have lost pleasure, but changed it; the soul being then
filled with its own intrinsic pleasures.
Henry Moore (1751-1844) English Wesleyan Minister
I choose today's entry for two reasons:
1. Since today is the start of the workweek after a three-day weekend, it is good to be reminded that no matter how tired we can become because of the duties, responsibilities, and requirements of life, the LORD can give us the strength we need to accomplish what He asks of us. Not Red Bull. Not Mountain Dew. But Jehovah.
2. Henry Moore's phrase, "shall have not lost pleasure, but changed it."
A common knock against Christianity is that Christians can't have any fun. To begin with, the "can't" part of that is not at all true. Even after accepting Christ as Lord and Savior, one still has free will to do, think, and say whatever he pleases. The hope is that the doing, saying, and thinking will more and more be controlled by the Spirit and pleasing to God.
Moore makes a second important point concerning Christians and fun. Through our denial to self and obedience to God, what we find pleasurable will change. Encouragement trumps criticism. Monogamy outshines adultery. Unity overshadows dissension. This transformation takes place not due to God's removal of our freewill, but out of an ever deepening relationship with Him.
Our desire to please our Heavenly Father begins to outweigh our desire for worldly pleasures. A colleague's approval becomes secondary to Abba's "well done". The peaceful slumber outweighs the temporary savings of a dishonest tax return. The hug from a grateful spouse overshadows the second half of this week's episode of "The Walking Dead". Our freewill CHOOSES God and the things that please Him.
Pleasure has not been lost, but changed.
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