Be Loved Strong

One of the most basic human needs is our need to BE LOVED.  I can remember a few childish incidents during recess in elementary school when I tested whether I was loved or not.  I recall a few times sitting on the ground, with my legs crossed, and my head down (acting sad or upset) “inviting” someone to come and ask me what was wrong or if I was okay.  With my heart and my posture I was seeking someone who cared about me.  Sounds kind of psycho doesn’t it!?!  We all pursue attention one way or another, but what we are really seeking is to find out who or if anyone loves us.  Some of us behave badly, others pursue accomplishment, but what we are all doing a lot of the time is “inviting” someone, anyone to want us, to accept us, to love us!

In order to be mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually strong we need to KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are loved.  Sadly, many of us look to fulfill our need to be loved in others, a friend, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, etc. when in reality there is only one person who can fulfill the deep need we have to be loved.  If being loved is so important to be strong, where do we gain the greatest confidence that we are loved?

READ:  Ephesians 3:14-21

In order to BE strong, we need a strong COMPREHENSION of how immeasurably much CHRIST loves us!  If there is one characteristic that defines God it is love.  In the Old Testament the primary word used to describe God’s love is hesed. 26 times in Psalm 136 it says that God’s, “steadfast love endures forever”.  In the New Testament the word used to describe God’s love is agape.  1 John 4:8 and 16 say precisely that, “God IS love”.  These words communicate that love is who God is.  Love is His character.  Love is His nature.  God can do nothing other than love.  So, if this is who God is what is it?  God’s love is His unconditional acceptance and His faithful commitment to us.  God’s love is not conditional, it’s not based on our performance, it is always available.  How strong is Christ’s love?

Christ’s love for us is the FOUNDATION of our strength (Eph. 3:17) – One of the purposes of tree roots is to support the weight of the visible part of a tree above ground.  It is not uncommon for the roots of a tree to go as deep down under the ground as a tree grows above ground.  A strong, stable tree requires strong roots growing deep underground.   Paul prays that our lives would be, “rooted and grounded in love”.  Strength in life exists when the roots of Christ’s love penetrate deep into the “inner being” of our “heart”.  Without deep roots of Christ’s love our lives are vulnerable to topple over at the slightest challenge or difficulty.  It is only when we are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are unconditionally accepted by God and that He is faithfully committed to us that we have a strong foundation.

Christ’s love for us is far GREATER than we know (Eph. 3:18-19) – A skyscraper . . . big.  The Grand Canyon . . . huge.  The earth . . . humongous.  The universe . . . gigantic.  Encountering or pondering anything of immense size produces awe and wonder.  Words come up short in describing immense things, which is definitely the case in trying to describe Christ’s love.  Paul says that the “breadth”, “length”, “height”, and “depth” of Christ’s love “surpasses” anything we are able to comprehend.   Christ’s love is ginormous!  Christ’s love is largmongous!  There is no word or combination of words that can adequately describe the size of Christ’s love.  Our greatest strength in life comes from knowing that we are loved by God.

CONCLUSION

According to verses 20-21 God is, “able (strong) to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power (strength) at work within us”.  With Christ’s love as the foundation, God is able to accomplish anything and everything He wants to accomplish in our lives.  Things beyond even what our minds can conceive.  With being loved comes unimaginable power and strength for God to work in and through our lives.  How strong is the strength of God’s love that is at work within you?

God Strong

The greatest theological questions of all time is . . . Can God create a rock that He cannot lift?  My answer to this very deep and important question is NO.  An answer can be found in Isaiah 26:4 which says, “trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock”.  What do we learn about God from this verse?  1) God Himself is a “rock”, 2) God is an “everlasting” or ETERNAL “rock” and therefore was not created.  3) God can not and did not create Himself, He is an uncreated infinite rock, He is the biggest thing in all existence, therefore, He is incapable of making something greater than Himself and it is an impossibility for Him to create something He cannot lift or influence or move!  Some like to refer to this characteristic of God as being the unmoved mover.  God is the only thing that has no cause and He is big enough to be the cause of everything.  To be THAT big, God must be pretty strong!

STRENGTH = The MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL, OR SPIRITUAL ability to accomplish something.  We need strength in all aspects of our lives.  We need mental strength when we make decisions.  We need emotional strength when we relate with others.  We need physical strength when we do work. We need spiritual strength for morality and salvation.  Human strength is limited.  And yet, we fiercely depend on our own mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual abilities to accomplish anything.  In life we need strength that goes far beyond our own abilities and efforts.  Where can we find strength beyond ourselves?

READ:  Psalm 18:1-2, 31-42

God is infinitely STRONG and the SOURCE of STRENGTH we need for all the circumstances we face in life!  Throughout the Bible God is characterized as STRONG.  Psalm 93:1 says, “(the Lord) has put on strength as his belt”.  God is infinitely strong.  There is nothing in all existence that is stronger or more able to accomplish something than God.  There is nothing that God is incapable of doing or inadequate to accomplish.  LifeStrong = DEPENDING on GOD for all the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual strength we need in life!  How do we depend on God for a strong life?  Be realizing that . . .

God is PERMANENTLY and IMMOVABLY strong (Psalm 18:31) – When we were in Haiti, there was a mission team digging a trench to lay a drain pipe underground.  While digging the trench, they hit a rock, and it turned out that the rock they hit was the size of a minivan.  It was NOT going to move.  There is no greater “rock” besides God!  There is nothing more immovable in all existence than God.  God is not someone that we manipulate or attempt to conform to us.  We have no choice but to manipulate our lives and conform to Him.  He is bigger, greater, and ultimately stronger than anything in existence.  This is immensely terrifying to those who oppose Him, but immensely comforting to those who love Him and look to Him as a source of strength.

God is a PERSONAL source of strength (Psalm 18:1-2, 32-42) – A weight lifter uses a spotter to able to lift more weight than they are physically capable of.  If a weight lifter does not use a spotter they will be crushed under the weight of what they are trying to lift.  God is like a spotter in life who offers us His strength to be able to “lift” the things of life that we are unable to lift by ourselves.  King David writes Psalm 18, “when the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul”.  David declares in verse 39 that, “(God) equipped me with strength for the battle.”  In a battle for David’s physical life against his enemies, God was his source of “strength”, his “rock”, his “fortress”, and His “deliverer”.  David depended on God’s strength and he was victorious. Whatever circumstances we are facing, God is more than able to be a personal source of strength.  If we depend on Him, He will give us strength beyond our own abilities or efforts.

CONCLUSION
David says to God in Psalm 18:35, “You have given me the shield of your salvation”.  God’s greatest display of strength is offering us salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  A strong life begins by building our lives on the solid rock of Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:24-27).  Is your life built on the something eternally strong?