Narrative Themes: The Love Of God Lesson 6

                              The love of God cultivates                                                  precious strength in our lives

So far in Narrative Themes we have been talking about the love of God. 

We said it is God's passionate desire to make His love real to our hearts. As our loving Father He wants us to understand and experience how deeply He loves us. Romans 8:16 says, "The Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." The entire motive behind the New Covenant is that God has always wanted to be a loving Father to His children. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, in our hearts we can experience the intimate love of our heavenly Father. 

We also said that God's love is not only revealed in our lives, but it has powerful effects in our life. 

There are some very powerful things that the love of God cultivates in our lives. So far we have seen how the love of God casts out fear, dispels unbelief, causes us to triumph in our weakness, and rescues us from our pits. Today I want us to see something else the love of God is powerfully working in our lives.

The love of God is cultivating the Lord's precious strength in our lives.

Because God loves us, He desires we possess a deep strength in the Lord.

I think about my own children. Because I know the darkness and sinfulness they will be facing when they leave home, my great desire is that while they are at home under my parenting, they would cultivate a deep love and strength in God. 

Here is what I want us to see: the strength of God in our life is like our intimacy with God or our faith in God, there is always a deeper place to go. There will never be a time in our Christian walk when we will be able to say, "Okay, I have reached the pinnacle of God's strength. I am as strong in God as I possibly can be." No. There is always a deeper strength in the Lord to possess.

Moses is a perfect example. Numbers 11 tells us that Moses was the meekest man on the earth. 

What does that mean? When we study the life of Moses, we know exactly what that means: there wasn't another man on the face of the earth that walked in the strength of God like Moses. 

So many people define meekness as humility but that's only half of it. If we had to define meekness by looking at Moses life, meekness is God pouring His strength into a humble man or woman. 

However, it took God 40 years to forge this deep strength into Moses life. And like Moses, as we walk day by day and year by year with our Lord, He is continually forging His strength into our lives.

So, how does the Lord forge this deep strength into our lives?

There are a variety of ways we can talk about, but here is the one on my heart. 

2 Samuel 3:1a Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David...

When I think of long wars, I can't help but think of the word: "discouragement." Sometimes long wars can bring such a sense of heaviness and discouragement to our hearts.

For example, a long war can be a tiring war. It can seem like we are fighting the same battle over and over again. In times of weariness we can find ourselves crying out to the Lord, ""Oh God! How long do I have to keep fighting this same battle over and over again?! Will I ever get victory over this?!"

Also, long wars can have those moments when it seems like the enemy is the one taking ground. "Oh God! I am not taking ground, the enemy is taking ground!" The strongholds we battle within our minds don't seem to be losing strength, but gaining strength. "Oh Lord! These things I am struggling with in my mind are not getting better, they are only getting worst!"

Because of these things, when you find yourself in a long battle, often discouragement can try to overtake your heart. 

However, let's see the hope by finishing the verse!

2 Samuel 3:1 Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. David grew stronger and stronger and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker. 

When we find ourselves in long battles, the wonderful hope is that there is a strength that is increasing in our lives. Whether we see it or not, or feel it or not, that doesn't matter. There is a strength in Christ that is only getting stronger and stronger. 

Long wars and battles are centered around one word: "resistance." In long battles we find ourselves having to resist the devil over and over again. So think about it in the natural. When we go to the gym to lift weights, whether we are doing the military press, the leg squats, or bench pressing, they all have one thing in common: "resistance." Weights make us strong because they bring resistance. 

When we are in long battles, continually having to "resist the devil" over and over again, God is strengthening our spiritual man. Every time we have to resist the devil, we are picking up a spiritual barbell and "lifting." 

Here is the question I want to bring us back to: In times of long battles, why is there a strength continually increasing in our lives? Because God loves us and is preparing us for what He has in the future. In other words, God is looking into your future at both your calling and the things you will be facing in your calling, and He is preparing your strength. 

Bottom line: Because God loves us, He is using every battle to deepen our strength in the Lord.