Colossians 1:29-For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. 

I’ll never forget my first time on a mission trip to the Philippines, I had the opportunity to visit a village church, where I was scheduled to preach one morning sermon, teach one hour and a half session in the afternoon, and an evening sermon, while sitting up talking to the pastor of the congregation for over an hour afterwards…

I just remember going to lay on some kind of “bed” behind a sheet in the kitchen of a parsonage, and waking up with my dress shirt/pants and shoes on!  Even when I looked at the schedule before I did anything I thought, “this is going to be tough” but I got through it by God’s grace…

Physically and mentally, that may have been the most taxing thing I’ve witnessed in ministry. Yet emotionally trying to steward a family has reminded me of days like that.  Where I look at my bed and it literally has become my best friend.  But I remind myself the same grace God gives to preach and teach is available for me to steward over my family…(James 4:5-10)

Paul saw his life not as something to be exhausted in his own strength, but says he toils with HIS energy.  Do you see your life like that in your day to day toil?  That whatever God presents to us may be overwhelming “on paper”, but I believe it is designed that way, to see our need for the “energy” Christ works through the Holy Spirit to navigate wisely and powerfully…

Paul used the word “struggling” which means “to make every effort to do what is required”.  So since we are to live by faith, we are to engage the things that we may reserve ourselves from confronting, because we foresee the toil it takes to do so.  But it is our faith that looks to confront what God reveals for us to engage, that we toil and strive relying on His energy to fulfill His will.

Keep striving and struggling, but rest in God while doing so, for the sake of being in awe of His power to pull you through-In His Love, Ld