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abiding in Christ, God's love, Jesus Christ, joy, peace, quietness of heart, rest, spiritual strength, trust, weakness, wisdom
I have always been a weak woman, though not necessarily outwardly, but the One who knows me better than anyone else has always known about my frail health, my indecisiveness, and my lack of assertiveness. Actually, it grieved me a lot that I was never as healthy as other people, yet I fought against it with sports and I had to try harder to do so than others who never felt fatigued or were never plagued by physical pains and sicknesses. Just recently I thought that it was a great gift from God to have me act that way, that is, to never give up, but to fight despite feeling bad most of the time. I know that God can heal and sometimes He truly did. Yet often times He decides to not heal us and only He knows why.
To put it more spiritually, I was wondering where our spiritual strength might come from. What is it that makes us strong when we are weak? What helps us to face circumstances that grieve us and of which we know that we cannot change them? We know that Paul lived that life of spiritual strength in light of many adverse circumstances. Even his flesh (body) was affected, yet God would not help him as Paul had wished. Instead, the Lord said,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I [Paul] will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor 12:9-12 ESV)
That our strength should come from God is not a new thing. In the Old Testament we find interesting Scriptures concerning this matter. We read for example, “And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Neh 8:10 ESV) Just recently I realized that not any joy about divine matters was meant here. No, we need the joy OF the Lord so that we might be strengthened. Or in Jesus’ words,
“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (Jn 15:11 ESV)
What were these things Jesus had spoken of before? Summarizing the verses before where Jesus described Himself as the true vine and His disciples as His branches, we see that there is a certain wording that is frequently mentioned. I decided to copy and paste all the verses and to highlight what I believe is crucial about experiencing His joy as our continuous strength.
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (Jn 15:1-11 ESV) [Colored emphasis mine]
The necessity to abide in Christ and in His love can hardly be denied after reading these verses, don’t you think, dear reader? Abiding in God and His love is certainly not a hurried life. It is a life of rest and peace, full of Christ’s joy because we have been enabled to live in God’s presence day and night. In fact, our spiritual strength should always spring from knowing God and trusting Him. In this respect, one of my favorite Scriptures has always been the following.
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling, and you said, “No! We will flee upon horses”; therefore you shall flee away; and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”; therefore your pursuers shall be swift. (Is 30:15-16 ESV)
I assume we all know the difference between the choices we make when being at rest versus being restless. The quality of our choices and our doing is indeed heavily dependent on our state of mind and heart at a definite time. It is so important to listen to God’s still and small voice – more than to the multiple voices of men – so that we can rest more and deeper, even though our adverse circumstances do not change. All our worries and concerns will melt into thin air if we have listened to God’s voice in all things. There is nothing that lies ahead of us which we should fear. The Scripture that always has helped me to let go of my worries regarding the future are the following words that remind us to listen to God’s wisdom.
“For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.” (Prv 1:32-33 ESV)
Planting Potatoes said:
sehr guter Beitrag heute – Gott segne und sie haben Sie einen guten Tag 😉
[English version added by Susanne: “Very good post today – May God bless you and have good day.”]
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
OH WOWEE!!! 😀
Thank you so much, Mark, for these lovely German words on here. Indeed, I just detected your comment incidentally in my spam folder (!!!) before I deleted it with real spams. Oh my, what a pity that would have been!!! 😛
Actually, I saw on FB that your wife originally came from Aschaffenburg (Bavaria) which is not that far from here in Fürth. What a funny coincidence! 🙂
Every blessing to your and your wife, my brother!
Warm regards,
Susanne
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Planting Potatoes said:
yes, she was excited when she told me you aren’t that far from Aschaffenberg. I also have a cousin living in Heidelberg. Blessings!
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
I was excited too, Mark. Although Heidelberg is not that close, it is still in Germany. 🙂
Please, give your wife a Bavarian, or rather Franconian, 😉 hug for me.
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Planting Potatoes said:
Doris was quite pleased with receiving a Franconian hug and wishes that you have one too! 🙂
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Thank you, Mark. Received!! 🙂
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Michael said:
Thank you Susanne, for reminding me of how I am to abide in Christ’s love from this wonderful passage in John 15. Yes, IN Him… abiding always IN Him, THAT is the key. It seems that His peace and love are found together for we are at peace when we KNOW Him and He KNOWS US and we are resting there in His love. Amen!
The greatest of these is love. ❤
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
You’re very welcome, Michael.
Actually, this article has been a reminder for me as well because, you know, I am a blank-minded writer who never knows beforehand about what to write and forgets what she has just written a few seconds after posting her articles and poems 😉 .
Yes, we can enjoy His peace and love when we know Him and we are known by Him. I find that His rest includes everything our weary, hungry, and thirsty souls might ever need – the whole fruit of the Spirit. And the greatest of these is love, indeed.
Love ❤
Susanne
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Sky said:
Thank you Susanne for yet another timely post. Re: being a “blank minded writer”. I’ve noticed this too. Sometimes when “studying”, I take notes, ponder it and pray over it, try to remember something significant but then whoosh off it goes, disappears. I think this is the Lord. Spiritual realities are not composed, perceived or in any other way understood by the natural faculties – this mind has no business trespassing on the mighty, other-worldly, where God is realm. So often we don’t really possess the things we confess to be real. To the measure that Christ in us is real, we own the spiritual realities given to us by grace and by His light. Obviously, describing spiritual realities is clumsy, I am doing poorly at it here but believe that by His Light only do we absorb what He gives to us, not what “we” think we need to know. As always, I love you and pretty much everything you say dear sis. 🙂 ❤
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Mmmmhhhh…. that was so sweet, dear Skylla. 🙂 I love you too! ❤
Actually, you described perfectly what it is all about being led by His Spirit. God guides us by making us forget what is of no worth for us to remember. I just recall having written a description about how the Lord led me one day as I was hell-bent on writing a new post. Alas, I had NO clue about what to write and as soon as I thought, “Ha! That’s it!” He made me forget it again – within a few seconds (if you like, cf. https://enteringthepromisedland.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/what-is-inspiration-then/). This process has continued and even deepened. Today I do not even know about what I write while writing. That seems to be a contradiction, dosen’t it…? However, it is true and somehow funny too. Indeed our God is humorous at times. 🙂
Thank you soooo very much for your edifying words, my dear sister! I have been blessed by you today!!!
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Nancy Foster said:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” ❤
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Thanks so much for your comment, dear Nancy. 🙂
Indeed, you know what this verse is all about, don’t you, my sister…
Every blessing to you!
Love ❤
Susanne
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Beautifully expressed, Lloyd. Thank you! 🙂
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Anna Waldherr said:
As you say, Susanne, all our strength derives from the Lord. Some of us He graciously permits to borrow His strength. If so, we may foolishly assume it is ours.
The world tends to use these labels as if they apply across the board – a strong woman, a weak man. Personally, I think we are at times weak, at other times strong (in the same way that we are at times brave, at other times cowardly).
The scars left on my life by abuse made certain activities in my legal career extremely difficult. Yet I felt called to the law and was, through God’s grace, allowed to succeed in the profession.
When God withdrew His strength and my health collapsed, it was devastating to me. I saw this as punishment for some unidentified failing on my part. It grieved me deeply to have grieved Him. But the Lord used the experience to improve my understanding of Him, confirm His love for me, strengthen my faith, and redirect my life. Weak or strong, that seems a gain.
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Michael said:
Dear Anna,
I hope you do not mind me addressing the last paragraph of your comment on here (and Susanne, please forgive the length of this comment on your blog). I am quick to admit that I am a weak man for I know that in my weakness is Christ being made perfect in me. You see, I have learned the real meaning of “sin” in the eyes of our Father. I don’t beat myself up over a particular short failing for I recognize that the grace of God is more powerful than my sin. Paul wrote, “the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is HE that calls you, who ALSO WILL DO IT.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 KJ2000- emphasis added).
Sin means to “fall short.” Fall short of what? “All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.”(Romans 3:23 CEV). Anything short of the glory of the Father in His Son is sin (not an endless list of “sins,” but sin as a principle in our lives). Jesus had to suffer before He received His glory (see Luke 24:26). Just as Jesus had to learn obedience through the things HE suffered, so do we. As much as we hate it, suffering is integral to God’s purification and glorification process. Peter wrote,
“Since therefore Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” (1 Peter 4:1-2 KJ2000).
So, dear sister, arm yourself with this same mind, the very mind of Christ toward suffering. We who are Christ’s must suffer many things at the hands of sinful men, just as Jesus did (see Luke 24:7). Yet even THAT is part of our Father’s working His Son’s glory into us for the servant is not greater than his Lord (see John 15:20-21). Paul wrote,
“Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him…” (2 Timothy 2:10-12 KJ2000).
If, my dear sister, we suffer with Him, we shall also obtain our salvation which is in Christ WITH His eternal glory. Suffering and ceasing from sin (falling short of the perfection of Christ in us) go hand in hand and so does the sharing of God’s glory in us. As Paul wrote,
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren [siblings]. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:28-31 KJ2000).
Even in our suffering, God is for us!
“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:1-2 RSVA)
So, Anna, you wrote, “I saw this [sickness] as punishment for some unidentified failing on my part. It grieved me deeply to have grieved Him. But the Lord used the experience to improve my understanding of Him, confirm His love for me, strengthen my faith, and redirect my life.” No, my beloved sister, it was not punishment for some failing on your part nor did you grieve Him, but it was God dealing with you (as with sons) so you would not fall short of His glory which He has promised that you will walk in! And YES, in all this God has improved your understanding of Him, confirmed His great love for you, strengthened your faith and set your life on the path HE has for you! And all this through suffering! YOU are abundantly blessed as all are who suffer IN Christ Jesus. As Paul put it,
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18 KJ2000)
Loving Father, let it be done to ME according to your Word and pay no attention to my whimpering. Amen!
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Yes, you’re right, dear Anna, there are days when I feel stronger and days when I find myself at my weakest point. It varies from day to day.
Indeed, I can only say, “Hats off!” regarding what you managed to realize in your life, considering the abusive background you came from, my sister. I admire your strength to fight as a lawyer for those who struggle to claim their own rights. Your work for God is so precious!!! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Alas, it was the same for me whenever I suffered from another disease, thinking God would punish me for “whatever”. But then I pondered on the fact that I was born with that fragile physical constitution and wondered why God should punish a small child for having sinned? In fact, that made no sense to me. Also, I was just reminded of Nick Vujicic (cf. http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/ if you like) who was born without arms and legs. As a child Nick would be tempted to commit suicide because he had been feeling so worthless in his helpless physical condition. But God made the following Scripture come alive in his mind and later he began to follow Jesus wholeheartedly.
And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.
We live in the New Covenant and we read that Jesus walked on the earth and healed people. So, if He allows pain and sickness in our lives, still, it grieves or even devastates us as you said above. I believe sickness now has nothing to do with our wrongdoing as long as we keep in touch with God and want to follow Him. It is merely to reveal His powerful glory in weak vessels all the more.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom once again!!
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Darrell said:
Thanks Susanne,
I have been wrestling with this passage the past few days. It is such an ironic passage: …that when I am weak, then am I strong. So I should rejoice in my weakness.
2Co 12:9 And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
I am currently on a path of His choosing in an area of my life (employment). A path He clearly opened up for me a few years back completely out of the blue. Although I have had opportunities to take the exit ramp of my choosing (done in my own strength), I did not have peace about it and the still small voice of His told me to remain on this path…and that He would be faithful to lead me and provide. So I have remained.
It appears to my natural eye that this path that I am on is coming to an end within a few months. Yet I have His promises concerning His faithfulness which He has confirmed over and over to me the past two years. So He has told me to rest and that He will not forget to help or put me to shame.
So I am learning of the weakness of my own strength to deliver me as I sit here and wait for Him to provide His exit ramp or extend the path of employment. It is very precarious in some regard. And it is a process of which some days I grasp better that others. Yet I know that He will remain faithful to me and my family.
And there is great truth in the line line that you wrote, “There is nothing that lies ahead of us which we should fear.”
But I am grateful that He has patience for me in this process. Thanks again!
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
You’re so welcome, Darrell. 🙂
Yes, you’re absolutely right, this Scripture IS ironic; it seems to be a contradiction in itself. I have come to understand it that way:
From my own experience I know that God tests my faith by giving me a promise before He leads me into a certain (mostly new) direction. In order to be able to “live out” what I have chosen, I feel His power in the beginning, often accompanied by joy. But then the faith is tested. Satan comes in, mainly through other people around me who question my doing – or not doing – and offer seemingly helpful advice, just as Job’s “wonderful” friends once did. 😉 Sooner or later, my faith begins to waver more and more and I finally come to realize that I have somehow lost that initial faith God had been given me. Since no human being can give me faith in any area of life, I know today that I need to struggle my way back to God and pray for His faith, His joy, His peace, and particularly His power to overcome my weaknesses.
It’s not an easy path, dear brother. But it’s all worth it. I will keep praying for your difficult employment situation. As for me, I had a similar experience in the past and what helped me eventually was truly that I admitted I had NO trust in God any longer (as for the specific situation I was in). I believe that is always the point where God begins to act, that is, when all the efforts of our human reasoning have come to an end.
May God bless you and your family immensely in the days ahead!!!
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Darrell said:
Agreed and thanks for the encouragement and prayers.
One thing that I hear coming through this blog (and comments) is the incredible honesty that you have with God. You have discovered the freedom to get frustrated or angry with Him (even yell if needed) when He hasn’t answered the way you anticipated. Or you tell Him that you have lost all faith…or you cry to Him with tears of sorrow, fear or joy. Or cry out to Him that you are lost and afraid…True relationship…
The transparency is with Him is great. I love that! Such intimacy! I do that on an almost daily basis as I wrestle with Him about this path I am on. I don’t know any other way to handle it.
I have two very loyal dogs that LOVE to walk along side me (to a certain extent) as I pour out my heart, thoughts, questions and emotions to the Father. The highlight of their day is to go off leash and have the freedom to explore. I get to kill two (or three) birds with one stone 🙂
Thanks again…
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
You’re very welcome, Darrell.
It was so edifying for me that you like the honesty about my struggles with God. May I tell you it was not always thaaat easy for me to share them publicly? 😉
I love the picture of you walking with your dogs and praying the way you do. God gives us the freedom to explore new horizons of our relationship with Him, too, I think. Actually, I miss walking with a dog. In the past I did that too…looong ago… Meanwhile I only have a two-wheeled steed, no dog anymore. But I still talk with dogs when I am on my prayer walks or prayer bike rides. I even smile at them (automatically – can’t change that habit) although NO dog EVER smiled back at me. Am a crazy woman, indeed! 😀
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Michael said:
This honesty to be real with God is what I love about reading the Psalms of David… Whatever he was feeling, he poured it out for the whole world to see eventually. I am not sure I am fully there, yet, like Susanne writes on her blog.. I tend to speak more in principles and scriptures (left brained?). But at least when I pray, I quit using those canned prayers I had to recite in the RCC. 🙂 Father, help me to open up more from within when I write as Susanne does. Amen.
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
You are very open and honest, Michael. And the Scriptures you quote are always appropriate too. We need both halves of our brain, I guess, and they ought to be connected with our heart that belongs to God. Only using the right part of our brain one would make no sense, either, don’t you think? 😉
Love,
Susanne
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Michael said:
Susanne, I think that your comment just now was from God for me for sure.. both halves of our brains connected with a heart belonging to God. Very good.. once again Psalm 85:10 has yet some more light shed on it. You are a blessing, my dear friend! ❤
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Truly, Michael, I felt Him while writing my comment for you. Your confirmation, in turn, blessed me, my dear brother! ❤
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Kenneth Dawson said:
there you go again Sue-another great post! This subject of strength I have experienced the reality of His strength..just today–I was riding around with my boss today at the university and he was commenting about all the fine looking young females and he was cussing and I said nothing to him about Jesus–so I came home and felt sick that I had no testimony–then the Lord strengthened me and gave me his hope and I realized that maybe the next time–if I simply stay enraptured with Him that His life just might flow out of me without me even trying to make it flow–in His timing.
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Thank you so much for your encouraging words, once again, dear Kenneth! 🙂
Your testimony about how God led you in your latest situation with your boss has been very edifying for me too, my brother. I have come to believe that God does not always need our words and deeds when He wants to touch people’s hearts. As we pray for them, we can be sure that God who is Spirit always works in the invisible realm, even though we often do not realize that He has been doing something, both in us and in those around us who do not know Jesus yet.
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Michael said:
Well, Kenneth, I guess you have no illusions of it being a fine Christ-led Christian university. More and more Babylon is becoming the haunt of every foul bird and every hateful demon. Praying for you, my brother.
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Kenneth Dawson said:
thankyou–I covet your prayers for me.
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
You have mine as well, dear Kenneth!
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Thank you so much for your very encouraging words, dear Jacqui! ❤
I enjoyed reading your wise comment, too, and I am so glad to hear that the Scripture I quoted above has been one of your favourite verses as well. 🙂
Indeed, have you seen that I “developed” this post from my last reply to you? If you like, see https://enteringthepromisedland.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/attaining-maturity-of-faith/comment-page-1/#comment-10899.
Every blessing and much love,
Susanne xx
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