don't know your own strength?
"I will make of you a threshing sledge." —Isaiah 41:15
How strong are you? How strong do you think you are? The Lord promises: "I will make of you a threshing sledge, sharp, new, and double-edged, to thresh the mountains and crush them" (Is 41:15). Through Baptism, we have become so strong that we can move and crush mountains. Jesus said that His disciples are greater than John the Baptist, who was a strong man (see Mt 11:11). Jesus went so far as to state that those who believe in Him will do even greater works than He did (Jn 14:12). "In all this we are more than conquerors because of Him Who has loved us" (Rm 8:37). In Christ, we are indeed very strong. Thus, we should do great works which require us to use our great strength.
However, we may not know or believe our great strength. If so, we go through life telling the Lord that we cannot lead people to Him for Christmas, cannot stop babies from being aborted, cannot change racism, and cannot change the culture of death into a civilization of love. Although we are supernaturally strong, we may think we are weaklings and sadly may effectively be wimps.
We are not as strong as we feel. We are much stronger. We are probably not as strong as we have been. We are much stronger. Believe Jesus. Act baptized. Lift some heavy weights to prepare for Christmas.
Prayer: Father, You are our Strength (Ps 18:2). May we use Your strength in us to lift obstacles and crush mountains.
Promise: "For I am the Lord, your God, Who grasp your right hand; It is I Who say to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.' " —Is 41:13
Praise: Pope St. Damasus I honored Roman martyrs by writing inscriptions and epigrams about them years after their deaths.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape Power in the Spirit on audio AV 64-1 or video V-64.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert A. Stricker, June 23, 2003
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, June 26, 2003