Strengthen and Encouraged

2 Thessalonians 2:16a, 17 May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

I love the combo of these verses.  How they speak to the good things God has in store and are truly an encouragement to doing what He has called me to do.

When I finally submitted my life to God, He didn't frighten me by sending me unprepared to third world mission for the rest of my life.  He has dealt gently with me.  I on the other hand have cause sandpaper abrasions by my own stubborn heart refusing to go His way, since it didn't look like the easy way.

And in case you didn't get that...God's way is the easy way.  It doesn't look like it's easy according to the world, but the world does not look to God.

Back to this verse, the more I obey, the more I follow, the more I'm encouraged and strengthened to do more for and in Him.

My post about Sugar.  Had I never given up soda, I don't think know I would not have given up sugar. When I finally started and wrote the blog He has called me to do, I find the words written here where I don't know who reads are the words coming out of my mouth for others to be encouraged from.  It's simple marvelous if you think on it for a minute. 

God called us to a journey.  

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. 

He shows me the next step I am to take.  He often doesn't show me the end results.  For one, I may want to skip all the steps in between that are needed for my own pruning or I will not accept the path and refuse to follow (stubborn.)  He gives me enough light to take the next step.  Then the next.  He strengthens and encourages me with each step.  He shows me that with His grace to took all the steps behind me and I can trust His grace to take all the steps before me.

And when I'm weak, when I think I can't go on, God gently reminds of where I've come from - encourages my heart, what I've been enabled to do - strengthened in every good deed and word.

Praise my God!

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who love us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.