Strong

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

STRONG

Luke 1:80

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.

NIV

So this is all we know about the youth of John the Baptist. Fact one, he grew, fact two he became strong in spirit, fact three, he lived in the desert until it was time for him to appear publicly. Fact one and three have little for us as for a life lesson, but fact two is our life lesson. Becoming strong in spirit is a large life lesson. It surely does not seem appropriate for a new born gain believer to remain a babe in Christ forever. We also should note that becoming knowledgeable in the scriptures is not the same as becoming strong in spirit. To be strong in spirit, to have power in spirit requires time with God. Just as a body builder or weight lifting champion must exercise his muscles to attain the desired size or strength, we must exercise our spiritual life in order to be strong in spirit. Knowing the scriptures can help in strengthening our spirit, as they give us all the information about God we need in order to know who he is and what he did for us, and what he will do for us. But this is not what makes us strong in spirit. We have to exercise our spirit. We have to live in the spirit, we have to walk in the spirit. We are told we should pray in the Spirit on all occasions. We heard the Apostle John say that on the Lord’s Day he was in the Spirit. He also said that on one occasion at once he was in the Spirit and before his was a throne in Heaven. The Apostle John was strong in spirit.  John the Baptist was strong in spirit. We have to be that kind of strong in spirit. We cannot live an ordinary mundane boring life of a Sunday morning Christian. We cannot live an ordinary life on someone who says there are a Christian but lives in the same manner as the rest of the world. Being strong in spirit carries all sorts of ramifications. It means we must live as if we truly believe God has a call upon our life. It means we must live as if we actually believe all he said. It means we must live as if we not only believe in him, but believe him. It means we must send personal time alone with him and that does not mean just asking for this or that, as well meaning as that is when we ask for him to intervene in the lives or others, but it means spending time alone with him listening to him, allowing him to strengthen our faith, allowing him to strengthen our spirit. Although it is true that each of us are on our own spiritual journey with God, and we all may be at a different level of strength, we each must become stronger until it can be said of us,  “he or she is strong in spirit”.