Your Strength Is Limited, God’s Is Unlimited

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES The Keys to a Blessed Life

Your Strength Is Limited, God's Is Unlimited By Rick Warren — Oct 10, 2015 “You bless all who depend on you for their strength.” (Psalm 84:5a CEV) Are you tired? Some of you are running on steam. You’re tired a lot. At the end of the day, you’re worn out and you’re running out of energy, and the reason why is real simple: You’re a human being. Your strength is limited. God’s strength is unlimited. Your strength is finite. God’s strength is infinite. Your strength is exhaustible — that’s why you get exhausted! But God’s strength is inexhaustible. God never runs out of energy. God never gets tired. Psalm 84:5 says, “You bless all who depend on you for their strength” (CEV). Do you want God’s blessing in your life? Then you need to depend on God for your strength. One of the most famous Christians of the 19th century was a guy named Hudson Taylor. He was a missionary to China, and he was a spiritual giant and a brilliant man. In his old age, he lost his health and became very weak. He wrote a letter to a friend that said this: “I am so weak I can no longer work. I am so weak I can no longer study. I am so weak I can no longer read my Bible. I cannot even pray. I can only lie still in the arms of God like a little child in trust.” Sometimes in your life you’re going to be so weak you can’t even pray, read the Bible, or go to a Bible study. You can’t work. You can’t do anything. What do you do in those moments? You rest in the strength of the Lord, in his arms like a little child, and you trust. Weakness can actually be a good thing in your life if it causes you to depend on God. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10, “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (NLT, second edition). That’s the paradox of depending on God — the more you’re weak, the more you depend on God. And the more you depend on God, the stronger you get. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over Why is it difficult for us to admit or show our weakness? How does our culture perpetuate the idea that we have to be strong all of the time? What does it mean to depend on God’s strength? What would that look like to other people? Our Gift: The Keys to a Blessed Life Study Kit What is the secret to accessing the abundant life God promises? In perhaps the greatest sermon of his ministry, Jesus gives us the keys to the Kingdom; a life of wholeness, happiness, and healing. In this 6-session video study, Pastor Rick Warren examines the Beatitudes and explores the practical steps to lead you to peace and fulfillment in your life, your work, and your relationships. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren The Keys to a Blessed Life teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: It Depends Who You Depend On Message 2: ​​​​How God Blesses Broken Hearts Message 3: ​​​​The Strength of Gentleness Message 4: ​​​You​r Ministry of Mercy Message 5: ​How To Reconcile a Relationship Message 6: ​Handling Opposition To Your Faith PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at rickwarren.org. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2015 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe