His All-sufficient Strength
When we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within.
2 Corinthians 7:5
Burnout—a term that refers to the point at which a missile’s fuel is completely expended—is often used today to describe the symptoms of extreme stress. Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 7:5—”conflicts on the outside, fears within”—capture the feelings of a person who is emotionally and physically spent … burned out.
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A. B. Simpson comments on why God would allow pressure like that to attack us.
WALK WITH A. B. SIMPSON
“Why should God have to lead us thus, and allow the pressure to be so hard and constant? In the first place, it shows his all-sufficient strength and grace much better than if we were exempt from pressure and trial.
“It makes us more conscious of our dependence upon him. God is constantly trying to teach us our dependence, and to hold us absolutely in his hand and hanging upon his care. This was the place where Jesus himself stood and where he wants us to stand, not with a self-constituted strength, but with a hand ever leaning upon his, and a trust that dares not take one step alone. It teaches us trust. There is no way of learning faith except by trial. It is God’s school of faith, and it is far better for us to learn to trust God than to enjoy life.
“The lesson of faith, once learned, is an everlasting acquisition and an eternal fortune made; and without trust even riches will leave us poor.”
WALK CLOSER TO GOD
God may want to use you—as a minister of encouragement, a bringer of refreshment—in the life of a burned-out fellow Christian today. And that means you can’t afford to be burned out yourself.
Ministering strength to others demands that you be experiencing strength yourself—strength that comes from depending on God.
“Fuel” for thought, wouldn’t you agree?
