Day 266, or September the 23rd. With God we can't
fail. Our thoughts today come from Zechariah
chapter 4, verse 6. So he, an angel, said to
me, This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel.
Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit,
says the Lord Almighty. And now the big picture surrounding
this verse. Zechariah's prophecy includes eight
visions, which are used to get the message across
to a people who probably weren't as literate
as most of us are. Having said that, whether
your listeners read books or not, the use of
pictures can be so much more effective when trying
to make a point. As the saying goes, a picture
paints a thousand words. And now our action step
for today. In the 21st century, bigger is better
is nearly always the rule of the day. Not invariably,
but in the vast majority of cases. In the world
of football, the bigger the bank balance available
to the club, the more successful that club is
likely to be. Certainly you can't buy success,
but it is a rare commodity when funds are low.
Zechariah reminds his listeners that might and
power are not the keys to spiritual advancement.
It is always by the Spirit of God. The angel
reminds Zechariah of the declaration made to
Zerubbabel when the first group of returnees
arrived in the promised land from Babylonia.
This prompts the questions, could that be why
they have failed to complete the rebuilding of
the temple so far? Were they relying on might
and power rather than God's Holy Spirit? A timely
reminder for the people as the temple was still
to be completed when Zechariah spoke. I wonder
how many of us have failed in an enterprise for
God because we thought all we needed was the
cash. Many years ago I remember having a phone
call with a ministry leader who was putting a
lot of money into a particular venture. I cautioned
against it, but he told me, We have the money,
so we are going to do it. He did, and nothing
came of it. Whether we have the funds or not,
even our puny efforts are successful when God
is in the project. So be encouraged.