Every Friday I join a community of bloggers for Five Minute Friday. One word prompt, five minutes. Unedited. The prompt this week is … Strive.
Strive – the dictionary defines this as “to exert oneself vigorously; try hard: to make strenuous efforts toward any goal” (dictionary.com).
Sitting and thinking on the word, there are times in life we do strive. We strive to get good grades in school, making honor roll, going on to college.
We work hard to get ahead in life, to make a career for ourselves, get a job promotion.
We strive to save money to purchase a car or buy a home.
We may even try hard to have children, and then raise them.
We also work hard to stay healthy, to exercise, to make friends, and to learn about new things.
It seems we do much striving over the course of our lives.
We don’t need to strive for salvation as Christ bids us to freely come. He offers the gift of salvation to us without any striving on our part, other than to accept the gift.
In going back to read the definitions, I realized I do make strenuous effort toward one goal – I strive to know Him better, more deeply. Perhaps Paul felt and desired the same.
“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” (Ephesians 1:15-17, NIV)
Lord, give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,
so that we may know You better.
May this be the goal to which we strive.
The definition is really helpful, because there are many things that we should strive for. None more important than knowing Jesus better and becoming more like him! Visiting from FMF#3
The definition was interesting to me. I wondered if striving has taken on a negative connotation. Yet there are goals we are to strive for or towards, and knowing Jesus more deeply is one.
It’s kind of a bummer
to know how hard I had to strive
through that long last summer
just to remain, and stay alive.
Walking once needed no thought;
now just to stand takes planning,
and one thinks God really ought
to have some understanding
and set me to miracle cure
to roll on back the hurting years,
but no, it seems I’m to endure
long past the place of abject fears
and praise His holy name on high,
and while I do, refuse to die.
Andrew, you surely have had a summer of striving, of pressing on, and persevering. It will surely be exciting to see what God yet has for you.
Oh, to know God better, to serve Him better, to be at peace with Him more in my life. Wonderful goals to strive for my friend. Thank you!
I needed the reminder this morning to press on, to keep striving 🙂
Wonderful definition of strive. My life verse is Philippians 3:14, and the NET translation uses the word “strive.” “with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” This helps me remember what I am to “strive” for instead of striving on my own terms that is not Christ led. And I’ve done a lot of striving in my life time that led to burning out, which was God’s nudge to come back to Him, too!
Oh God, may our excess strivings cease as we find our rest in You. We praise You for supplying our needs and being our constant companion and provider.
I really like this part “We don’t need to strive for salvation as Christ bids us to freely come. He offers the gift of salvation to us without any striving on our part, other than to accept the gift.” It’s an excellent reminder we need to hear more often. FMF10
Amen, Joanne. Thank you.
Thank you for writing about the good benefits of striving and then the unnecessary striving for salvation. Christ did the striving for perfect on our behalf.
Your post brought to mind Jesus’ words that we should keep on seeking, keep on asking and keep on knocking – for then we will find, we will receive and the door will be opened. This kind of striving, of persevering is our act of faith…
Thank you, Joanne