Stretch Your Capacity For The Lord

By |Published On: October 14, 2019|Categories: 4-Minute Radio Program|
A scene of a dirt road running through a barren desert with a mountain range on the horizon.

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and tomorrow is such a big day for me. 

And I mean, it’s a really big dayIt’s my birthdayand I’m gonna be 70 – yikes! – 70 years oldYou know, 2 Corinthians 4:16 talks about people like me: “Outwardly we are wasting away.” You know, it seems almost every morning I wake up and find I’m facing some new limitation, another new encroachment on my abilitiesBut – and aren’t you glad for those “buts” in Scripture? – but2 Corinthians 4 continues, saying: “Inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” 

Yep, God’s renewing me day by day, and that keeps me hopeful and happy, no matter what my ageʼCause I made a covenant with my heavenly Father; I made a pact with Jesus; I have an obligation to the Holy Spirit to partner with Him and all that renewal that’s happening inside of my heartRomans 12 says, “Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this worldbut be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Maybe my quadriplegic body can’t be renewed, but my heart, and my mind and my soul can be renewedAnd so I get actively engaged with the Holy Spirit every morning when I wake up and find myself  – oh, my goodness, inside I find I’m younger, stronger, more energetic in my faithSeriously? Yep, seriouslyBut believe me, it is hard work 

Because you would think that at the age of 70, I would have this down patYou would think Joni Eareckson Tada should not be struggling against the patterns of this world; like, saying no to bad choices, or peevish attitudes, or sinful thoughtsBut I do and it’s why, day by day, I’m so committed to saying no to the world’s patterns and yes to the God of the Biblejust gotta make Him the blazing sun in the center of my universeAnd as much as I’m able, by the grace of God, my life just has to revolve around HimDay by day, I just gotta do everything from my end to stretch the capacity of my soul for GodSo tomorrow when I celebrate my birthday? I’m committed to making the Lord biggerI want Jesus to be the Niagara Falls of all the creeks and the streams in my lifeI think it was John Piper who said, “Let Him become the Mount Everest among all the foothills of all the things that concern you.” So, friend, I am making it my ambition to be pleasing to Him. 

And it’s why, every day, I show up at Joni and Friends, ready to squeeze every ounce of effort out of my 70-year-old quadriplegic body to make certain that other disabled people – that they get actively engaged with JesusI don’t mind outwardly wasting away, if it means helping others find renewal in Christ day by dayLike right now, today, our Wheels for the World teams are in Cuba and El Salvador, giving wheelchairs and Bibles in SpanishRight now, this week, were holding an International Family Retreat in Santiago, Chile, telling people about the One who must be the blazing sun in the center of their lives. 

My point? No matter how old you are, 17 or 70, this is the way to liveStretch the capacity of your soul for God, and for others, by giving the GospelAnd so I’m donating my birthday to the cause! Would you please celebrate 2 Corinthians 4:16 with me, and make God large in your life and the lives of others by reaching for Christ the least, the lastthe lost, of those with disabilities? Give the gift of salvation to the world’s disabled and please donate to my birthday, would you? I’d love it if you wouldGet all the details at joniradio.org where I’ve posted a video with more reflections on my 70th birthdayThanks for making God large in your life and in the lives of others.

© Joni and Friends

Joni is Donating Her Birthday!

This year marks a miracle milestone for Joni. She is looking for 70 friends, or better yet 700 friends, to donate $70 dollars each to her 70th birthday campaign! Joni is raising funds so that Joni and Friends can serve more people living with disabilities worldwide!

Give to Joni’s Birthday!

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