"I cannot make my days longer so I strive to make them better" - Paul Theroux What a great thought and an excellent aim. To STRIVE in this sense means to make great efforts to achieve or gain something.
We strive for virtues of character, independence, growth, and success.
We strive for goals and hope to accomplish them. Antonyms for this type
of striving are: to surrender, succumb, yield, or withdraw. God places
vision inside us. Opposition and difficulties cause us to retreat. The LORD calls us to strive toward His dream and persevere.
To STRIVE also means to struggle or fight vigorously. The psalmist Korah assures us in Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength is a very present help in the time of trouble." The Lord brings calm to both our fears and the struggle within. He commands, "Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The writer of Hebrews admonishes us to endure the Lord's chastening as sons and not to lose heart when He corrects us, "You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." Believers
are in constant contention with the forces of darkness. Galatians 5:17
reminds us of the continual struggle for God's Spirit inside us to
defeat our fleshly, carnal, impulses.
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