Though love is the overarching theme of the Bible, the attribute that equips us to execute that love is strength.
God's command to love includes His love toward us, our love toward Him, and our love for ourselves and each other. If we tried to diagram this, arrows of love would be multi-directional.
The arrows can only reach their mark with applied strength.
Consider God's command to Joshua in chapter 1, verses 1-9:
After the death of Moses servant of God, God spoke to Joshua, Moses' assistant: "Moses my servant is dead. Get going. Cross this Jordan River, you and all the people. Cross to the country I'm giving to the People of Israel. I'm giving you every square inch of the land you set your foot on--just as I promised Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon east to the Great River, the Euphrates River--all the Hittite country--and then west to the Great Sea. It's all yours. All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I'll be with you. I won't give up on you; I won't leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don't get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you're going. And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you'll get where you're going; then you'll succeed. Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take."This is our premise. We are going to break down this command to Joshua and apply it our lives.
We have at least ourselves to lead. Strength! Courage!
How do we make that happen?
Tomorrow: breaking our paralysis.
