Am I Striving... or Am I Striving

I have recently come across two different bible verses that use the same word.One verse is rather familiar to us as believers. It says,Cease striving and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10The other verse is penned by Paul, whose ambition in life was to know Christ, and to make Him known. He says,I labor for this, striving with His strength that works powerfully in me. Col. 1:29When looking at these two scriptures, one says not to strive, and the other talks about how it's "right" to strive. How can this be? I beleive it has to do with the motive of our hearts. We must each answer this question honestly:What am I striving for?....for more money, more power, more prestige, more success in this world? If so, SELF is at the center of my motives. If this is the case, an inner dissatifsfaction will restlessly reside at the core of my heart. I must choose to hear the Lord say: Cease striving and know that I am God.....or am I striving to know Him and make Him known in my family, in my workplace, and in the positions God has placed me in for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). If this is the case, I can expect His strength to work powerfully in me! Jesus puts it like this, No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (Matthew 6:24).So I ask myself daily, am I striving... or am I striving?Dear Lord Jesus, May You be at the core of my heart. Check my motives, clean me out, and fill me up. Make me content in the positions You have put me in. Help me not to strive for more, more, more. May my labor TODAY not be about climbing any man-made ladder, but about humbling walking with You...towards others. Use me up, O God, for Your glory. Thank You for entrusting me with Your powerful strength...for such a time as this. Amen.