Hi ladies, how was your week? Did you wonder at all where you would find motivation, energy, and strength to get anything done, let alone meet with God? I did, and I’m sure that I am not the only one who sometimes feels completely drained. My toddler keeps throwing random items into the toilet and using the trash as a wending machine. Then there is the laundry, which multiplies faster than rabbits, and a husband who will be home famished after a long day at work. Did I mention that my in-laws live with us? And somewhere in all of that I need to homeschool my older kids. We all have a lot going on, and if we’re honest we know that we don’t have the strength to get it all done.
This is why I was encouraged by Eph. 1:19, 20. Paul says he was praying that the Ephesian Christians would know “the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe,… that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead ….”
Many of us think of Jesus’ resurrection as a historical event that “saves” us, but we don’t always see how it connects to our everyday lives (and making Resurrection Rolls doesn’t count). Paul says we can know the power of God that was displayed in Jesus’ resurrection. And it is available to all Christians.
I recently read a devotional that asked what the most powerful thing was besides God. The answer was death.
“Every living thing, no matter how small or large, no matter how beautiful or ugly, poor or rich will experience death. Even the devil himself will experience a kind of death. One of the best ways that God has demonstrated his power is by overcoming death. And this same power dwells within every believer.” - The Exaltation of Christ
As I read through Scripture I see that Jesus IS the power of God (1Cor. 1:24), and with Jesus God has given us a spirit of power (2Tim. 1:7) through which he has granted us all things pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). His power makes us effective witnesses of Jesus to the world and to our children and spouses (Acts 1:8). It gives us hope in the midst of dark times (Rom. 15:13). It helps us fight spiritual battles in our homes and hearts (2 Cor. 10:4), and it causes us to persevere without being crushed in the midst of pressing duties and present troubles.
But here is my favorite part: How much power do we have available to us? Later in Ephesians 3:20 Paul says, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.” God’s power is far more abundant than we can imagine! What can this immeasurable power do? Well, it gave Polycarp the strength to be burned alive for his faith, Ignatius to be joyfully mauled to death by lions for his love for Jesus, and this power is given to you to fulfill your calling.
The reason we don’t really experience much of this power is because we either don’t believe it, think much about it, or seek for it. Some expect God to just give it. But experiencing this divine power is only found as we rest in Jesus. Here are some ways of doing that.
Look Up
Resting in Jesus while facing all that God has put before us requires us to look up in prayer (James 5:16), expecting God to work in us in mighty ways. I like what Billy Sunday said, “If you are strangers to prayer, you are strangers to power.”
Go Deep
If we are to discover the power of God we must go deep in the word for there we not only see his power in the past, but also find strength for today. The Holy Spirit uses the word to sanctify us (Jn. 17:17; 2 Thess. 2:13), transform our minds (Rom. 12:2; Ps. 19:7-14) and empower us unto godliness.
Work Hard
God grants power, but not so we can relax. “Let go and let God” is often a euphemism for “I don’t care, God will work it out.” God gives us power that we might work hard (Col. 1:28, 29)! When you think you don’t have any more to give remember that we are not wells that run dry, but rivers whose source is the eternal, almighty God. You can learn to deal gently and patiently with your children and be loving and respectful to your husband because you have the power of God in you! You can suffer well because Jesus has suffered well for you, and you now have the power of God to draw from. So, you can give your best at work or clean your home with a godly (dare I say even joyful) attitude because you have Jesus, and his resurrection power.
Never underestimate the importance of our Redeemer’s resurrection for without it we could never grow in godliness.
Looking to Jesus,
Books that will take you deeper:
Benefits of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, by Perry Hess (free)
Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus, D.A. Carson
Raised with Christ: How the Resurrection Changes Everything, Adrian Warnock
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