“If Only I Was Stronger…”

I don’t know about you but I have felt too weak or unqualified to be of much use in the kingdom of God.

Then I looked at at this verse from 2 Corinthians:

“My grace is enough for you: for where there is weakness, my power is shown the more completely.”  (verse 9, Phillips translation)

At this point, I wondered how being weak can turn into strength! How can I have the power of God revealed in my life!? And, as usual in spiritual things, it comes back to seeking Him.       

So now begins my condensed Colossians 1: 9-11 list! Do you see the order of things?

1. Ask God to help you know his will through His Spirit’s understanding. Do this to:

2. Live worthy, pleasing God,

3. Bear fruit,

4. Grow more in knowing God.

5. Do all this enabled, being strengthened in HIS great power… So that we:

6. Have endurance and patience,

7. Give joyful thanks.

Number 5 is His power available for all. Number 6 is the epitome of our strength! Our strength comes from His strength enabling us while we come to know Him and His will while learning to please Him and bear fruit. We can’t just wave a magic wand, and poof we are strong.  We'd like to think so, but there are steps of discipline along the way if I read this right.

Strength doesn’t happen for a sportsman out of nowhere, does it? Don’t they give up their free time to train, and dedicate themselves to following a rigorous diet and exercise routine? Just like an athlete, we are trained in His strength as we exercise his will into our lives, a diet of his word...

Boy, do I have work to do!  So, weakness is the entry point to gain strength from Him. Here all of us begin.

From MacLaren’s exposition on Colossians, I learned that His strength is perpetual, all-encompassing where we:

1. become strong enough to submit to his will even when amid trouble or trial;

2. become strong enough to see his will as the foundation of our lives;

3. are strong enough to hope, and to see HIS love at work each hour of each day, rain or shine;

4. and are strong enough to trust the Father even when he chastises us.

Endurance and patience indeed!

To boil it all down, we are strengthened in him by faith to live, love, serve, and develop further in our walk in him, going from strength to strength. (Psalm 84:7)

So, when depending on Him in my daily life, I can become:

1. strong enough to discipline myself to live a pleasing life to God (the hard one!);

2. strong enough to forgive again;

3. strong enough to speak to those who cannot comprehend the truth found in Christ, despite my shy nature;

4. strong enough to battle in prayer for those in need;

5. strong enough to give of myself (loner as I am!), in time and finances too;

6. strong enough to rejoice even in suffering. And so much more...

So join me. Let’s seek to live from strength to strength. (His to mine to His, on and on) It is His gift after all!

Image found on Pinterest.