Power of God in Us

 Eph. 3:20
Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.

We recently lost power to our house during a windstorm. The energy transformed into electricity gave light in our house when darkness came. It provided power to the fans that blew warm air through our home, and kept the refrigerator compressor running to keep our food from spoiling.  Without the power, we were left in the dark to make the best of it. Power is defined and demonstrated in various ways. It can also be seen as the ability to overcome or command a situation. Jesus said, “You shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” What was this power? Why would Christians need to have this power? The work that God has given each one of us is not done with human ingenuity or power. We offer God ourselves as an empty vessel to be used by Him. He fills us with the power given to us by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the work of the Kingdom. God is able to exceed abundantly all that is needed when we allow HIm to work in us. Without His power, we are like a house without any lights, we wander in darkness trying to figure things out through our human means. God gives us power to live a life of holiness. There is power in the blood of Jesus. He gives us power to be witnesses to a world lost in darkness. Power to pray that the Holy Spirit will convict men and women of sin. For the Christian, the power to overcome trials, tribulation, and hardship. The power works in us as we open our heart to God believing that He is able to do all things according to His purpose. 

One Offering

Hebrew 10:12.14  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;…  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Them that are set apart, believing that Jesus died on the cross to forgive us of our sins, He hath made them perfect in heart. Because of Adam’s transgression, all born into this world are born with sin, but God sent His son to be the one offering to redeem man from his sinful state. We have not yet arrived, and we are a work in progress. Perfect in heart, with a singleness toward the will of God. But we are earthen vessels, prone to weakness and failures. Our body and mind, and emotions are imperfect and subject to breaking down. God takes this vessel, fills it with His Spirit and uses it for His purpose. He is the potter, we are the clay. He is molding and making us into His perfect will. We need to keep are hands off the wheel and let Him do what He must to make us what we ought to be. 

We Can Do Nothing

John 5:19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself…

Helpless we are without the help of God. Jesus, the God-man relied on the help of his Father to achieve the work He was sent to do. It was not the will of the God man, but the will of the Father that Jesus sought. How much more, human flesh do we need to trust God to be the one to do the work that needs to be done. We are but His instruments doing His will to build the Kingdom of God. Without Him, our efforts are futile, and worthless. The commission is to go into all the world, but He promise that He would send the Comforter to enable us to carry out His work. We our vessels in the hand of God to do with as He pleased. Makes us, molds us, and uses us for His glory. 

Living For What Matters

2 Corinth 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We are pilgrims just passing through. This is not our home. This earth is a temporal dwelling place and this body is also temporal. The physical elements of this world will some day all melt away. The things that really matter in life are those things that we cannot see. There is life after death. We all will stand before God and give an account for the life we live. Did we strive only to gain the riches of this world? Did we take time to invest in things not of this world? Did we seek those things that are above? Where our heart is, so is our treasure. Life is but a viper, here for a moment and then gone. Others may remember your life, but they too will also will pass away. The things that matter in this life are seen in the priorities in the choices we make. Let us make choices that will last for eternity. Live your life to be a vessel unto holiness, a vessel broken and spilled out for God.

She Poured Out The Oil

2 kings 4:5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.

The insights to this passage of scripture has many applications to life. Our dependance on God to supply our needs, Faith to believe that God can do the impossible. Prayer and petitioning God to grant the desires of our heart. The oil being symbolic of the Holy Spirit in our lives. God wants to pour out His Spirit on us until we are full of love and grace. The Holy Spirt is able to set us free from being sold into the bondage of sin. To some, this is just a story of a women who was down to her last penny, and some how a miracle happen and she was able to continue on with life with her two sons. We seek for hidden messages in the stories of old, and to what purpose they have been reserves to this day is the answer we seek. God used stories like these to help us realize that life happens and we might find ourselves someday like the widow and her pot of oil. What will we do? Will we continue to believe God in spite of the circumstance? Will we have enough oil, that God can use it to continue to feed our soul? Is our vessel full and ready to be used for God?

Perfect Fatih

1 Thess 3:10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

Perfection of heart is what the Holy Spirit does when He comes into the heart to abide. It is the teaching found in God’s word that gives us light into the possibility of being perfect in love. Being perfect in heart does not mean we have perfect vessels. We live in earthen vessels made of clay and are subject to marring. But God wants to fill the vessel with His pure love. It is possible to have pure motives with intent to always please our creator, but  total perfection of human error or even of faith is a matter of growing and learning toward perfection. There are times that our faith is weak and we lack the faith to see God move in our lives and in the lives of others. In times like these, we go to prayer asking God to increase our faith. We have not arrived yet, we have not finished our journey. Our faith continues to build, and we stand fast trusting God to help us have greater faith. 

Seeking God First

Mat. 6:33 “ But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”-

Since the fall of Adam and Eve, human nature is seeded in sin. The choices in life that are made are influences by this sin nature. Self preservation is part of the human nature. People will do unconceivable things to preserve self. Even after we commit our live to God is full surrender, we still live in these vessels of clay. Vessels that are weak and subject to failure. That is why we must always seek God and call on His wisdom and power to help us make the choices in life. When we are in want, it is tempting to worry and complain of our circumstances. Jesus knew that we would face time of discouragement and stress. He understands what the effects of sin as done to humanity. That is why He came to this world. He wants to help us overcome our human nature and give it to God. With God nothing is impossible. All are needs are met when we seek first the face of Jesus and trust Him to take care of our needs.

New Vessels

Jer. 18:4 “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make it.”-

Our life is a vessel that needs to be remade into a vessel that can be used by God. From birth, our vessel was damaged, disfigured, and full of debris. In order to be used for God, the vessel must be crushed and made into clay, and be reshaped into a vessel that is fit to be filled with His love. God takes our self-will life and turns it into a life that seeks only the will of God. God can not only take the sin in our life and forgive us making us new vessels, but He also can take the imperfection that human nature creates and mold and make it a vessel of honor. We all have places in our lives that need improvement and reshaping. We need to let God mold us, make us, and use us for His work and kingdom.