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“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, in order that you may know…his incomparable great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead” (Ephesians 1:18-19, NIV).
Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by your weakness? You wonder how you can keep going? Let me tell you about a source of power that is available to you.
Here at Eurardy, a Bush Heritage reserve in Western Australia, we’re many miles from the nearest town and well off the grid. Still, the homestead is fully equipped with electric light and all the modern kitchen appliances. We even have air conditioning, television, internet, telephone and it’s all because of solar power! Amazing!
I wondered, “How does it work?”
As we walked over to the solar panels Matthew explained. The panels catch the sun’s energy which is then converted into electricity and sent along an underground cable to a shed that houses 28 batteries. The batteries are charged up and the electricity is stored as a backup so that, even when there is no sunlight, we can still have electric power in the house.”
He points to a sprinkler system on the lawn which operates directly by sunlight. When the sun goes down, the sprinklers turn off. As soon as the sun shines brightly, the sprinklers spring to life again.
“To get the most benefit of the sun, solar panels change their positions throughout the day,” Matthew continued. “At the base of each panel is a pipe with water in it. As it heats up, some water turns to steam and forces the remaining water into a pipe that leads to the other panel. With the exchange of water and steam, the panels go up and down like a slow moving see-saw.”
I see a spiritual lesson in all of this.
Paul tells us in Ephesians that as Christians, we have at our disposal the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. But how many of us use it? Too often we act like it all depends on us. It doesn’t. “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us,” Paul says in 2. Corinthians 4:7.
How does Christ’s energy become real and practical in our daily lives? Like the solar panels, we must position our hearts so that we can receive the Son’s energy and make use of it.
Thank you, Father, that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Amen.
Questions: Why is it that many Christians do not experience the abundant life that Christ talks about? What happens when one who has received Christ tries to live the Christian life in his own strength?
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When Christians do not experience the abundant life that Christ talks about, they are not surrendering all of their life to Him, and they are not heeding to the Holy Spirit. 2. What happens when one who has received Christ tries to live on his own strength? He misses the peaceful blessings, and the calmness that God brings.
You are drawn into a false sense of peace derived from self and when crisis comes you fail miserably because your strength is finite.
To really understand that we are nothing without God is to really understand what is meant to die to self. Some of us have to reach that place of no control to get the point. I hope that most people are smarter than me.
1. Some Christians lose hope and then their faith when they try to live a christian life on their own.Others miss the joy and the peace that can only come through Christ. When we see them struggle as often times we have we need to lift them up in prayer and encourage them to allow Christ to bear their burdens (HE already has) with both scripture and example.
Amen to all the gals have already written. Think I’ve been there and done it the hard way once too often.
Interestingly enuf it was when we first went to the mission field that I truly discovered MANY area of my/our life/lives that I/we weren’t even consciously aware we were living in and functioning in under our own stream and strength. I cried every day for 6 months while God took me deeper into ‘giving over’ unto HIM. That was a huge spiritual eye opener to live thru and I’ve never been the same since. HE had stripped us of all the familiar cultural norms, etc and laid us bare and very dependent upon HIM. The next 2 years were incredible as I/we learned hundreds of ways we needed to give over into HIS hands and lean upon HIS strength.
i know for me, i have been hopeless about a relationship which has been going on for 6 yrs. It’s like being at the same mountain over and over again. i feel hopeless bec when i count the cost of ever marrying this man, it is too high and i don’t want to pay it unless, as i continue to let the LORD deal with it He will either help me stop going around in circles with this or bring me to another more promising one. i have to continually accept what is and keep surrendering it to the LORD.
Hello! I feel like I have experienced what Helen wrote about today, January 4, 2010 on strength. I have gone through a cycle of very low spirits since sometime over the Summer & I think part of this was the recovery from having a broken back. I lost a sense of self, although God knows just who we are, how He has made us and His plans for us in the future. I cling to prayer and calling out to God and are so aware of Jesus praying at the right side of his Father. I received 3 calls this morning while looking into God’s Word and they brought encouragement and hope to my soul and peace within. I opened my heart to what God had prepared me for and was so blessed; it was His strength working in me that brought the joy.I know I need to cooperate with God in order to have that peace and joy from Him (Phil. 2:13) If I am to see His work going on in my life, I must seek His face and unite myself to Him so we sre headed the same direction. Oh, what peace follows.
thank you for the devontional Helen. much to think about.