…being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might that you may have endurance and patience. (Colossians 1:11, NIV)
Worldly power comes in many forms. On this day, December 7, we are reminded of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, which was meant to engage the United States, power vs. power. This is the way of all wars: Who can demonstrate the greater power?
On a tamer scale, we see the same phenomenon in sports. The Olympic motto, Citius, Altius, Fortius, is translated Faster, Higher, Stronger. All are representative forms of power. So maybe golf does fit right back into the Olympic Games, for we know that in our sport, men and women both are hitting the ball with greater speed, higher trajectories, and stronger thrust. It all adds up to power, as seen both in the apex of a ball’s trajectory and the overall distance the ball is traveling.
And yet even that ball, struck with such great power, returns to earth, where finesse must complete the task of getting the ball in the hole. There will always be limits to worldly power.
God’s glorious power goes on without dissipation. In the Spirit, you can hang on for good.In Scripture, we find ourselves weighing God’s teaching on power. Paul wrote to the Colossians that he prayed for them to be “strengthened with all power.” But elsewhere, we find the prophet Zechariah delivering the words of God to Zerubbabel, who was tasked with leading the work on restoring the temple of the Lord: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit” (Zechariah 4:6).
What we unpack in juxtaposing these passages is that God’s Word establishes a clear difference between the power of the Spirit working in us and demonstrations of earthly power. Zechariah went on in his prophecy with these words from the Lord: “The hands of Zerubabbel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.” So just as Paul noted hundreds of years later, God’s power produces endurance.
Earthly strength brings endurance, too. Indeed, a fourth component of the Olympic motto might be Farther. But eventually, as with the flying golf ball, that power will wane. God’s glorious power goes on without dissipation. You can flex your muscle, but soon you’ll have to release that wearying contraction. In the Spirit, you can hang on for good.
—
Jeff Hopper
December 7, 2018
Copyright 2018 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
OTHER DEVOTIONS IN THIS SERIES
Praying for Better 1: Intentionality
Praying for Better 2: Knowledge
Praying for Better 3: Worthy Lives
Praying for Better 4: Bearing Fruit
Praying for Better 5: Growing in the Knowledge of God
Praying for Better 7: Joy
Praying for Better 8: Our Motivation