Pretty Powerful!
A year or so ago we purchased a power washer. It’s been life-changing. We’ve used power nozzles on our hoses and other “wanna be” options but now that we can connect to a more effective power source, we can really accomplish some things! I wonder how many of us as Christians are living our lives in our own feeble power and failing to connect to the source that is at our fingertips–or, rather, in our very souls.
With Resurrection Sunday (Easter) this coming weekend, I’m struck with how lightly we can tend to approach this Holy Day. I think I’ve had a tendency to focus more on the great suffering that Jesus went through to save me than on the incredible miracle that we celebrate on Sunday. Bringing the dead to life is a pretty big deal, friends. That requires the life-giving power of a Holy God. There are accounts of others being raised to life prior to Jesus’ resurrection and they are all through the power of God, delivered through prophets, disciples or Jesus himself. But no one brought Jesus back to life. He did it in His own power. He is God. And in so doing, He proved to the world that He alone has power over sin and death. If we believe in Him–that Jesus is the Son of God who became the ultimate sacrifice to cover our sins–we need not fear death because we will be raised to eternal life with Him.
It is an awe-inspiring truth that when we choose to follow Jesus Christ, we receive Holy Spirit power. This is the untapped power source to which I refer. Read in Romans 8:9-11: “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.”
Oh my. Read that again. The very Spirit who raised Jesus Christ on that first Resurrection Sunday is the same Spirit who lives in you if you are a believer! God is still in the business of raising the dead to life. Are you experiencing that? This earthly flesh will pass away and our lives are but a blip in eternity. But Holy Spirit power gives life that will never end. I am convinced that the best way to utilize Holy Spirit power is by overcoming worries and fears of this world in order to love others well and share the Good News of Jesus with them. It is my deep desire to see my dear friends and family members come to know Jesus. This is how I can be instrumental in raising the dead to life.
We need not fear the tragedies that happen in this fallen world because “greater is He (Holy Spirit) that is in us (you), than he that is in the world.” (I John 4:4) That doesn’t mean things won’t be hard. Jesus was perfect, but His life here on earth certainly had its hardships and sadness and obviously ended with Him being unjustly put to death. But He knew His power source and went to it often. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35) I think that if Jesus needed to spend time with God, we probably do as well! It does us no good to have a power source available but we don’t connect to it.
There’s so much more I could write about as it relates to power. The apostle Paul used the word “power” many times in his writing. If you like to do word studies, this is one worth pursuing. We have received POWER, dear friends!
One of my to-do’s over the next week is to haul the power washer out of the garage and give these patios a good cleaning. As I do that, and the noisy motor drowns out every other sound around me, I believe I will spend time communing with my great power source. Might as well make my patios be holy ground!
In closing, I want to wish each of you, my dear readers, a meaningful and joyful Resurrection Sunday. There is no judgment from me if you choose to participate in egg decorating, bunnies, egg hunts and Easter baskets. I’ll be doing a little of that as well. (Hey, I’ve got grandkids!) But let’s be sure to spend valuable time praising our loving Heavenly Father who provided a way for us to have eternal life through the sacrifice and resurrection of His Son. And let’s tell others about it!
