Word@Work Eph76 - Ephesians 6:10
Published: Tue, 01/20/09
Word@Work from BeaconLight
STRONG STUFF
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (NIV)
"Be strong ..." is easier said than done. After Paul's instruction about how to live as Christians, in the church, the marriage, the family and at work - just one glance at that list could precipitate all sorts of concerns! But what kind of strength? There may be no physical enemy to stare-out, and no physical battle to fight. This is not just the strength to win a logical argument or to keep your temper in the face of abuse. The reserves of this strength cannot be stored in experience nor practiced at the gym. The Apostle is talking about a different life-dynamic that can never be learned though assertiveness training courses.
As the next few verses will unpack, a special strength is needed for a spiritual battle with unseen enemies. They infuse Christian minds with lies of many kinds - the biggest of which may well be that if only we have enough knowledge and help, humans can surmount every problem - an old take on humanism. The reality is that we need greater wisdom, supernatural energy and Godly integrity to be able to resist the devil (and all his demonic incursions into our lives). So the strength we need has to be founded and rooted in God Himself. The bullied child feels much stronger when he invites his big brother to sort out the bully. Of course, there is no more strength in the child than before, but having placed his confidence in the power of his big brother to sort out the situation, he is no longer the intimidated weakling. Using that picture, the Lord is our big brother!
The Lord's ability to deal with everything is infinite and absolute. He has absolute authority to command demons, wind and waves (all of them must obey). He also has infinite power to achieve anything that He chooses. So, to trust Him to exercise His power alongside you in the church, the family and at work is enormously strengthening ... instead of cowering in fear we can stand up in strength, the strength that enables us to stand firm while He sorts out the enemies. There is no other way to live the Christian life. Apart from Him we can do nothing (cf John 15:5). Without a confident trust in His ability to act in our hearts and in our circumstances, we will always be weak; our own fix-its will only see us through so far before we fall. But the person who trusts the Lord for both the solution and the power to reach it ... will find their own strength renewed, with a fresh ability to keep going until the job is done (cf Is 40:28-31), in His strength.
Prayer: Dear Lord. Please help me to trust You for everything today, whether at work or at home. Help me to be confident in Your ability to deal with the things that trouble me and not to fall into the trap of thinking that my future is totally in my own hands. For Jesus' Christ's sake. Amen.
You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and Spanish
"Be strong ..." is easier said than done. After Paul's instruction about how to live as Christians, in the church, the marriage, the family and at work - just one glance at that list could precipitate all sorts of concerns! But what kind of strength? There may be no physical enemy to stare-out, and no physical battle to fight. This is not just the strength to win a logical argument or to keep your temper in the face of abuse. The reserves of this strength cannot be stored in experience nor practiced at the gym. The Apostle is talking about a different life-dynamic that can never be learned though assertiveness training courses.
As the next few verses will unpack, a special strength is needed for a spiritual battle with unseen enemies. They infuse Christian minds with lies of many kinds - the biggest of which may well be that if only we have enough knowledge and help, humans can surmount every problem - an old take on humanism. The reality is that we need greater wisdom, supernatural energy and Godly integrity to be able to resist the devil (and all his demonic incursions into our lives). So the strength we need has to be founded and rooted in God Himself. The bullied child feels much stronger when he invites his big brother to sort out the bully. Of course, there is no more strength in the child than before, but having placed his confidence in the power of his big brother to sort out the situation, he is no longer the intimidated weakling. Using that picture, the Lord is our big brother!
The Lord's ability to deal with everything is infinite and absolute. He has absolute authority to command demons, wind and waves (all of them must obey). He also has infinite power to achieve anything that He chooses. So, to trust Him to exercise His power alongside you in the church, the family and at work is enormously strengthening ... instead of cowering in fear we can stand up in strength, the strength that enables us to stand firm while He sorts out the enemies. There is no other way to live the Christian life. Apart from Him we can do nothing (cf John 15:5). Without a confident trust in His ability to act in our hearts and in our circumstances, we will always be weak; our own fix-its will only see us through so far before we fall. But the person who trusts the Lord for both the solution and the power to reach it ... will find their own strength renewed, with a fresh ability to keep going until the job is done (cf Is 40:28-31), in His strength.
Prayer: Dear Lord. Please help me to trust You for everything today, whether at work or at home. Help me to be confident in Your ability to deal with the things that trouble me and not to fall into the trap of thinking that my future is totally in my own hands. For Jesus' Christ's sake. Amen.
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