Strength

28 Dec Strength

Read Ephesians 3:14-21
Thought for the Day: True strength comes from following Jesus!

“Hysterical strength” goes beyond what is accepted as ordinary or possible. Open up the Book of Judges in the Old Testament and you will encounter Sampson, a hero who led his people by relying on tremendous physical ability. Similarly, Jean Valjean from Victor Hugo’s 19th Century novel Les Miserables was able to perform impossible feats of “hysterical strength”. In modern times, The Incredible Hulk was created by Jack Kirby after he said he witnessed a public act of “hysterical strength”. How many of us were inspired as youngsters wanting to be just like The Incredible Hulk? However, no matter how many times we encounter these amazing stories, many approach the end of this year feeling tired and worn out. Both physical strength and endurance always have their limits.

While the Apostle Paul may not have ever demonstrated “hysterical strength” during his missionary journeys, he certainly understood the need for inward spiritual strength. Writing from prison in Ephesians 3, Paul could have given up. Instead, he knew that true strength comes from a Christ-centered heart. While we often think strength comes from anger, weightlifting, or adrenaline, this sort of strength ultimately has its limits. In contrast, Paul lets us know that when we are “rooted and grounded in love” we will experience true strength in Jesus!

How many times do we go through our day and actually feel physically drained? Too often, we find ourselves mistakenly believing that physical strength is all that we need. It isn’t! We don’t need to perform feats of “hysterical strength” in order to measure up. In fact, we don’t need to measure up at all. Instead, we are invited to learn one of the lessons of Paul in prison. Human strength fails but the spiritual strength we receive from a Christ-centered heart will never let us down!

In Christ,
Pastors Stan and David