God Provides Strength

If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength that God provides. (1 Peter 4:11)

I've been preaching about service. Service to God and to one another. Service in our church family and in other parts of our lives.

I think that when I was younger, I felt like I had all this energy, and the challenge was to harness that energy for the right priorities The challenge was to use my strength for God and for other people, not just for myself.

As I get older, I'm a little quicker to prioritize God and others. Now, what's harder and harder is feeling like I have the energy to serve.

The Bible tells us that God's Kingdom will often be made out of the weak, the poor, and the broken. So it's no surprise that we don't always feel up to the task of launching new ministries, pouring out hospitality for new neighbors, or volunteering for new positions. Sometimes, it's all we can do to get out of bed!

The good news is that God promises to give us the power we need to serve the tasks that He sets us. Sometimes that may just be the daily tasks of caring for our family. Sometimes it might include an extra step of volunteering in our church or community. Sometimes, it might even mean taking special responsibility for someone in need, with all the extra effort that can involve.

Serving in our own energy makes us tired, burnt out, resentful. We get a little whiny. We wonder why someone else can't take up the slack.

But when God strengthens us, suddenly things aren't so hard. We wonder what we were so worried about. The love of God is like a power cord, recharging us to do what God wants us to do. And yes, it may even recharge us to say No to things God doesn't want us to do! Either way, we know that we aren't going it alone. God gets the glory--because God provides the strength.

God is like a power cord, recharging us to do what God wants us to do.

Serve in the strength that God provides.

Every Sunday in our 10 a.m. worship service there are opportunities to serve and be served in the name of Jesus. Come join us in learning to honor and obey God. And mark your calendar for a special day of service and fun, our upcoming Back to School Bash, Saturday, August 23, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

--Jonathan