Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to tear down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Every superhero has an origin story. This origin story tells us a lot about the hero’s personality and background, but it also answers the question everyone wants to know: How did the hero get his or her power? For those in Christ, our power comes from the same source.
When God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, he wondered, “How am I going to do it?” God promised to give Jeremiah the words, the time, and the wisdom to lead. The only way we can effectively serve and lead others to Christ is not through our best efforts but through God at work in us. He is the One who guides us, enables us, and equips us to serve. When we are serving in our own strength, we point to ourselves, but when we serve from God’s strength, we point to Him.
First Peter 4:11 says “Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking actual words of God; whoever serves is to do so by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” The power to serve was never supposed to come from you. Others needs are never a burden to carry on your own. When you have faith in Jesus, He takes the burden of perfection off of you and gives you the freedom to serve out of the strength He provides. His provision is sufficient, and His power is all you need to serve in individual moments and to make an eternal impact over time.
- What does it look like to serve in your own strength? What does it look like to serve in God’s strength? What’s the difference between the two?
- Who in your life models serving in God’s strength? What have you learned from them?
- Pray, asking to let go of your strength and to serve from God’s.
