Living With A Spirit Of Power

"Today's Devotion" For August 21, 2006

Read: II Timothy 1:6-14; I Peter 3:8-12

LIVING WITH A SPIRIT OF POWER

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord...join with me in suffering for the Gospel." (II Timothy 1:7, 8)

In the early part of the 20th Century, the United States was a neutral country when it came to world affairs. The prevailing mood in Washington and in communities around the nation was "Isolationism." This meant that not only was the nation neutral when it came to the disputes of other nations, but, for the most part, the United States wasn't concerned with what was going on outside of its own borders. When war in Europe broke out about 1914, the American public certainly kept its eye on any news that came this way, but it was the Kaiser's war and none of this nation's business.

While maintaining its neutrality, the United States also tried to broker a peace between the major combatants, raising the ire of both Britain and Germany. Germany and its allies were carrying on "total war" which meant they sought to totally destroy their enemies, bringing all their resources to bear on the effort (and discarding any political considerations). This resulted in unrestricted undersea warfare which caused significant losses of U.S. ships as they carried on commerce with Europe. The straw that broke the camel's back, however, came when a German U-boat sunk the British steamship, Lusitania, with the loss of all life, including 150 Americans.

Facing up to the problems of the world is a real challenge for us. We'd really like for things to be simple, easy, and non-controversial. We'd like others to leave us alone and we'll leave them alone. And, while these sentiments may make us "feel good," the reality of life is that we can't ever remain neutral if we're going to face the challenges and problems life throws at us. There is evil in the world. There are other people besides ourselves who live in this world and have hopes and dreams, pain and despair, just as we do. Sin affects the lives of everyone of every time and place. There's a war going on in the world - the spiritual world is at the heart of it - and human beings, for the most part, want to ignore it. Very much like the United States prior to World War I (and, incidentally, following World War I - we didn't learn our lesson), human nature tries to keep us aloof from the problems of the world and our neighbors, until something happens that forces us to take action and care.

Paul's encouragement is for God's children in Christ not to shirk from the pain, suffering, and other challenges that Sin foists upon the world. Rather, he calls us to live our lives of faith with a "spirit of power," knowing that God has redeemed us from the power of Sin, Death, and Satan in Jesus Christ. He doesn't want us to wait until the "Lusitania" is sunk before we act, but to step forth boldly in faith and, facing suffering for the sake of the Gospel, declare the marvelous gift of God's grace to the world - Christ died for the sins of all humanity. Peter calls us "chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that (we) may declare the praises of Him who called (us) out of darkness into His marvelous light" (I Peter 2:18), all so that we might act proactively to overcome the power of Sin and evil in the world with God's Good News in Christ.

As God's people then, we don't shirk from our calling to be witnesses of Christ and proclaimers of the Gospel in the face of Sin and unbelieff. We live our lives, in the power of our Baptisms into Christ, with a spirit of power so that we might face the spiritual warfare of this world with courage and strength of faith. By faith we are empowered to step forth boldly, in love and commitment to God and our neighbor, to speak the truth, to face evil, and to overcome and share God's peace with the world.

Prayer: Father, all too often I follow the path of timidity, unwilling to confront evil, decry sin, and fight for what is right and pleasing in Your eyes. It's my nature as a sinful human being to sit back and let other people live their lives without even a whimper from me about Your love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness in Christ. Father, I need to be reminded each day that in Christ I can live for You filled with Your Spirit of power, and in so living, give a ready and unashamed testimony of Your gift of salvation to the world in Jesus. As You have called me to be Your own special child, help me to boldly and unvailingly declare the wonders of Your love in Jesus to others so they, too, might be Your own special children living with Your Spirit of power. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
***********************

--Pastor Boeck

Copyright @2006 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.