Who's Strength You Living In?

Have you heard the phrase "he's a self-made man" or "he pulled himself up by his own boot straps"? For the most part, we understand what people mean when they say such things. We assume they mean that the person they are describing is a hard worker, they started at the bottom and worked themselves to death to get a corner office or they mean that the person had such personal fortitude they were able to become what they are today.

The reality is, that there is no such thing as a "self-made man". The reason is that God has made each of us in His image. No one ever pull himself up "by his own boot straps". The reason is that God is the one who has given us breath and strength of our legs and hands and minds. "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made". (John 1)

Where does the strength come from to face the challenges of life? How in the world can we ever overcome the circumstances that seem to be insurmountable? The Apostle Paul was a guy just like us. He was weak, frail, timid and fearful. He was also proud, boastful and arrogant. That sounds like us, doesn't it? We have been all these things at some point in our lives. If Paul could be a committed follower of Christ in the face of troubling circumstance, then we can as well.

Paul had experienced beatings, shipwrecks, stoning, imprisonment, nakedness, hunger, plenty and scarcity. In Philippians 4:13 he states "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength". Please note that through the strength of Christ and not himself, he could face all the trials and adversity of serving Christ. Our strength is not ours but Christ's. We can do nothing apart from Him. We are powerless in the face of the ruler of this world and all his evil schemes. Without Christ and the armour He gives we are going to fail.

If you are a follower of Christ, who's strength are you living in? I think sometimes we are lured into thinking we can do this Christian life alone. We keep Christ in our hip pocket or at arms length just in case we need Him. The reality is we need Him every moment of every day. There is not a time we do not need Him. We are absolutely dependent upon Him to give us the strength and protection we need. But we must acknowledge this reality.

I love what Peter states in 2 Peter 1:3 read and listen to what he says: "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness". It is his divine power that gives us all we need and it's all for his own glory and goodness. Live in the reality of God's word and live in HIS power!