11 November 2010

Paul advised the Corinthians that, when he came to see them, he did not expect simply to hear them talk about their faith; he expected to see the power of that faith alive within them. For the Kingdom of God, he explained, does not consist in words, but in power (1 Cor. 4.19, 20).

Power for what? For righteousness, for one: pursuing holiness in the fear of God (Rom. 14.17, 18; 2 Cor. 7.1). For another - the power of peace. The Corinthians were not living in peace, but in division. If they truly lived under the Prince of Peace, they would study peace and share it with one another. And joy, for the Kingdom of God is joy in the Holy Spirit. Further, power for witness (Acts 1.8). Where the Kingdom is flourishing its citizens bear witness to it by their lives and works.

The power Paul expected of the Corinthians, and which we should expect of ourselves, is the inward power of God's Spirit, working within us to make us willing and able to do God's good and perfect will (Phil. 2.12, 13; Ezek. 36.26, 27). It is a power to take us beyond ourselves, beyond anything in our previous experience with the Lord, beyond all that we could ever dare to ask or think (Eph. 3.20).

Is this what we expect of ourselves? Or do we harbor such low expectations that we have allowed the glorious deposit of the faith of Christ, implanted in our souls, to become a humdrum, status quo, "good as it gets" daily experience of sameness?

If so, no wonder the people in our Personal Mission Fields seem so little interested in what we believe.

What do we expect of ourselves today? And every day?

T. M. Moore