But the one who did not know and did things deserving of blows will be beaten lightly. Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more.  Luke 12:48 HCSB

The saying, “With great power comes great responsibility” is one that you may remember from Spider Man.  It is unsure where this quote originated, but it has been traced back as far as the French Revolution and is believed to have been inspired by our scripture passage from today.

Yesterday we spoke of how we can rely on God’s strength. We don’t have to be strong, we just have to be tapped in to God’s strength. Well the same is true for God’s power. We have very little, if any, power on our own. God gives us free will. So we have the power to say “yes” to what is right and “no” to what is wrong. Sometimes we get the two confused and do just the opposite, however, or at least I know I have.

We don’t have the power to change another person, only God can do that. We don’t have the power over weather conditions, only God has power over those things. We don’t have the power to heal or to raise the dead to life, but God does.

Often times, we get swelled up with pride when we accomplish something. We get confused and think we have power, but this is not the case. This is when we should humble ourselves and thank God for allowing us to accomplish what we have.

The good thing about God’s power is that He uses that power to work all things out for our good (Romans 8:28) when we love Him and are called according to His purpose. He uses that power to protect us from evil (Psalm 91). He uses that power to heal us when we are sick. He uses that power to give us eternal life. Any power that we may think we have is actually power that God has extended to us.

We must rely on God’s power. But we must understand that when God doles out power, He also extends to us responsibility. We have a responsibility to bring as many people as we possibly can to the Lord while we are here on earth. We are not expected to get saved and then simply decorate a church pew. We are expected to serve the Lord through serving others. We are expected to live a life that exemplifies Christ. We are to imitate Christ. In doing so, we may bring others to want to know Him and serve Him. 

Many people have a hard time striking up a conversation with someone about the eternal destination of their soul. If this is the case with you, that’s okay. We can witness through our actions. We can witness through how we talk to others and how we treat others. But however we do it, we have a responsibility to spread the gospel. It is our responsibility to help others to see what Christ can do in their lives. Sometimes the best way to do this is simply through letting them see what God has done in yours.

I know there was a time in my life when God had brought me through some tough times but I was living as though I was oblivious to His awesome power. I am ashamed to say that I had either not realized the way God had worked things out for me or I had simply taken His power for granted. I now know that every good thing in my life comes from Him (James 1:17). I am so grateful for the peace that He has given me (Philippians 4:7). I thank Him each and everyday for what He has done and continues to do in my life. I know that God has given me strength and power in times of great need and I also know that I have an awesome responsibility to share His word with others.

My prayer today is that you will look back on times when you were powerless, but God brought you through with His great power. Accept the great responsibility of bringing others to Christ. I believe our days may be short my friend, so that doesn’t leave us much time. We need to get busy.

Have a great day!