“To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with his energy that he powerfully works within me.” ~Col. 1:27-29

Quick Sip

Have you heard about the lady who chose to walk everywhere for her daily tasks? She didn’t live in a “walkable” community where this was actually a good, healthy idea. Instead she lived in a city like Dallas or Oklahoma City where everything was far away from each other and there were almost no sidewalks.

She walked to the grocery store, to the library, even to church trailing her children behind her. When asked why she didn’t drive her perfectly good car, full of gas, sitting in her garage, she replied, “Well, I only use it for big, important trips.”

We would think this is crazy! Why would someone with a perfectly good car in the driveway chose to walk everywhere? Why would they waste the time and energy, not to mention risking their safety to save the car for something “big?”

But don’t we do the same thing? If we are Christians, Christ is IN us. HIS strength is just waiting to work through us powerfully. But most of the time, especially for our everyday tasks, we struggle to get by on our own steam. We think we need to save Christ’s power and strength for the “big things” that come to us in life.

We feel chasing around kids – Not big enough. Grocery shopping with a two year old and a baby – Not big enough. Another project at work – Not big enough. Moving to a new place – Not big enough. Having a new baby – Well…no, still not big enough.

We feel like those things that qualify are potentially fatal illnesses, or tragic family losses, or the loss of a job. Yes, those things are big, and you should rely on Christ’s strength in you to make it through them, but unlike our strength, HIS won’t get used up. HE won’t wear out. HE doesn’t get tired and weary.

So how do we tap into HIS strength IN us? First, we stop and ask. We ask him to give us the wisdom and resources we need to glorify him in our lives today. Even if your day is only lived before your children or those in the next cubicle.

Then we quit trying to pursue peace and pursue joy and pursue happiness. Instead, we pursue him. Even if you only have a few minutes in the morning or before bed, give them to him. He can do amazing things with only a little bit.

Yes, he is God of the big things, but he is God of the day-to-day things as well, and he’s asking you to allow his strength to work in you today.

Full Cup

For an in depth study of these thoughts…

Ephesians 1:19-20
Matthew 7:7-11
Matthew 6:31-33
Proverbs 9:10
John 6:1-14
Revelation 3:20