Talk is cheap!

“For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.” ~ 1 Corinthians 4:20 NLT

This week’s Monday Manna is coming to you a day late due to the observance of Memorial Day in the United States yesterday. I trust you were able to spend time with family and friends and to all of you who serve or who’ve ever served in our armed forces, thank you for your service and sacrifice.

In 1 Corinthians 4 Paul is confronting false teachers and letting them know he will be coming soon to see what they are really made of. Are they just posturing and full of hot air, or do they have real power?

Like me, I bet you want to live by God’s power. In this AI saturated world I want to be a person of integrity, someone who is solid and authentic, 3-D, and able to affect change. Our digital personas and social media platforms are only faint reflections of our reality - and generally ones that only show us in the best possible light. They’re not a lie, they do reveal something about us, but they lack power. 

Jesus came in the flesh and lived with people day in and day out. Jesus, and the good news we believe and share about him, is our source of power. He was real and he invites us into a new reality. As we follow in his footsteps and imitate his ways, we begin living by God’s power also. 

How can we experience more of God’s power? We can plug into the true power source: abiding in Christ through the word of God, filled with the Spirit of God, and in community with the people of God. We can also reject our culture’s obsession with projecting a digitally air-brushed persona and the accompanying image management required, and instead choose transparency and confessional relationships that require us to bring our whole selves into the light to be truly known. 

Jesus promised us that when the Holy Spirit comes we will receive power to be his witnesses (Acts 1:8). We now have access to the Holy Spirit and God’s power - are we making that connection every day?