Work of Faith with Power

"Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, ¹² that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

If I was asked for a prayer request of late, these verses convey it well.  Clear and concise, these words sum up my desire to walk worthy of God for His glory.  My heart is also in agreement with verse 10 because I desire for Christ "...to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed."  Man loves to be admired, but as a Christian I desire that Christ be admired in me.  Any admirable qualities I possess I do only by God's grace, for within my flesh no good thing dwells.

I do pray that God would count me worthy of this calling, that I would fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and this last part strikes me with renewed freshness:  that God would display in me "the work of faith with power" so that He would receive the glory and admiration.  I was thinking yesterday:  are all my words and deeds empowered by faith in God?  I can't say that God's power is so revealed in my lifestyle that people can only say, "God is awesome!"  An example of this work of faith with power is when Peter and John were heading towards the temple and they walked by a lame man who was begging.  The cripple looked at Peter, thinking to receive something from him.  Peter said:  "Silver and gold I do not have.  But what I have I give unto you:  in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."  The man was miraculously healed and entered into the temple, walking, leaping, and praising God.

This work of faith in power attracted the attention of the people.  Acts 3:11-16 relates, "Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed. ¹² So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. ¹⁴ But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, ¹⁵ and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. ¹⁶ And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all."

I will someday leave this body in physical death, but the works of God endure forever.  We might not leave a legacy of miraculous physical healing or have thousands of souls for Christ attributed to our testimony.  The work of faith with power is not only displayed in dynamic events, but also in mundane routine.  It takes many days and weeks to slowly scale the great mountain heights, where rarefied air and freezing cold must be overcome with every upward step.  It is God who makes a man strong through faith and reliance upon Him.  Faith is no walking stick or crutch for a Christian:  it is our lifeblood.  In Christ we find life:  a life of love, forgiveness, grace, and yes - power.  God has granted us freedom to live a life girded by divine power so that Christ might be glorified in us and we in Him.  The dynamic power revealed in Christ resurrection is the same power that is infused into every Christian right now.  Pretty awesome!

Let us be ever thankful that God has given us all that pertains to life and godliness.  In Christ we find life everlasting and mercies that are new every morning, for great is His faithfulness!