Once upon a time there was an athlete. He was not the biggest, or the fastest, or the strongest, or the most athletic, but there had never been another athlete who was both bigger and faster, or both stronger and more athletic. He was the athlete’s athlete. He was a star in college; he became an ever bigger star in the pros. He was a football player — a running back. Moves like lightening, power like a freight train, speed like a sports car. He was a baseball player. Power like Mark McGwire, speed like Ricky Henderson, and appeal like an ice cream cone on a hot summer afternoon.
Once upon a time, this athlete suffered an injury. It didn’t seem serious at first — a bruised hip — wait a few weeks and he’ll be as good as new. He wasn’t. And then Bo Jackson announced that he needed hip replacement surgery. And with that, his sports career was essentially over. The speed — gone. The power — gone. The athleticism diminished. His appeal? Gone, like an ice cream cone on a sub-freezing, snowy winter morning.
We love power, don’t we? In fact, sometimes we’re obsessed with it. The Incredible Hulk. Powerful cars. Powerful dish detergent. Powerful computers. Power lunches. Power ties. And yet it never seems to last. The Incredible Hulk was canceled. That sporty car was replaced by another one and is now rusting in a junk yard. The dish detergent had to be improved. The new computer will be outmoded next week. The power lunch just left indigestion. And the power tie got a stain at the power lunch.
Why are we so seemingly obsessed? Do we want control? Security? Dependability? Perhaps. But rarely do these things last. What once was invincible is now disposable. There is but one consistent trait with power in our world — it doesn’t last.
And that effects the way we think about God. Why should He be any different than any other power we see? There is always a limit to strength and power. Why should He be any different? Because He is different. He is different because the truth of the matter is that there is no limit to His strength; there is no limit to His ability. The Invincible One never diminishes.
Tozer said it well:
Since He has at His command all the power in the universe, the Lord God omnipotent can do anything as easily as anything else. All His acts are done without effort. He expends no energy that must be replenished. His self-sufficiency makes it unnecessary for Him to look outside of Himself for a renewal of strength. All the power required to do all that He wills to do lies in undiminished fullness in His own infinite being.” [Knowledge of the Holy.]
In fact, as I emphasized Sunday morning, while we typically point to creation as the supreme demonstration of God’s power, it is the cross and the resurrection that most fully demonstrate His limitless and authoritative power — a point made clear in 2 Corinthians 4. Notice the following interplay of truths from that passage:
- The god of this world (Satan) has blinded unbelieving people — not so they wouldn’t see creation, but so they wouldn’t see the gospel of Christ’s glory (v. 4).
- Because of that blinding influence, Paul, Timothy, and the Corinthian church preach Jesus Christ — He is the supreme content of their message (v. 5).
- The God of all creation — the One who created light, making it shine when only darkness existed, calling it into existence from nothing — is the One who has revealed Himself (“shone”) in the hearts of those who believe, giving them the light of the glory of God (v. 6).
- Because Paul, Timothy, and the Corinthians have this immensely powerful and valuable treasure in weak and humble vessels, they will not be crushed, despairing, or destroyed (vv. 7-9ff).
In other words, while calling the material world into existence was an act far beyond our comprehension, an even greater act of God’s omnipotence is making blinded eyes to see the light of His great glory. And the result of that revelation is two-fold: be clear about the gospel (that God saves us from sin so we can be with and see Him), and do not despair over momentary afflictions of life (the God who saves you has immense power to provide for you far beyond anything you might lose here!
Words of Grace 