Tuesday, May 8, 2012

I just read this great article by Dr. Westbrook and had to share it...

"We know that Kingdom life is 'not a matter of talk, but of power' (1 Corinthians 4:20).

The Bible tells us plainly that we are created to reflect God’s nature and we are designed to be empowered beings (Genesis. 1:26-28).  In other words, we have been created to have power specifically so that we can use it the way God does!


The Creation story shows us many details about God’s use of power:

1)  God uses power to give life.  God makes life happen.  He literally generates life where it did not exist before, and then He takes the life already created, and causes it to produce even more life.  Am I using my God-given power today to generate new life?


2)  God uses power to create relationships.  Every aspect of God’s creation is designed to be inter-dependent.  God uses His power to initiate and sustain relationships. Am I using my God-given power today to build relationships?


3)  God uses power to share power.  God wants to share power so much that He actually makes living creatures for the expressed purpose of sharing power with them!  Not only that, but He intentionally designs them to share power with each other.  Cleary, God delights in sharing power and is always multiplying ways to make this happen. 
Am I using my God-given power today to share power by finding and creating opportunities to empower others? "


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Dr. April Westbrook serves as Associate Professor of Old Testament at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA.