The Power of God

Dear Brethren,

Do we limit God?  Is it possible to limit God, who is all-powerful?  As Creator of the universe, He developed the awesome plan to create the physical world, and brought it into being.  We, as very limited human beings, are also the product of His creative effort.  Is it possible, as small and weak as we are, to have the potential to limit God’s power?

We in God’s Church are very blessed.  We have the privilege of understanding God’s wonderful plan of salvation.  We have also been given the privilege of having a personal relationship with Him.  We know that we can speak directly to Him!  He lives in us.  "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"  (1Corinthians 3:16)

God the Father and Jesus literally make their home in each obedient Christian.  Jesus said, "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)

God intends to have a dynamic, two-way, relationship with us.  When God, after calling us and opening our minds, came into our lives, He never intended to become a “silent-partner.”  "You are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  (2Corinthians 6:16)

Brethren, there is no limit to the power God will work through us.  We, however, are the limiting factor.  God intentionally limits His power in our lives to the extent that we reciprocate.  Many of us are long-time Church members, and as such, we are sometimes prone to relying on our longevity in God’s Church as our assurance that we are close to God.  We, then, wrongly reason that God considers our long tenure in the Church to be sufficient proof of our desire to have a relationship with Him.

Our Faith is there - we only need to exercise it!  Through our years in the Church, we have seen many miracles in our own lives as well as in other people’s.  We know what God is capable of doing, and we look to Him to do it.  "Our faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.  (1Corinthians 2:5)

Are we drawing God into our lives daily, and with warmth and excitement?  If not, we are limiting God.  He draws near to us as we draw near to Him.  If we treat Him with only fleeting or superficial contact, He will not take an active role in our lives.  His power in our lives is dependent on our efforts.  That is how He, in His great wisdom, has designed it to be.  If our relationship with Him is not as close as it should be, it is up to us to correct it.

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Sermon:  "Speaking in Tongues"  

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