Focus: Strength Sustained

Colossians 1:24-29

Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.  I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.  To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.  (NIV)

Have you ever loaded up on caffeine and sugar to make it through a long night of studying or something boring? It usually  starts out alright while you're pounding coffee, soft drings and anything else you can ge your hands on just to make it through. You're able to stay awake for a while. But what always happens after something like this? After a while the sugar and the caffeine wear off, and you hit rock bottom.

In this passage, Paul wrote that he was fighting to teach people the message of Christ. He said that he labored and struggled for this goal. The awesome thing is that he wasn't depending on some outside energy source. He said that he had the energy of Christ! When we try to live the life of a Christ=follower in our own strength, a crash is inevitable. Our strengh and our motivation must come from Christ alone. It won't be easy, and there will be plenty of struggles, but we know that he'll never leave us. God will always provide the strength we need. 

• Can you think of a time when you felt God give you the strength you needed in a certain situation?

• How does this memory give you strength for the future?