Daily Jewel

by Pasror Carnell, McAlester, OK

“The God of Power” (Part 2)
The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God." – Luke 1:35
The “power” of God changes things!! The “power” of God took a world void of anything and made it a place of beauty and gave it life—and gave us life.
For me, the greatestness of His power is what motivates Him—it is the reason why He created this world and put everything into place—LOVE!! For the next couple of days I want to share some of the things that the “Power of God’s Love” can and will do when we allow it to be a part of our lives!
First…IT WILL CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK!
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." -Romans 12:2
Does this seem like a rather small accomplishment? Wouldn’t you think that God could do something much larger than this? Let's take a moment to consider some things in relationship to this: Very often what we think determines (or decides) what we do! What we do is a measure as to the kind of person we are! Meaning our character, integrity…etc.
How many times do we “think” that we are (doing) the right thing – only to discover that we were wrong? For example, in Joseph's mind, (in his thinking) by divorcing Mary, he thought he was doing the right thing! “...he had in mind to divorce her quietly..." Matt. 1:19
It is vividly apparent that God had other plans and He was able to change Joseph's thinking!
Paul in his letter to the Colossians says: "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things" (3:1)
That is not something that is automatic! Nor is it easy! But through God’s power and love and through His Holy Spirit He will help us! He wants to help us to:
Change thoughts of Hate to those of Love! This is not simply a “physical” lust but can and often includes: Lust for power and control over people; Lust for supremacy! God would have us change this because lust is selfish, while love is selfless.
Change thoughts of Wanting to those of Giving! The first sin was that of “want.” The devil made Adam and Eve believe that God was holding back – that they were not getting their fair share and that they needed more! Consider the Christmas message…Isn't Christmas itself about giving?
Changing thoughts of Despair to those of Hope! This one may be the most vital because if one is constantly living with thoughts of despair and hopelessness, how will they live their lives? In desperation! (Most cults are made up of people like this who had lost hope in this life!)
The prophet Isaiah reminds us: "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You." -Isaiah 26:3
As Christmas approaches—Think about His Love! Think about His all the things He has done to make our lives as good as possible. Think about Christ and the power of His Salvation!! That is worth celebrating!!
Pastor J. T. Carnell.