We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people who live in the light. -Colossians 1:11-12 (NLT)

Words are powerful, positive and negative alike. You likely can easily think of words spoken to or about you that were life giving or devastating and will not be forgotten. Words have the potency to help form our self-image and form our worldview in many ways. I cannot help but imagine that Paul knew this and desired for the words he spoke over the early churches to form who they were and how they saw themselves in God’s kingdom.

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Paul had a lot of majorly potent things to say to the early churches. Sometimes the words are hard or challenging; but no matter what he tackles in the meat of his letter, his writings always speak with encouragement and thanksgiving at the beginning, which is where we find ourselves today. Paul had not started the church of Colossae and did not know them personally; yet he had heard about them, and it seems that much of what he heard was good. He opens his letter by letting them know how often he genuinely thanks God for them and all God has done among them.

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I am struck by Paul’s words throughout the beginning of this letter to the Colossians because he doesn’t hold back in his hope for them. Like a genuine friend, he expresses how he only wants great things for this church. He doesn’t just pray for some of God’s power but ALL his glorious power! What does that even mean? We know God is omnipotent, meaning all powerful. So, if Paul is praying that this church be strengthened with all God’s power, and God’s power knows no limits, Paul’s prayer is for this church to have no limits to its power. He prays patience and endurance, joy and thankfulness over these people and reminds them that God is the reason for all of it. He uses a tone of commissioning them into something big; but you might wonder what made them worthy of God’s power? Afterall, they were human like us, why were they worthy of the inheritance? Before you scour the rest of the book for clues as to why they were worthy, here’s something to chew on…they weren’t. Neither are you, and that is exactly the point.

Have you ever been tasked with something that felt too big for you? Someone, somehow saw potential in you and trusted you with something and now here you sit, wondering how you’ll pull it off, or worse, how you’ll mess it up? I have been wrestling with this question of how do we live a life worthy of the Lord? The answer that keeps swirling in my head is that, on my own strength, I can’t, I don’t, and I won’t; but by God’s glorious power, God has a higher calling for each of us and desires for us to join him in his kingdom work by enabling us through his power. As long as I live, I do not think I will ever fully grasp how and why God chooses to use us in his work among us, and why he loves us so dearly. Yet, we are dearly loved, and our thankfulness should overflow from that reality.

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What has God tasked you with? Are you a business owner, trying to run a business that honors God? Are you a mom, attempting to raise children to know their heavenly Father? Maybe you’re a college student working your way through classes while contemplating what kind of impact you could have? Maybe you are a grandparent trying to bridge the generational gap to reach your grandkids for Christ? Whatever you find God has tasked you with; I challenge you to re-read today’s scripture. This time do not read it as a historical account of what Paul wrote to a church in Colossae; rather, imagine Paul as a fellow brother in Christ who is writing you personally to encourage you on your walk.

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We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people who live in the light.

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Wow. I don’t know about you, but for me, my task felt smaller all of a sudden. I felt more emboldened to do what is needed. You see, we are not worthy, and God chooses us anyway. We do not bring anything spectacular to the table; but he uses us anyway. It is because of our weakness his power shows itself greater than we can imagine. It is because we are unworthy that we can take joy and be thankful that we live a life worthy of him but only with him.  Words are powerful, and THE Word is lifegiving. Tackle your tasks today with ALL his glorious power.

God, your love for us is breathtaking. We are not worthy of your love, yet you love us, and we thank you for choosing us. Your power knows no limits. Help us to remember that this limitless power lives in us. Thank you for your word and encouragement. Help us to recall your word when our tasks feel too big. We love you and joyfully offer ourselves to you to be used for your kingdom. Amen.