“Your life of faith is a response to God’s power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.” ( 1 Corinthians 2:5 MSG)
The nights are getting colder as winter approaches. Soon it will be time for me to bring the potted plants indoors. Since my home doesn’t have many sunny, south-facing windows, I keep my plants under a fluorescent lamp in my basement. Even though this is not an ideal situation, the plants survive. By late winter, the leaves become a pale green and the stems grow leggy. However, when I put them back outside in the spring, they thrive under the natural light. Leaning into the sun, the leaves turn dark green; new shoots appear, and buds turn into blooms.
Many of us attempt to cultivate a life of faith under our own power. We imagine that our ability to influence others can lead them to Christ. While it is true that we can have some effect on those around us, it is significantly less than the potency of the Holy Spirit. Whatever we have to offer is as efficacious as indoor lighting on house plants--better than darkness, but nothing in comparison to real light. The life of faith is a response to God’s power, not a result of human emotion, influence, intellect, or articulation. When we are exposed to the Son, when we lean into His light, our faith puts out new shoots, buds, blooms--growing, thriving, and propagating beyond human comprehension.
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