88. Power of God
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Along with money and fame, power is one of the three great temptations offered from the world around us. It can safely be said that people want more power in their daily lives, and they want influence over those whom they can influence. And then they want to extend their influence over more people. Another term for power is control; we want control and we fear things getting out of our control. It’s such a problem that we have the issue of “control freaks.” Having power is our desire for controlling things for our own advantage, however we may interpret advantage. The lust for power or control is an integral part of original sin, or selfish ambition.
But the lust for power is an empty promise that yields no good result for us or for other people. It only leads to destruction. The desire for power probably stems from fear and insecurity. We need the power to protect and provide for ourselves; we can’t trust others to protect us or provide for us. But the basic problem is that we cannot trust in God above all things. I don’t know if I can trust my life and family and wellbeing in God’s hands. I know better than God what I want, but I need power to get it.
God understands this desire and He gives us our desire, and so He gives us power over spiritual enemies that seek to kill, steal, and destroy. It is a spiritual power. Most shocking, this power is in the “preaching of the cross,” The Gospel is the power that we really need, the power of salvation. But that sounds like foolishness, and we cannot believe it. This Theology of the Cross will always seem like weakness, loss and defeat; so we replace it with a Theology of Glory, which sounds like strength and victory. But that is not what God’s Word says; the Gospel is the power; the preaching of the cross is the power that saves. Take up your cross. Trust the Lord. Let His power rule according to His good and gracious will, for He is good.
It is hard to believe there is more power in humble service than in loud pride, shouting, and hatred. But we believe God’s promise: the preaching of the cross is the power of God. Do you want power? Preach the cross; believe the Gospel.