Being Strengthened

Hey everyone
I'm on Spring Break, so I have a little bit more time to write.  So I am going to continue my discussion of Col. 1: 10-13, by talking about "being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience."  (Col. 1:11) 

I think that the first that I notice here is that it is not a command to "Be Strong."  It is that we allow God to strengthen us, or better yet, be our strength.  He is the one work, but he works in us and through us.  He is the strength.  Think about Joshua.  In Josh. 1:7-9, God commands Joshua to "Be strong and courageous." But God tells him to be strong because "the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  Joshua was commanded to be strong, just as he was commanded to obey God's word.  He was also guaranteed success, but it is important to understand that all of this was couched in a guarantee that God would be with him.  Again the strength came from God.

It is a good thing that we can look to God for strength and allow him to strengthen us.  I Cor. 1:25 tells us that God's weakness is stronger than my strength.  It is a good thing that I not have to rely on my own.  Consider Phil 4:13, "I can do all things through him who gives me strength." 

Let's look at a couple of ways that God strengthens us.  Heb. 13:9 "It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace."  Understanding God's grace strengthens us.  Heb. 12:7-13.  God's discipline strengthens us, if we allow ourselves to be trained by it. 

Consider also II Cor. 12:1-10.  Paul boasts, not in his strengths, but in his weaknesses.  Why?  Because he gets it.  God is so much greater than he is.  God's grace is sufficient.  God can take Paul's weaknesses and turn them into strengths.  Paul's weaknesses allow God to be glorified rather than Paul.  That is why Paul could say, "For when I am weak, then I am strong."  (II Cor. 12:10) 

So I understand then from this scripture that it pleases God if we allow him to work in our lives.  We submit to his discipline and enjoy his grace.  Then we become strong because of Him.

One last note:  I notice that allow God to work also brings us some good benefits.  At the end of v. 11, allowing God to strengthen us according to his glorious might, brings us endurance and patience, certainly two good qualities to have.  Endurance and patience mean that we will never give up on ourselves or on other people.

Tom