The Source Of Empowerment Series

Background to passage: New series today. The Empowered Life. This the foundational truth to the next 4-5 weeks. You may not get it all today. The ramifications and practical applications are endless, and those will come. At the risk of sounding like Joel Osteen, life filled by the Spirit is your best life now!

Opening illustration: the story of the normal family from Stanley

Dennis chuckled to himself as he read the bumper sticker on the car in front of him: HE WHO DIES WITH THE MOST TOYS WINS. He had seen and heard the expression plenty of times, and he always got a kick out of it. As he sat there staring at the bumper in front of him, the irony of his own situation began to sink in. At no point in his life had he ever consciously subscribed to the philosophy represented by that popular bumper sticker. On the contrary, as a Christian, his belief system was diametrically opposed to everything that statement stood for. But if he was honest with himself, an outsider who simply watched him for any length of time might conclude that his ultimate pursuit in life was the accumulation of the newest and most high-tech toys. That was not to say that he didn’t want to be a good father and husband. But somehow those values were not the driving force in his life anymore—not the way they were in the beginning. In fact, lately he had noticed that several areas of his original belief system had taken a backseat to the priorities set before him by his world. What was happening?

Making his way up the exit ramp, he thought back to that night on the beach when, as a college student, he trusted Christ as his Savior. It was so real, so significant. His decision that night affected every facet of his life. He remembered the intensity with which he communicated his newfound faith to his fraternity brothers. Church was not a duty then. It was a joy. It was something he looked forward to each week. Everything was different now. His faith hadn’t changed. He still believed all the same things. But something was missing. His whole Christian experience could be summed up by, “I’m doing the best I can.”

Cheryl plopped the groceries down on the counter and looked at her watch. 5:15. Dennis would be home in thirty minutes, and she hadn’t even begun to prepare supper. As she grabbed her apron, she heard something fall out of the pocket. It was a refrigerator magnet that had somehow found its way into her apron pocket:

IF LIFE GIVES YOU A LEMON, MAKE LEMONADE.

She smiled and stuck it back on the refrigerator. There sure have been a lot of lemons lately, she thought to herself. But you’ve got to keep going. You can’t let it get you down. She rehearsed the argument she and Dennis had the night before. He always called them discussions. But in her book it was a good, old-fashioned argument. She couldn’t remember what the issue was or how it started. It was always something petty—something he thought I meant by something I didn’t say or something like that. It seemed like there had been a lot of “discussions” lately. But you’ve got to make the best of things; you’ve got to keep going.

She walked back over to the refrigerator and looked at the plastic lemon. As tears welled up in her eyes, she thought, Wow, my whole life boils down to taking an endless supply of lemons and doing my best to make lemonade. What has happened? It wasn’t supposed to be this way. She sat down at the kitchen table with her face in her hands and began to really cry. I can’t let this happen. I’ve got to keep going. Things will get better. She attempted to pull herself together. Her eyes focused on the family Bible leaning against the toaster on the end of the table. Dennis must have left it there after family devotions this morning. Family devotions, ha! What a joke.

When they were first married, Cheryl had been a leader in a neighborhood Bible study. She lived to study and share what she learned with others. The Scriptures were alive back then. That was then. Her Bible reading had become little more than a dry ritual. There were mornings when something would jump out at her. But by lunchtime the insights were swept away by the cares of the day. What has happened to me? she thought. Where is the joy? Where is the peace? Where is the love?

Just then the door slammed. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, Jodie. Dad should be here in a few minutes.”

“I’m not staying for dinner. Grace is coming by to . . .”