I tried my first ice coffee from McDonalds the other day. Not bad. So I challenged James at "my office," Cassils Coffee Cafe, to beat it. I was impressed. He did.
Seems like everyone is looking for an edge these days. It used to be mega dosing vitamins. But in more recent days we've seen the onset of caffine laced drinks from espresso to energy drinks to soda to Bud. When I was in college, "No Doze" was the drug of choice to pull an allnighter. Today it's Ritalin or crack or meth. It's no wonder steroids or HGH are so popular among aspiring athletes. We sense we need something extra to get us through life, to get us on top, to crank us up.
Here's a news flash: God agrees. Throughout the book of Romans, Paul explains that we need something extra, a boost to really live life. He talks about our inadequacies and ineptness and deficiencies that we all know we have. He gives a full description of the human condition and even confesses his own helplessness, hopelessness and need for something bigger than himself.
He opens the book of Romans with the theme of optimism, that he's found the lasting power source for life; giving us the ability to stay at the top of our game, to achieve, to be successesful at life and relationships. That power is the Good News of God. No pills. No snorting. No buzz drinks. The power is a person.
Here's how it works. Jesus, who never sinned, paid the penalty of our sin by dying on the cross, a sacrificial death. When He rose from the grave He conquered death. So, when we come to Him and accept Him as Lord and Saviour and are baptized into His death, we are raised with Him to a new life in Christ. But that's not all. With this new life comes the power source, God's energy drink, the Holy Spirit.
You want a real buzz? Learn to live under the power of the Holy Spirit. We're talking about the same Spirit who empowered the creation of the universe, who brought life to everything. As quick as we are to grab a cappuccino or latte with an extra shot to get a boost, why wouldn't we reach for something who's effect never wears off? That's the Holy Spirit.
God, I need your energy, your empowerment. I'm looking to your Spirit to get me through, to guide me, to strengthen me. Take control of me. Flow in me. Coarse through my veins, my being.
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