Last night, I saw a Snyder’s pretzel commercial that caught my attention. The commercial ended by noting, “Snyder’s are not for you; they’re meant to be shared.” This commercial reminded me of a point stressed during a sermon I heard on Sunday. God doesn’t give us power exclusively for us; rather, He gives us power to bless others. In other words, God gives us power to enhance selflessness, so we’ll lay down our lives for our friends (see John 15:13).
In the text cited above, Jesus shows us the purpose of heavenly power. When He reached the pit of despair, an angel appeared to give Him strength. It’s tempting to conclude that this power was given to help Jesus through His problems. If you keep reading, however, you’ll notice that Jesus went to the cross almost immediately after He received power from God. In other words, God didn’t sent His angel to save Jesus, ” … but to save the world through him” (John 3:17, New Living Translation). This strength was to be shared with others.
Who has God given you the strength to help? Your survival was not so you can stick your chest out; rather, God brought you out to reach back and help others through. Someone is searching for the strength you’ve gained through suffering; don’t let them down!