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One
camper was asked the question, 'Where do you find the energy to be such a
strong Christian?' by a friend at youth group and wasn't sure how to
answer.
Colossians 2:6-7 is helpful in answering this question (in a roundabout
way!) It says:
'So then just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in
him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were
taught and overflowing with thankfulness.' (NIV)
There's an important point here: How we start the Christian life is the
same as the way we continue. All of us began as Christians not by our
own strength but by what God has done for us and in us. Before we were 'in
Christ' we were dead and the only reason things changed was that God made
us alive in Christ (see Eph 2:4-5). God saved us not because we'd done
good things but because of his mercy (Tit 3:5). He did all the work,
through Jesus' death and resurrection. He did all the work, through the
Holy Spirit's work to bring us to Christ. All of this means that each of
us started as Christians because of God's strength and effort not our own.
Living as a Christian in an ongoing way will be the same. We do it from
the strength God gives us. As we look back to the cross, God's kindness
shown there teaches us to say 'no' to ungodliness and to live for Jesus.
Our strength comes from seeing what God has already done for us. And our
strength comes from the Holy Spirit's work in us: Paul wrote 'To this end
I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me'.
(Col 1:26 NIV) As Christians we don't 'let go and let God' as an old
saying put it. Instead we struggle and work hard at living for Jesus; it's
100% God and 100% us.
To answer your friend though, perhaps you could point out that God is
the One who makes us strong as Christians. And you could point out that He
gives that strength as we remember all that Jesus has done for us.
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