Daily Bread 10/11/2023

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Daily Bread – October 11, 2023 (The Fourth Day – Genesis 1:14-19) Ephesians 1:19 – …and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working power of His mighty strength, All The Strength We Could Ever Need The creative power of the One Who rules the Universe with His sovereign might has supplied to us all of the strength we could ever need to be His people and representatives. The Holy Spirit, so desiring to convince us of all the power made available to us in Christ Jesus, used almost all of the words in the Greek language for “power” in this one verse of Scripture: ‘dunamis,’ ‘energeia,’ ‘kratos,’ and ‘ischus.’ The Greek word ‘dunamis’ is the creative, miracle-working power of Almighty God by which He created all things. This power was observed as virtue flowing out of Jesus to heal the woman with the issue of blood, and as the power the Church would receive once the Holy Spirit came upon them. It has been said that ‘dunamis’ is the ability to accomplish the promise, while ‘energeia’ is the unstoppable force of God that builds and throws down. Energeia, therefore, is brute, or muscular power, or working efficiency – and by application, “supernatural strength” (Philippians 3:21; Colossians 1:29). ‘Kratos’ is the absolute and sovereign power by which God rules the Universe – the power to overcome obstacles, or execute “dominion,” and the controlling power over all things. ‘Ischus’ is the power, or strength, contained within the essence of something. It is the natural force of God’s own capabilities to produce and be the things He is. It is potential power – the power that will come to bear when needed (1 Peter 4:11). The word ‘ischus’ is first used in Genesis 4:12: “When you till the ground, it will not yield her strength (‘ischus’) to you.” Thus, Ephesians 1:19 could read: “And what is the exceeding greatness of His creative power, according to the unstoppable force of His absolute sovereign rule that resides within His own abilities.” Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen