Be All That You Want To Be

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12   -   And so we keep on praying for you, that our God will make you the kind of children he wants to have—will make you as good as you wish you could be!—rewarding your faith with his power.  Then everyone will be praising the name of the Lord Jesus Christ because of the results they see in you; and your greatest glory will be that you belong to him. The tender mercy of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ has made all this possible for you.

Paul did not have a permanent position in one church….so constantly prayed for the growth of the new converts he had to leave in the care of someone else. He prayed for them to grow in faith…so they could learn to use the power of God to its fullest.  He prayed for them to become all that God wanted them to be.

This prayer contained the curious phrase….as good as you wish you could be. Deep down…I long to be more in control of my actions…better and more focused on God.  But I have to admit that these feelings are full of doubt most days…especially when I fail at some easy task or pass up a chance to do something for God with any number of excuses.

Paul’s prayer for these people was made with the confidence that all of us are capable of using way more of God’s power than we ever imagined possible with our earthly minds. It was simple for him. If he prayed for them to have more faith…they would understand how to tap into more of God’s power. 

I love how God used Paul’s prayer to remind me of a simple truth of faith. He wants me to know that as my faith increases…. God increases His power within me to do good things for Him. Building faith builds trust….and trust helps me believe more in God’s ability to give me the power I need to handle any task he assigns me to. It helps me to stop trying to handle things on my own …to let go of control….and let God release the supernatural power that was there all along to do anything He asks me to do.

Father…thank you for the reminder that I have a tap of great power and strength in you.  Forgive me for the times that I have failed to tap into that power because of my human tendencies to control and stay weak.  Build in me a faith that will equip me to be the child you called me to be. Help me to want to be all that I can be. Amen.