Superpowers

I remember watching a clip of a video where the speaker was talking about how all of us have “superpowers.” Perhaps not literally superpowers like Superman or Captain America, but things that are special about us. For example, a person might say, “My superpower is being able to keep going no matter how many times life disappoints me.” Or, “My superpower is seeing the positive in everything.” Another superpower might be “I am able to encourage others.”

First, on one level, I think this is great! I think it’s awesome when people who feel like they don’t have much by way of talent, intelligence, experience or resources (aka myself once upon a time, and still from time to time) can realize that they do in fact have so much more in them than they realized - and what's even greater and better is to realize that it was God who has given them so much and works through them. The hopeful fruit is that people will realize how good God is and how much He loves them and so be more in love with Him as well.

Also, the hopeful fruit is that God’s people will awaken to their calling and potential to make significant impact for God’s Kingdom: aka, they realize they are Spirit-born, Spirit-empowered “Kingdom Influencers”! (I worked that in because the title of a message I shared with our church). Hopefully, to realize we have "superpowers" from God (not only things that make us special, but also spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit) will get us activated and motivated to use these "superpowers" for God's glory and purpose.

Second, on a whole other level, I realized today what our greatest “superpower” is. A superpower is supposed to be the ability to do things humans normally can’t do. A superpower is superpower is supposed to be an ability to do the impossible. Based on these things then, our greatest superpower is bringing joy to God, aka, making God happy! Without Jesus this is as possible as a person jumping to the moon by their own physical body. But because of Jesus, the Bible says that bring joy and delight to God because He loves us. (Zeph 3:!7)

Think about it, a superpower is the ability to do something humans can’t normally do - to be able to do something impossible - and normally (apart from faith in Jesus) we are unable to make God happy. Because God is infinitely holy - beyond all imagining and comprehension - for fallen humans to make God happy is INFINITELY more impossible than flying like Superman, throwing buses like The Hulk, or even wiping out half of all existence like Thanos.

When we say that making God happy is impossible, we’re saying it like, the way we say Jesus is the “King of Kings” aka “making God happy” is the “Impossible of Impossibles.” This means, our greatest superpower is able to do something so vastly impossible, it makes the “impossible” look like as easy as snapping your fingers.

When this truth/reality really hits you, it will make your heart and mind explode with deep wells of joy, gratitude and love towards God. So may you realize how incredible your identity is because of Jesus. May you realize that you literally do have a “superpower” that is beyond imagining because of Jesus. Because of Jesus, by grace through faith in Him, we bring joy to God because of who we are to Him, and THAT is a REAL superpower!

VERSES FOR MEDITATION

Isaiah 64:6 (NIV) 6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV) 17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Hebrews 10:4-10 (NIV) 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.’”[a] 8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.