No Power?

By: Gary L. Hutchens

​   Could you imagine trying to live without electricity?  Probably, every one of us has had some experience with that prospect, on a limited basis.  Storms of various types often down power lines or cause transformers to blow.  Sometimes, heavy usage within an electrical grid will lead to a shut-down of the system within that grid.  There have been a number of instances of loss of power over extensive areas of the country.  While such scenarios cause problems, the resultant loss of power is usually fairly short-lived.  Before long, the problem is corrected and power is restored.

​   Some unique situations can result in longer periods of loss of power.  A hurricane or a tornado, or some ice storms, might cause such extensive damage to an area that power will be knocked out for days or even weeks.  Still, the power is almost always restored in a fairly timely manner.
   But, back to our original question.  Could you imagine trying to live without electricity, any electricity, ever?  I’ve often tried to imagine what it must have been like for the pioneers before we learned how to effectively harness and use the power of electricity productively.  Think of all the things we take for granted that would be unavailable to us without electricity.  No electric lighting.  No television, radio, stereo, computer- no video games.  No automatic dishwasher, washing machine or dryer.  No hair dryer, curling iron, electric shaver or toothbrush.  No air conditioning.  In many homes, no heating.  No automatic garage door opener, no automatic sprinkling system.  The list could go on.
   One of the most unfortunate reasons to be without power is due to not paying the bill.  Sometimes, due to circumstances beyond his control, a person simply has no money to pay his electric bill.  That’s not the person under consideration here.  The person in view here is one who could pay the bill, if he acted more responsibly.  Maybe he carelessly spent so much of his money that he did not have enough left to pay the bill.  Maybe he had the money, but he was careless in getting the bill paid, and the power got shut off.  That person is without excuse, totally responsible for being without power.  He’ll continue to be without power until he makes a fundamental correction in his personal life.
   On the spiritual side of things, some people’s lives are virtually powerless because of the careless way in which they live.  They give little, if any, attention to their relationship with God.  Their lives are spiritually without direction, and it’s a result of their own neglect.  God has made available to us His power toward our salvation through the gospel (Rom. 1:16).  He has assured us that, if we will dedicate our lives to Him, His power will eliminate the devil’s ability to overwhelm us with temptation (1 Cor. 10:13).  He has promised us that His power will be there to serve our needs as we live faithful Christian lives (Eph. 3:20; Matt. 6:33).
   God guides us effectively through His word (2 Tim. 3:15-17).  The person who rejects, or is too careless to study and faithfully live by those teachings, can face an eternity cut off from the power of God (2 Thess. 1:7-9).  Wisdom should guide you to turn to God, and let Him power up your life…