“that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus” (Phielmon, verse 6) ... “Every good thing in you” brings to mind the wonderfully encouraging words of 2 Timothy 1:7 – “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” What a great encouragement it is to know that we can exchange our weakness – “fear” – for the Lord’s strength – “power … love … a sound mind.” This is the fulfilment of God’s promise in Isaiah 40:31 – “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength”. The combination of “power” and “love” is important. We might say that it is the power of love. It is the love of God at work. It is the power of God at work. His love motivates us to reach out for Him. His power makes our witness effective for Him. As well as power and love, there is also the blessing of “a sound mind.” There are times when we have the opportunity to prepare a message from God’s Word. We use our minds to think through what the Lord is saying to us and what He wants us to say to the people. There are other times when we must think on our feet. We must “always be ready to give a defence to everyone who asks for a reason for a hope that is in us.” We must do this “with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). When we have to think on our feet, we must stand upon the Lord’s Word: “do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit” (Mark 13:11) ... We must never forget that the “power” and “love” come from the Lord and not from ourselves ...
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