First we know and then we walk, but in order to walk we also need to be strengthened. Without the strength, we cannot walk. Colossians 1:11a says, “Strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory” (ASV). Notice the three words used in this verse: strengthened, power, and might. This is significant. In writing the Holy Scriptures, the Holy Spirit was not loose. He chose every word. The three words in this verse point to three stages. Strength is the first stage, power is the second stage, and might is the third stage. Strength refers to an inner energy or a life power. There is a life within us that is a power to us. This life is Christ Himself. This can be likened to the gasoline in a car. The gasoline provides the power within a car. As our life Christ is the life power within us, energizing us continually. This energizing is an inner strength that strengthens us all day long.
This inner strengthening brings us to the second stage— power. When we are strengthened by the life of Christ from within, we have the power. We have the power to love others, the power to be patient, and the power to do the Lord’s work. The strength becomes a power. The strength is the initiative, and the power is the strength in action.
This strength in action, this power, then produces a condition in which we shine out the glory of God. This is the third stage—the might of His glory. The strength is something that operates within our spirit and heart, the power is the strength in action, and the might is something that is manifested in the action that we are taking. When we contact the Lord Himself, we are strengthened by Him from within. By being strengthened, we receive power, and this power enables us to walk. The result of this is the might of glory.
This can be illustrated by a light bulb. When a light bulb is connected to an electrical outlet, it is “strengthened” by electricity. As a result, it has the power to shine out light. This can be considered the light of glory. In the same way, when we contact the Lord in prayer, meditation, reading the Scriptures, and fellowship with Him, we are strengthened in our spirit and heart. This gives us the power to live our daily life. As a result, people will see the glory of God in us. The glory of God is able to shine through us because we have the might, we are able to realize the might because we have the power, and we have the power because we have been strengthened by the Lord through our contact with Him.
I once knew a brother who exemplified this experience. This brother was very beloved, and he was truly spiritual in his condition before the Lord. Before he was saved, he worked for the customs office in China. At that time, everyone who worked for the customs office received a very good salary. As a consequence, they all lived very wealthy and worldly lives. Day by day they went to parties, dances, and movies, and participated in all sorts of entertainment. When this brother received the Lord, he gave up all these worldly things. When his wife saw this, however, she was not happy, and she did not agree. It is often the case that the wives have problems with the world. Their love for the world is often a problem for their husbands and their families. Women often love the world more than men.
After this brother got saved, his wife’s attitude toward him changed. One day when this brother came home from work, as soon as he walked in the door the wife started taking pictures off the wall and throwing them at him. What did this brother do in this situation? He did not speak loudly but gently. He simply said, “Praise the Lord. Thank Jesus.” Then the wife began to pick up other things to throw at him. When the wife did this, the brother went into his room, knelt down, and began to pray. The wife began to shout at him, but the brother just knelt down and prayed and prayed. Eventually, the wife could not do anything further.
Whenever you saw this brother, you could realize that there was glory with him. The glory of God was upon this brother. You also realized that this brother was not weak. He was a man of might. He was able to endure with joy. He could suffer all these hardships with joy.
One day this brother invited some brothers to his home for a love feast and some fellowship. You can never imagine what his wife did. She did not cook anything new; instead, she brought out all the leftovers from the previous day. When we brothers sat down to eat, everyone saw that the wife had not cooked anything new but had put out leftovers from the day before. Brothers, do you think that you could bear this? What do you think that this brother did? With tears in his eyes, he said to the brothers, “Let us praise the Lord for the leftovers. I do believe that this is the best love feast.” All the brothers then said, “Amen! Hallelujah! This truly is the best feast.” This brother experienced Christ in the midst of his difficult situation.
What then was the outcome of this situation? The outcome was that one day the wife was brought to the Lord. She was convinced by her husband’s condition—by the might of glory that she saw in him.
Before the wife was saved, the news of this situation came to me. I heard about all these things that were happening. Then one day I went to the town where this husband and wife lived. The church there was having a series of gospel meetings, but the wife refused to come to any of the meetings. At that time nearly all the other wives of the men who worked in the Chinese customs were saved. They all lived together in dormitories for customs employees. Since all of these other ladies were saved, I had some fellowship with them. I asked those sisters to try their best to bring the wife to the gospel meetings. Eventually they did bring her, and after the message on the third day, I noticed a change in her face. When I saw her, my spirit realized that the Lord had done something within her. At the end of the meeting, a call was made for those in the congregation to make a decision. During this call for decision we sang a hymn. While we were singing, I realized that she was the only one that the Lord was calling at that time, so we sang the hymn once, then twice, then three times. As I observed her, I noticed that she had brought her young daughter with her to the meeting. I noticed also that the little girl was speaking to her mother. The little girl spoke to her for some time, and then suddenly the young daughter stood up onto the bench upon which they had been sitting. She stood up and said, “Mother, I stand for you.” Then with tears the mother followed. As soon as she stood up, the whole meeting just burst; the whole meeting was immediately filled with praises and hallelujahs. The wife had been brought to the Lord! The very next day after her salvation, the wife asked the brothers who had been to her home when she had served leftovers to come to their home again; this time to have a real love feast and time of fellowship. This story is a good example of what can happen when we are strengthened by the Lord with all power according to the might of His strength.