Potentially Powerful

James wrote that faith without works is dead (James 2:26).

Paul wrote that in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love (Galatians 5:6).

Potential in a battery is power that is latent. It could produce work, but not unless it is connected properly in a circuit with a load that can do work. If you have batteries and a bulb or diode in a flashlight, there is no work until you press the button that makes a circuit, and the power comes through the bulb or diode and becomes light.

When Jesus said that His yoke and burdens for us are the best ones, part of what He meant is that when He connects His power to work that needs doing, and does it through us, it is His strength that makes it happen, so it doesn’t use ours up.

Agape is the power that is required to cause work to properly happen when we are connected to a load of work that Jesus has lined us up with. Having our work proceed from the fruit of His Spirit changes the process from being that we are working for Him to being that we are working with Him.