What’s Your Superpower?

When I was 19, I began reading, and naturally collecting, Marvel comic books. At 20 cents per edition – which seems like a bargain today – I would stock up on the adventures of Spiderman, The Avengers, X-Men, and Iron Man every month. These stories kept me entertained for years and fueled within me a desire to be…different.

Most superheroes are either born with an innate ability, have their ability inflicted upon them by some outside force or enemy, or create their ability through scientific development. My favorites during those days was Colossus from the X-Men, a Russian mutant who could transform his body into an indestructible metal compound which gave him strength and stamina, and Iron Man, the armored creation of the brilliant millionaire inventor Tony Stark. One born different, one created different.

Deep inside of us is the drive to be…? That is the question and answer we are all pursuing, right? We seek a superpower which will reveal our quest, our destiny. Some believe that there is no “hidden” power within themselves, while others are very vocal how their superpower is making coffee in the morning. We all have a unique gift or ability which helps us navigate through the matrix we call life. If making coffee is the pinnacle for these few, great! I’ll raise a cup to their impact upon the farmers in Columbia.

Having a superpower is kind of limiting. Let’s be honest, every superhero knows that there is someone out there trying to defeat them and take over the world. Having one power means you can only select the fights you know you can win. Coffee heroes do not cross Tea heroes. So, what if you could have more than one power, which would you chose? For me the choice is simple, however, for some of you this might seem like foolishness. Consider the following:

1Co 1:22-27
(22) Seeing that Jews demand miracles, and Greeks go in search of wisdom,
(23) while we proclaim a Christ who has been crucified–to the Jews a stumbling-block, to Gentiles foolishness,
(24) but to those who have received the Call, whether Jews or Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
(25) Because that which the world deems foolish in God is wiser than men’s wisdom, and that which it deems feeble in God is mightier than men’s might.
(26) For consider, brethren, God’s call to you. Not many who are wise with merely human wisdom, not many of position and influence, not many of noble birth have been called.
(27) But God has chosen the things which the world regards as foolish, in order to put its wise men to shame; and God has chosen the things which the world regards as destitute of influence, in order to put its powerful things to shame;

Notice the use of power, particularly God’s power, in these verses. You see, God is omnipotent. OMNI = ALL, potent = power. God is ALL power. Not just some here and there, but ALL. There is not a power, any power, greater than the power of God. The single word which defines the use and describes the effect of God’s power is “Good.”

“God is omnipotent. Big deal! I know this or have been told it to me all my life. IF He is so powerful, why doesn’t He do something about…?”

This is a pretty common response from the majority of the people on this planet. There appears to be a power greater than God which keeps Him from working for “Good.” Consider this claim very carefully.

If God is omnipotent, this means He is ALL power. Can there be any other power? No, ALL means ALL. So then, is there a greater power at work here? No. If the effect is not “Good,” is it the power of God? No. Is it some other power then? No, as long as God is Omnipotent, there is no other power capable of occupying the same space or territory which is defined as ALL, simply because God fills ALL in ALL.

Before you write this off as some foolish expression of circle logic, go back to the prior verses and look at the power issue again. If we seem to think that there is a power affecting our ability to experience the “Good” power of God, maybe we haven’t established what “Power” truly is. What if our thoughts of power are merely “our” ideas of what and how we believe power functions? What if we decided to capture every thought of power and made it submit to the “Good” power of God simply be declaring, “…you would have no power unless it came from above.”

What if your superpower was simply being vocal in how grateful you are that God is Omnipotent? What kind of power would that look like? What effect would it create and maintain in your life, your family, your business, your community?

(If you think I left out the issues which aren’t “good” then you better hold on. I’ll tackle them a bit later once you are founded properly on OMNI. Stay tuned!)