Luke 20:1-2 NLT
One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”
Jesus disturbed the world in which he lived. Those used to exercising power, religious and secular, were surprised by his impact and influence. They were heavily invested in the status quo and questioned Jesus’ authority to behave in the way that he did.
Jesus always disturbs us because he is not bound by current social conventions. God is a God of surprises. The moment we think we have grasped hold of God with some inspired construct, theological or experiential, we discover, like the disciples, that Jesus has moved on and we must make every effort to follow him. A domesticated faith quickly loses its essence. This is the forever unfolding revelation of God, who wants to be known within the spaces where we find ourselves.
True leadership requires authority, not power. Yet, we live in a world within which we think that the power of position and finance give us the authority to act. In fact, they give only an ability to act, not the authority. Authority is always a gift, and it is the true gift of leadership. Jesus models this, for no one gave him power to act; he only had God’s authority. So even as his power is stripped from him as he is rejected, despised, beaten and killed, his authority transcends even death.
The experiences you have had with God, not simply located in your history, are, like the love of God, new every morning. It is from these encounters with God that your authority as a disciple is established and developed.
QUESTION: Where or who do you look to for power to act and influence?
PRAYER: Thank you for revealing your love and plans for me through a person, not a project.

Released on 8 Apr 2020