Daily D – John 19:10-11

by | Nov 13, 2023 | Daily D | 0 comments

David G Bowman Logo

John 19:10, 11  “Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?” 
Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.” (NLT)

Power is intoxicating. Power makes us feel smarter, better, faster, and taller than we are. Power, like money, is a nice servant and a horrible master. What most powerful people fail to understand is that power is delegated. It is a stewardship responsibility. All authority under heaven is on loan from God. It is temporary. It demands a final accounting. Maybe this is why the Bible repeats frequently, “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.” 

Pilate was a mid-level appointee in the cultural backwater of the Roman Empire. It was the kind of place you never wanted to serve. The austere local residents were opposed to just about anything fun. The people who served under his leadership understood the grunt work nature of their positions. Even if they performed well under the circumstances, there wasn’t much chance they would be promoted significantly, not when words of their derring-do and outstanding achievements were buried in middle-eastern dust far from the front pages of the Capital.

So a dead-end leader met face to face with him who through whom “God created everything . . . and nothing was created except through him (John 1:3). The created one acted as if all authority had been given to him. The one who created him allowed this hick-town sheriff to use his delegated authority to have him crucified.

What it all comes down to is this: The only ultimate authority we have is to say, “Your will Your way,” or “My will my way.” Pilate sang, “My Way.” Jesus showed him a superior Way, Truth, and Life. 

The only One with full and final delegated authority is Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20). He is the only One who can liberate the dead from their graves. He is the only One to whom every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,” (Philippians 2:10, 11).

Jesus has delegated some measure of authority today. Use it well in a manner consistent with the mission of Jesus and the glory of God. 

I will exercise what authority I have to help others see God for how good he his and how graciously he extends his offer of full, meaningful, and eternal life.

Our Father, empower me to live and serve in a manner that honors you blesses others. Forgive me for how I have used what you have placed in my hands to benefit others for my own personal gain. Amen. 

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

CONNECT WITH ME!

Interested in learning more about Church Unique or Life Younique? Send a note through the Get In Touch box or Message me through the Facebook link above.

          Church Unique Logo          Auxano Logo

GET IN TOUCH!

READ MY BLOG!

Daily D – Matthew 1:20-21

Matthew 1:20, 21 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Daily D – Hebrews 6:15

Hebrews 6:15 And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise.

Daily D – Hebrews 4:15-16

Hebrews 4:15, 16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

Daily D – Psalm 25:8

Psalm 25:8 The Lord is good and upright;
therefore he shows sinners the way.
He leads the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.

Daily D – Philemon 15, 16

Philemon 15, 16 For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a brief time, so that you might get him back permanently, no longer as a slave, but more than a slave — as a dearly loved brother. He is especially so to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.