25 APR Tuesday: A Closer Walk Devotional
“Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!” Luke 4:36
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Prov. 9:10) The more people understand who God is and his capabilities, the more likely fear will set in. The people of Capernaum were in awe of Jesus’ teaching and how he spoke with authority. It’s not that the other Rabbis were not learned or scholars or people of influence, but Jesus was something else.
As he preached and taught, he didn’t cite other people’s words or ideas unless he was exposing errors. He taught from a position as “the” source of wisdom and truth. When you read the Bible you find that he makes truth claims that leave no room for any other viable ideology, religion, or other truth. This causes a stir in a person’s heart to be in awe of Jesus or to hate Him.
The people experience Jesus’ authority and power when he encounters a demon-possessed man. Demons are fallen angels that rebelled against God and live on earth living among us. In this case, a demon has overridden a man’s will and life controlling his every action. Demons know Jesus and they know those that belong to Him. When the demon sees Jesus, he is struck with fear. He knows his maker and knows what he can do to him.
No one, not you or me or angel or animal or planet or demon can hold back the will and command of Jesus. His will, will be done, period. He does what he desires and no one can stop him or complain that he is doing this or that. Jesus has both the authority and power to back it up. That can spark fear, but it can also spark hope. If Jesus is for you, who can be against you or what can man do to you?
Are you trusting in the authority and power of Jesus?
Reading Plan: Psalm 26, 28; Dan. 4:28-37; 1 Jn. 4:7-21; Luke 4:31-37
No comments:
Post a Comment