Power Over Your Life 11/1/2012

"Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult."  Prov 12:16 (NIV)

Have you ever noticed how quick we can be to respond to an offense?  Why do you suppose that is?  Clearly no on desires to be badly treated, insulted, taken advantage of or abused, however, we must consider our response to these inevitable occurrences.

It is important to determine how much power we give other people over our lives.  If you are having a great day and someone even offhandedly says the "wrong" thing to you and your day goes into a nose dive, you have relinquished power over your life.  Consider Jesus.  Immediately after what could arguably be considered his best day (the day of his baptism and identification by God as his own), he went into the wilderness and was tempted by Satan.  Despite all Satan tried to do, Jesus simply replied with the word of God and more importantly, resisted.  On arguably his worst day (the day of his crucifixion), he withstood insult, beatings, false accusations, being spat upon and the rest of the well documented horror associated with the day, yet he said not a word and humbled himself at the cross.

Beloved, this was within Jesus' ability to accomplish because of one simple fact.  This fact is born out throughout his life and is demonstrated at many times and many ways, but perhaps most when he voluntarily lowered himself to perform a task of the lowest of the low slaves and washed his disciple's feet.  Of this occasion, Scriptures says of him, "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God" John 13:3.  In other words, he knew who he was in God and that he was destined to return to his rightful place at God's right hand. 

We should be similarly motivated when the world does not treat us well.  We are God's own and we are destined to be with Him throughout eternity.  With this perspective, we can stand any temporary and relatively meaningless insult or offence because we know whose we are and who we are in Him.  With this knowledge, we can maintain Holy Spirit derived power over our own lives and reactions rather than giving it away to those who would abuse it.

Rejoicing in the Lord

Lee