Good Morning Friends,
“Pilate went back inside the palace. ‘Where
do you come from?’ he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. ‘Do you refuse
to speak to me?’ Pilate said. ‘Don’t you realize I have power either to free
you or to crucify you?’ Jesus answered, ‘You would have no power over me if it were
not given to you from above.’” (John 19:9-11)
People believe they have earned the positions
they have. They believe they have taken what is rightfully theirs by virtue of
their intelligence, hard work, charisma, cunning or some other trait.
They exercise authority as though it is
rightfully theirs. But authority is not theirs because they have earned it. Authority
is theirs because God has given it to them for His purposes.
Pilate was in power because God had placed
him there. It was a stewardship that God had entrusted to him and Pilate didn’t
even realize it. He thought he answered only to himself and to Rome. He left
out the only One to whom he ultimately would answer.
That is not just true of Pilate and not just
true of authority. It is true of every position we have, every talent and skill,
all the training we’ve received, and every resource we’ve gained. We have them
all because they have been given to us from above. They are not ours because
we’ve earned them. They are not ours because of some virtue in us. They are
ours because they have been entrusted to us by God. They are a stewardship from
above.
The question God will ask Pilate in eternity
is, “How did you use the authority and position with which I entrusted you?” It’s
the same question He’ll ask us, too! We may not have the same authority or
position, but whatever we have, God expects us to use it for Him and for His purposes.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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