He Showed His Power by Restraining His Power

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thank you for joining me for our Coffee Hour and for some thoughts on what is only part, albeit a significant part, of the Salvation Story: His death and resurrection, His ultimate display of power revealed through a restraint of power. Grab your coffee, and your Strand of Faith, and let’s pick up where we left off and hopefully conclude this series … just in time for Good Friday tomorrow!
Have I told you I am back in school for my Bachelor’s degree in Biblical studies? Oh, how I love learning! Well, this past week, we talked about power, the types of power, and multiple definitions for power, how it is used in the church, and out. One of the definitions for “power” is “The potential to influence others.” We were then asked to think of people in positional power, and that included pastors! Then we learned about the types of power, which is positional versus personal and the difference is that positional power is based on a title or a position and personal power is based on relationship.
Then there are the styles of power: Coercive power. Oooh, did I feel a bit of remorse after hearing about this one. The example the professor gave was about parenting, but I saw myself in the beginning of this ministry and even up to a year ago as a coercive type of leader, talking people into things that they really didn’t want to do. There’s the style of utility power, which is a type of compliance for a benefit. And then finally, there is legitimate power where others follow due to a belief in the leader and this type of power generates commitment. Oh, how I long to be this type of leader with this type of power.
Let’s broaden the lens of the scope now to The One who is most powerful, He who has all the power; the time and place: right before His ultimate surrender of power.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth." (Isaiah 53:7)

Do you see the beauty of His legitimate power shining through the prophecies?
I don’t know about you, but I read those words and I am filled with this sense of wonder, awe, and covetousness. What an incredible restraint of power, to not defend yourself when being attacked!
You may be saying, “Well, why would I not want to defend myself?” or “Does Jesus expect us to be doormats?”
Let me answer the first one first and I’m sorry to put it this way, but I must answer the question with a question: Why do you need to defend yourself? The more I learn about His character, the more I yearn to be like Him and the closer I am to Him, the less I need to defend myself. If there is any twinge at all, any division of the heart, could that be fueling the need to defend ourselves in time of conflict? Here’s another way to put it: Does/will defending myself bring eternal value? When it all comes down to it, He knows our hearts and the more we restrain our power over others, the more power we will have.
And to answer the second question: Does Jesus expect us to be doormats? No. Not only no, but heck no! No one can wipe their feet on us unless we let them, and when we “turn our back” we leave them nowhere to stomp!
But Jesus hung there, surrendering His power that we might walk in/with His power, dying that we might live, giving that we might take … any and every opportunity we can to not let His pain go in vain!
See, the Easter story is only part of the story for His power lives in each one of us who have confessed that He is Lord for one day, because of His surrender of power, His ultimate legitimate power will be revealed as every knee bows and every tongue confesses …
Oh, Coffee Hour Friend, may we each allow His surrender of power to empower us, His pain to be our gain …

Evinda


P.S. Join us tomorrow for a beautiful Good Friday word of encouragement from Debbie Croley @ Croley’s corner of Chicklit Power!

He Showed His Power by Restraining His Power

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thanks so much for stopping by to have coffee with me and for more of this series that has everything to do with Easter, which is only a part of the Salvation Story. Grab your Red Strand of Faith and your coffee, and let’s go chat about more of the facts that prove His power was demonstrated in His restraint of power.
Many of us are aware of what the prophets foretold of His sufferings and I have read many of them, and more than once. However, I was not able to imagine even an inch of the depth of His suffering and how much all the events leading up to His crucifixion cost Him … until I watched The Passion of the Christ.
I remember watching it as if it were just a few days ago. We went with a church group, like one big family. I had heard it was pretty tough to watch, but I had no idea what I was in for. There were so many times I gripped my honey’s arm, or pulled at his shirt and even squeezed the blood to the surface of his hands as I dared to sit through it. But there were also times where I turned my head away, unable to watch such infliction, especially as I realized, and continue to realize that I was, and unintentionally at times continue to be, part of reason for that affliction.
“But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed”… (Isaiah 53:5)
I don’t know about you, but I am more of a visual, hands-on kind of learner. I need to see what I’m hearing, reading, learning; but oh, my goodness isn’t it hard to imagine all of that physical pain? We need to understand that though the physical pain was immeasurable, it wasn’t just physical; it was emotional and very spiritual! He took that emotional pain that we could, that we would have emotional and spiritual healing … eternally!
Why? Why would God allow such pain and sacrifice? I have come to the truth that God’s plan all along was about relationship with each one of us, now and eternally. He doesn’t need us; He WANTS us! His restraint of power continues to show His power!
Let’s look at the very first restraint of power in Genesis after the temptation and fall of man: “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the Garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?’”
Picture this: the very first sin has been committed. SIN has entered all of us. God is still pursuing man despite man! He could have screamed, yelled, beaten, even killed them but instead, His first response to the sin … a restraint of power!
Let’s bring that in a little closer to home: When someone sins against you, what is your first reaction? If it is someone that God has allowed you to be over in the sense of responsibility, or someone that God has called you to lead, i.e. parent, in ministry, as a mentor or accountability partner, what kind of power do you demonstrate when you are hurt by their actions?
I don’t know about you, but my heart yearns for that meekness, that power in control that allows me to love despite being unloved, to offer healing despite being hurt, to repay evil with kindness, to forgive though not forgiven by them.
Could it be that power is best displayed by surrendering to His power?
Join me tomorrow for the conclusion.
Holding on to His power and gripped by His grace

Evinda

Power Friday @ Chicklit Power

Thanks for joining me for Power Friday @ Chicklit Power. Grab your coffee and come on in.

This week’s power thought came in the midst of a conversation with my son who is struggling with unemployment. Unemployment wreaks havoc because that one issue creates so many other issues, as you can imagine.

As I listened to their situation growing worse with each day that passed with no prospect of employment, I felt helpless for them and yet I knew I wasn’t supposed to jump to their rescue! Yay, I am breaking free! Anyway, I was actually speechless listening to their situation and can admit that it looked so bleak, almost dark, and then out of my mouth came this:

We shine our brightest when we are plugged into Him!

Oh to stop wiggling and risking coming unplugged!

Have a great weekend!

Evinda

Power Friday From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Thanks so much for joining me today for another Power Friday, and another power thought. Grab your coffee and come on in.

This power thought actually came like a whisper of grace after a storm of anger. I don’t even remember now what I was so mad at my husband about, and it doesn’t really matter. What matters is the thought that materialized from this fit that I avoided falling into and I have to admit, it was like HE whispered this to me the morning after:

Don’t turn your back; turn the other cheek!

Now that’s assertive and in no way aggressive!

Have a great weekend,

Evinda