Given thee from above

Bible Reading: John 19
John 19:10-11 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? 11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

Jesus told Pilate something that John the Baptist fully understood. We all need to understand this. It is a fact that applies whether a person believes in Jesus or not. There is no power here on earth that was not given to men from God above. John said it like this:

John 3:27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

Pilate thought he had power and authority over Jesus. Jesus reminded him that his power and authority came from God. The apostle Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit told the Corinthian church:

1 Corinthians 4:7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

What do you have that you did not receive? Your health, your mind, your strength, your spouse, your home, your children... Really, what do you have that you did not receive? Nothing...

Then where would glorying in ourselves ever come from? It comes from pride and God opposes the proud. We need to be humble before God and grateful to him for his gifts. What we have and where we are comes from God.

Why not just sit down today and think of all you have and be grateful to God? Maybe it will help you to refocus on being a steward of God's things instead of worrying about being an owner. Even a man in Pilate's position did not get there by himself. He was placed there by God. Pilate found himself at a strategic place of power at a critical moment of history.

What about you? Where does God have you? This is a very important position. This is a very critical time. Realize that God placed you there and live for Jesus.

In Christ,
Rody