August 2025

         Strength, power, and authority are highly sought after in our world. Many wars have been fought over and because of these three realities. Ironically, peace and compliance often come through the aggressive use of force. Imagine being so strong and powerful and having so much authority that literally every single person on the planet irresistibly bows down before you and calls you “Lord!” Is there anyone with this much gravitas? Is there anyone worthy of such acclamation? Is there anyone who could handle such a position without demonstrating Dalberg-Acton’s maxim, absolute power corrupts absolutely?
The answer is “Yes!” The Apostle Paul talks about the incredible exaltation of Jesus Christ in Philippians 2:9-11: For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. However, this amazing position of authority and dignity did not come through military conquest or political machinations. The exaltation of Jesus Christ was the result of His humble, sacrificial obedience to the will of God the Father. Look at what Paul wrote immediately before describing Jesus’ great strength, power, and authority in Philippians 2:6-8: [Christ Jesus], existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. Instead, He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross. We must never forget that verses 6-8 are the antecedent for this reason in verse 9.
As the world plots and plans, schemes and scams, and seeks to seize power and authority through the aggressive use of force, as followers of Christ, let us be gentle, humble, and determined to be obedient to the will and Word of God. In doing so, we can be confident that God sees, hears, and knows about our humble acts of obedience. Likewise, we can be confident that God will not abandon us or allow our obedience to go unrewarded. Let us remember another great statement from the Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:9-10: So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith. As the world desperately, often destructively, seeks to grasp and maintain power and authority through strength, let us take refuge in the One who has already earned the highest praise, honor, and authority through humble submission. As the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 2:5, Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, let us seek to reflect the revivifying light of the world in a very dark, desperate time as we seek to emulate Christ’s humble obedience in our daily lives.

-Pastor Clint Miller