So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 5:4-5, NIV)
Trading golf stories with a couple of partners the other day, one of them came up with this doozy: He had been playing with a friend, just the two of them, when they were joined by a third player from behind. No sooner had this new guy seen one swing from the friend, but he started telling him the many things he was doing wrong and the corrections he needed to make. Talk about uncomfortable and unwelcome words!
I wonder if the Corinthians had the same reaction to Paul’s instructions regarding an incestuous “brother” among them. This man was claiming belief in Jesus but he was blatantly disregarding the instructions of God regarding sexual purity. Moreover, the Corinthian church was boasting of their tolerance of the man’s sin.
As unnerving as those words were—and in many ways still are—their instruction and their tone is clear: “He must shape up, or you must ship him out.”
What begs a deeper question, especially in light of the observations we have been making this week, is the matter of the present power of God. Paul told the Corinthian believers to take action only when “the power of our Lord Jesus is present.”
Fascinating. We might normally make the assumption that “where two or three are gathered in my name,” Christ is there among them, as he promised. Isn’t Jesus always present where his people meet? And if he is present, then isn’t his power there too?
It is probably helpful for us to step aside for a moment here and make a connection to Matthew 13:58, where we are told that Jesus did not do many miracles in Nazareth “because of their lack of faith.” Where people did not demonstrate faith, Jesus chose to restrict his powerful work among them.
It is possible, then, for us to “limit” God’s power by our faithless dismissal of it. He draws back when we say, in essence, “Thank you very much, but we’re not interested.”
How does this happen? The Corinthian case gives us helpful insight. When we choose to exercise human power—by our own intellect or position or pressure—we deny the power of God. He will not work alongside us when we do this. What Paul was telling the Corinthians was that in a situation as touchy as this, don’t dare operate in your own strength. Back off. Make sure the power of Christ is there. Then you may proceed with his full backing. You’ll recall from yesterday’s devotion that Jesus’ power is the power to save—and there are few things we need to be saved from more than our own power-starved plans and procedures.
Lord, make us aware, always aware, of the circumstances where we would be tempted to employ our power rather than yours. Then bring us to our knees that we may call upon your power to govern and to save. In your strong name, Amen.
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Jeff Hopper
May 2, 2012
Copyright © 2012 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday through Friday and is archived by passage and topic at www.linksplayers.com.