“And behold, I am sending forth the promise of my Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49, NASB)
Though Jack Nicklaus was a long hitter, over the history of the professional game, power off the tee was never a requirement for success at the highest level. Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, and many of the other legendary players did not have to hit the long, towering tee shots that we are becoming accustomed to seeing in order to win golf’s major championships. As we watch the best players in the world now, with only a few exceptions, it is becoming obvious that golf has become a power game.
When Jesus ushered in the new covenant, he also claimed that power was a necessary component to play his game. Just as we see how Tiger Woods forever changed the game of golf with his power, Jesus was forever changing the game of religion. He presented a sharp contrast from the covenant made with Israel, which came with obedience to the Law, to the New Covenant God was making through Christ to the whole world, both Jew and Gentile.
As good as the covenant God made with Israel through Moses was, Scripture tells us that it was limited and revealed to man the need for something more. Man was lacking a power source, and access to God came through the temple, priests, and sacrifices. The burden was great, and as it become more and more of a religious system, its adherents grew more and more self-reliant on their ability to perform for God. I see some of these traits in Christianity as well when its adherents become more focused on doctrine, theology, and liturgical acts than in growing in intimacy with God and others. Many Christians are not connecting to God’s power source, and thus not playing in Christ’s Kingdom.
We must be careful of self-reliance because the Kingdom of God requires dependence on him. It is much like the design of a television: we do not work if we are not plugged in, and nobody can see God playing out through our lives if he is not our source. We were designed to require a connection to him to do anything good. In the Gospel of John, Jesus used the analogy of a fruit producing vine. He said, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
The power source required to live, work, and play in the Kingdom of God is the Holy Spirit. We see this in today’s verse as well as in Acts 1:8 where Jesus was telling them that he was going to send them his power source: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” This was consistent with what he told them at the Last Supper: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.”
It is hard for us to comprehend, but when Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit, he intends for us to do even greater works than he did. There is one great requirement for this to happen; we must remain connected to and depend on the power source. The result is an undeniable power for which we cannot take credit. “For the Kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:20). Jesus forever changed the game; he made a way for the power of God to flow through us. Our only responsibility is to abide in him, remain connected, and be obedient when he directs so that we may experience all that he designed us to be and do.
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Josh Nelson
April 18, 2018
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.