STEWARDING POWER AND SUCCESS. By Pastor Fernando.

Scripture:
We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Our only power and success come from God. He is the one who has enable us to represent His new covenant. 2 Corinthians 3:4-6

Observation:
Paul and his companions have been experiencing an amazing amount of success in their ministry. He writes to the Corinthians to reveal the power of the promise of God in the new covenant. This power, which is effective to change people’s lives, is available only because God has granted it to him. Paul trusted God and in His promises through Christ. He knows that even though they have a great pool of resources, they cannot build God’s kingdom on their own. God is the source, they are simply His instruments. Paul developed in his character a great sense of humility and dependency in God. That’s why he was able to steward power and success properly!

Application:
In the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, Frodo Baggins is entrusted to take the “ring of power” to be destroyed in the fires of Mordor. The task is not easy. The journey is long and dangerous. But worse of all, it’s the seduction of the ring of power. Power has a way to isolate people, to make them think as better than everybody else, as if they were the only ones deserving to have it. “My preciousssss!” Everybody thinks that they can carry the ring, and that they will never abuse its power. But even Frodo struggled with the burden and with the control that power usually feeds in people’s hearts.

The illustration of this fantasy reflects the struggle in the human heart to steward power and success well. Many leaders, including those leading in the church, think that they can carry the ring and that they are not vulnerable to its effects. But the seduction of power cannot be underestimated. We need to learn how to steward power and success well by looking at the example of Jesus, just like Paul did. Otherwise, our human nature will default to follow Lucifer’s example, who thought his power and success came from himself, not from God.

During this season I’ve been experiencing lots of success that needs to be stewarded well. At the same time, the Lord has bestowed much favor upon me with more power and influence in people’s lives. It’s very easy to start thinking how good and faithful I am, and how much I deserve all this success. But the truth is that the ring of power has a seductive force that needs to be avoided with a sincere passion for humility.

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to steward the success you give me in a way that gives you all the glory. I don’t want to steal your glory for myself. As my authority grows and my power of influence increases, please let me share it more with others, let my trust in You and in your promises, and let me walk in sincere humility before You and men. Forgive me for the times when I feel I’m better than others, or when I think that I deserve your favor. Let me depend on you for everything, and let me be content if my power and success don’t grow anymore. Amen!