October 7 - Who Says?

 Read today’s texts first: Ezra 7,8; Luke 20

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

The world tells us to lead by refusing to follow
but God says we only have authority
when we are under authority. 

As I was getting my three precocious grandkids ready for church I heard this prototypical conversation:  Kaitlyn: “Zach, brush your teeth.”  Zack: “Who says – you’re not the boss of me!”  Kaitlyn: “Papa says, that’s who!” I laughed to myself, “like that’s going to help!”

We all do it - appealing to a higher power to give ourselves credibility.  Jesus faced that in our reading today.  “By whose authority ...” questioned the chief priests and scribes. Jesus cleverly dodged their trap to charge Him with blasphemy (it wasn’t His time yet), but He made it clear, in the story He told in response to their question, that He was the Son of the “owner of the vineyard” ( aka - God, the Father).  Jesus, King of Kings, modeled real authority, daily submitting to His Father’s will.  We only have authority when we are under authority.

Ezra, our other reading today, lived out the same principle.  His incredible influence with a pagan king and his own people came because Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10). This is the secret to success as a leader: know God’s Word, live it out, and then teach it to others - in that order.  Then you will have real credibility and authority with those whom God leads you to influence.

“Lord, may I give this day to knowing more of Your Word, walking it out, and teaching others who recognize God’s authority in my life.”

“Who says?”  “God says, that’s Who!”