Luke 4:31-44; Ezekiel 46-47; Isaiah 65

“And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.” (Luke 4:32 NKJV)

The Luke passage today seems to be a summary of a number of weeks. We see that Jesus taught in their synagogues, that He healed a demon-possessed man – in the synagogue, that He was willing to heal numerous people, and that He spoke and taught with authority. This passage reveals a couple of other things as well: He could have had a healing ministry that would have drawn people to Him from all over the place, and that He rejected that temptation to bring a more important healing to people by introducing them to a relationship with God in the Kingdom of God.

The main lesson here, though, is that Jesus taught with authority. He healed with authority. He decided to proclaim the Kingdom of God with authority. His decision to preach the Kingdom of God instead of developing a healing ministry came after a period of prayer – that was interrupted by people who sought Him. Jesus’s authority came because He was God the Son and maintained contact with God through prayer. As followers of Christ, we walk in His authority and can share His love and grace with authority. The key to that is keeping our relationship with God strong through prayer. Seek God’s leadership as we head into the New Year. Follow His guidance so that You can serve Him with authority.

Lord, lead me. Let me know Your will, and then commit to doing that in service to You and to this world that You love.