The Authority in the Story!

"And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching. For he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes." Matthew 7:28-29

Whenever Jesus taught in parables, spoke in the synagogues, and read scripture, people were astonished. Young and old were amazed at the authority He used while teaching. He didn't sound like one of their teachers. He wasn't speaking in a stuffy monotone. He wasn't acting like God was boring or a quick money-maker. He took the authority of God, and taught those people!

This is just another facet of Jesus that we need to use as a model for our lives. We may not all stand before millions with the Word of God, but even if we only speak to a few kids every week, a couple of co-workers, or an old neighbor, we need to have the authority of God. Otherwise, His message will be ignored.

There will always be some who say something like this: "Isn't this little Joe, who grew up down the street?", "Haven't we known Kala's parents for years?", "I'm best friends with her sister! What makes Jillian's message so special?" Sometimes we will even be the ones who say those things.

You can only stand against those questions with the authority of God. You won't dare speak to them unless you have that jaw-dropping, Jesus-walking, Pharisee-knocking, Holy Spirit power in your life, to back up your words!

One day, each of us will stand before someone who needs to hear about Jesus. No matter the difficulties, the magnitude of listeners, or the scoffers raising doubt, you and I need to stand there with Jesus' authority so we can share His story.

---Joy