September 24, 2022

Passage Read: 2 Corinthians 12-13
Meditation Verses: 13:2-4

Thought

There is a power in Christ, an authority that men sent by Him have access to. It is the same power to discipline that the Lord has and exercised through all His appointed leaders of the past. The spiritual leader of a community has spiritual power to discipline and correct and defend that community. Most leaders today think they have to rely on man-created methods to control or manipulate their congregation, but God's appointed leaders need none of that. He only needs to be honest and direct with the people, and when there is stubbornness and intractability, he can call on spiritual power to discipline those members.

Application

Of course, I don't want to take advantage of leaders who don't understand their spiritual authority, and I certainly don't want to incite the Lord's anger against me by walking in disobedience and rebellion. I need to be sensitive to the Lord's direction through those leaders, and I need to know the Word of God well enough to recognize those who are sent by God and those who are not. But I also need to recognize the authority I have now over those entrusted to me, and use it properly when necessary.