Who has the Authority in Your Life?

It happened on one of those days, as he was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the Good News, that the priests and scribes came to him with the elders. They asked him, “Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?”

He answered them, “I also will ask you one question. Tell me: the baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men?”

They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” They answered that they didn’t know where it was from.

Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” Luke 20:1-8 (WEB)

This has been a week of great news. Yesterday was the second day this week that I received great healing news! A young man, just before graduating from high school this spring was diagnosed with cancer and began chemo. The scans this week show his tumors has shrunk more than 50% – much more than the physicians expected! YEA, GOD!

It would be easy to tell both these stories and give the credit to the treatments that each of these men received. It would not be honest to do that. It would also not be honest if I did not say that they did receive medical care. In my mind, as a nurse and a Christian, God is the reason for these victories! If God did not have His hand on these people, it would not matter what medication they received. It is God’s strength and His wisdom and creation that brought us medically to this point.

The leaders in the Scripture did not want to acknowledge Jesus as God. They were given the facts and had seen Jesus in action and yet did not want to publicly point to Him as the source. They made a choice to take the safe path to maintain the status quo.

There is not a day in my life that does not have the hand of God in it. I could explain away the events with the safe, usual explanations but I would be a liar. Every day, God acknowledges His love for me in so many ways, big and small.