"Christ the Power of God" - Unselfish, Responsible, and Considerate Use of Power

Can you imagine the potential for abuse if Jesus' power were placed in the hands of an imperfect ruler?  But Jesus was sinless.  (1 Peter 2:22)  He refused  to be tainted by the selfishness, ambition, and greed that drive imperfect humans to use their power to hurt others.

Jesus was unselfish in the use of his power, never employing it for personal gain.  When he was hungry, he refused to turn stones into bread for himself.  (Matthew 4:1-4)   His meager possessions were evidence that he did not profit materially from the use of his power.  (Matthew  8:20)There is further proof that his powerful works sprang from unselfish motives.  When he performed miracles, he did so at some cost to himself.  When he cured the sick, power went out of him.  He was sensitive to this outflow of power, even in the case of just one cure. (Mark  5:25-34) Yet, he let crowd of people touch him, and they were healed.  (Luke 6:19)  What a selfless spirit! 

Jesus was responsible in the use of his power.  Never did her perform powerful works for mere showy display or purposeless theatrics.  (Matthew 4:5-7) He was unwilling to perform signs merely to satisfy Herod's wrongly motivated curiosity.  (Luke 23:8, 9) Far from advertising his power, Jesus often instructed those whom he healed not to tell anyone.  (Mark 5:43; 7:36)  He did not want people to reach conclusions about him on the basis of sensational reports. -Matthew 12:15-19.

Next time: "Christ the Power of God" - Conclusion of Unselfish, Responsible, and Considerate Use of Power

From the book: Draw Close to Jehovah