Steward Your Authority

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” 
John 8:11 (NIV)

In an attempt to trap Jesus, some men brought to Him a woman caught in the act of adultery, and they asked Him if she should be stoned. Jesus told them that whoever was without sin should cast the first stone, and one by one, they left her alone with Jesus.

Asking her where her accusers had gone and if no one was left to condemn her, she answered “No one, sir.”

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

What did Jesus decide to do with His authority? He decided to pardon her. He gifted her with a chance to live past that moment and to push her life in a different direction. He blessed her to turn the page on the past chapters of her narrative and write something new.

Jesus stewarded His own authority by deciding to give mercy.

Are you stewarding the spiritual authority in your own life so that you’re not making decisions based on the intimidating, encircling presence of influence and pressures?

Authority must be stewarded intentionally. You can respond to life in any way you want, but this text teaches us that God expects that the Spirit living in you would have such an impact on you that it will guard your tongue and your behavior. It will change and alter and transform your actions.  

Learn to be a faithful steward of the authority that the Lord has given to you.