Lincoln Brewster - OxygenSample

Always Good

Devotional for the song "There Is Power"

You've seen it before in movies, read it before in books. It's that moment when the older, wiser mentor cautions the young superhero: "You have been given great power. But you must use your power for good."

Then from that scene the script used to continue either in the direction of the abuse of that power for selfish ends or the sacrificial use of that power for the common good. That's still how one version goes, but with the rise and popularity these days of the anti-hero we have a mixed bag – power being used for both good and evil, sometimes in the same scene.

But there is one hero story from which all others originate. It is a story about the one named Jesus, the son of the living God who set aside his divine status and willingly dove down into the history of humanity to seek and to save the lost. In other words, to save all of us. In fact, that's what his name means. Jesus - "God saves."

The pages of Scripture reveal the young hero using his powers for good. He fed the hungry not just fish and loaves but a hope that does not disappoint. He calmed not only the raging seas but also the anxious and restless hearts. He caused the blind to see and the shamed to glimpse an acceptance they thought was impossible. Each time he touched a life with his power, the result was a change in the direction of good. The change wasn't always easy, but it was always good.

And in each of these encounters, his name and his power spread like a wave throughout the cities and villages and towns and countryside. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. "God saves."

To follow this hero means aligning your life with a power beyond human imagination, a power committed to the light of goodness. In fact, this power cannot abide the darkness of evil that so often pervades the stories of our lives. This power found its embodiment in a name. His name was Jesus. His name is still Jesus. He is no fictional character wrapped in a cape. He is the resurrected Savior with nail scars in his hands. He is here, now, today to silence the doubts and lies that lurk in the shadows posing a threat to our daily joy. His name will forever be Jesus. Jesus. "God saves."