His Mighty Strength (Randy Frazee)Sample

Jesus emptied himself, which means he voluntarily left behind access to his unlimited presence, unlimited knowledge, and unlimited power. This was his first move toward us—and it was a choice to become vulnerable. So, with Jesus as our model, we can make a similar move. We ask ourselves, What do I need to leave behind? How do I choose vulnerability—especially vulnerability that enables me to experience God’s power as Jesus did?

If we want to experience the resurrection power Jesus did, we too must leave something behind. You’ve probably heard the saying “Nothing changes if nothing changes.” If we want to move beyond powerlessness, something has to change—and that almost always requires taking a legitimate risk.

There are an infinite number and variety of risks we might take in choosing vulnerability as Jesus did, but there is one thing every risk requires: giving up control. This is what we need to leave behind. We need to relinquish the control we think we have over our lives and pass it on to the one who actually is in control. 

Unlike Jesus, our powerlessness is involuntary. So, we are not asked to empty ourselves of our power, of which we have only a limited supply. Instead, we are asked to empty ourselves of the illusion of control—that exhausting effort of pretending we have power over what happens in our world—so that we can find freedom from worry and access to a power greater than our greatest foes.