Tom writes:

We all have a sphere of influence given to us by God. Some of us will - like Paul - want to see that sphere enlarged. That is a good thing. If you want to grow a business, get promoted at work, draw new people into your small group, increase the reach of your creative projects, you should know that is a mirror of the expansive desire of Paul. It is part of the mandate on all humans to go forth and multiply, to rule over the earth and subdue it. But you should also know that the promotion is not the main thing - the multiplication is not the win - the main thing is your dispensing of more grace to more people, and that only comes through your good use of any spiritual authority that God has given you. Much of the destructive use of authority actually flows out of people preferring a growth in their sphere of influence over and above the growth of the people in their sphere of influence. Some of us would be better off focusing on making good use of authority in the sphere we already have rather than looking to expand our reach. Parents and grandparents; take note. Managers and leaders; take note… The phrase of the day is “use authority from God to build others up”. For some strange reason I want to use the metaphor of us being like gorillas. In our spheres of influence God’s favour on us has made us like spiritual gorillas. We are stacked. We carry immense bulk in the heavenlies. One danger is that we are so blind to our power that we tear down much in our sphere through selfish ambition and a lack of gentleness. If you are doing that, you really should stop.

But the other danger - one that is prevalent in our post-modern, anti-authority world - is to continually underplay the authority Jesus has given us. I’ve done this. I’ve been like a gorilla walking around thinking I’m a lemur. I’ve ducked away from challenges that seemed too much for a little lemur, but which in truth would have been quite straightforward for a hulking gorilla. I’ve let fear degrade my use of the authority that God has given me and people in my care have suffered as a result. I wonder if you have done the same? We must step up and use authority to protect, to make decisions, to set goals, to set people free. Perhaps prayer is the primary expression of our authority. When we fall to our knees and pray for people in our care we release astonishing power to build them up and to set them free. We have been given real authority by Jesus, and he really does want us to use it. Lean into love, move in meekness, pray for those in your care, and one day you might turn around and see that the expanse of your sphere of influence has grown beyond anything you could have asked or imagined.

Question for reflection

Who is in your sphere of influence? How can you use your God-given authority to build them up today?

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2 Corinthians 10 - Thursday 20th June