Great Power

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

GREAT POWER

Acts 8:9-13

9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

NIV

The first truth we notice is about Simon, who practiced sorcery, or magic. He boasted that he was someone great. This is the first clue about being a follower of Jesus: no boasting about our greatness. We might not boast openly or verbally, but do we think of ourselves more highly than we should, that is, boast internally of our greatness, or our good deeds, or how religious or spiritual we are? Do we boast about our knowledge of the scriptures? The truth tells us to walk humbly before our God and men. Because we humble ourselves before the Lord, he will lift us up. He will bring about the actions of our lives, directing our paths, pouring out the Spirit upon us, who manifests his fruit and gifts within us. When we walk justly and love mercy as we walk before the Lord, as he requires of us, then he can display his power in our lives. The people were amazed at Simon, thinking he was a man of divine power, known as the Great Power, but he was not acting under God's power; rather, under the dark power of the devil, for all sorcery is from him. Satan is all about counterfeiting the power of God. His desire is to deceive people, to pull them away from the truth of God. Satan would want us to think more highly of ourselves, seeing our greatness, our abilities, our education, training, and skills as the means to our success in life and even in the religious realm. Even the church may have been deceived by putting too much attention on qualifications rather than on the call of God. There was a massive difference between the power of Simon and Philip. Simon preached of his greatness, Philip preached about the good news of the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus. The people might have been amazed by Simon's black magic, but they believed Philip's message and were baptized. When God's power was displayed through Philip, even Simon was astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. This is the key to the lives of believers: follow Jesus, not anyone else. Do not be amazed at false power, and do not be deceived by the silver-tongued purveyors of deception, with their messages of how great we can be. We do not follow Jesus to become great, but to learn from him and be gentle and humble of heart. God is the only one with Great Power.