“Power
Came From Him” by Melanie Rigney
As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, rooted in
him, and built upon him and established in faith as you were taught, abounding
in thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7)
The Lord is compassionate
toward all his works. (Psalm 145:9)
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because
power came from him and healed them all. (Luke 6:19)
Piety
Lord, bless the people You’ve
sent to heal me.
Study
We call it charisma, the gift of
drawing people to us. Sometimes the gift evidences itself in quiet, calmly
confident ways; other times, it’s more exuberant. Everyone knew Jesus had that
gift; the power that came from within Him healed more than physical
disabilities. That’s what disturbed the authorities.
Those in the public
limelight—political leaders, professional athletes, actors and other
celebrities—often have charisma. When I read today’s scripture, however, it
wasn’t a politician, hockey player, or movie star who came to mind. It was Cec Murphey. He’s a “retired” Presbyterian
minister with more than 135 books authored or co-authored, likely including
some you have read or own, including the New
York Times bestseller 90 Minutes in
Heaven.
“I’m a hugger,” Cec writes on his
web site home page. “When I meet people, I like to wrap my arms around them. …
I yearn for them to appreciate themselves and to realize that God created each
of us to love and be loved.”
Cec has a monthly e-letter, and I
feel hugged—and often, challenged—each time it arrives. There was the time he
wrote about crises of the past, like the 2007 fire that destroyed his home,
prepare him to accept current ones, confident in the Lord. There was the time
that he caught an acquaintance in an unnecessary, flat-out lie, and realized he
was called to love the person nonetheless, just as God loves him. There was the
time he wrote this: “I’d rather be disliked for who I am than to be admired for
who I’m not.”
Back in 2002, I was at a conference
with hundreds of other people, and everyone I chatted with talked about Cec as
a treasured friend. This, of course, predisposed me to dislike him; I can be a
contrarian. Then one day, I looked up and an elf of a man with twinkling eyes
was headed straight for me, hand out. “Hi,” he said, “you don’t know me. I’m
Cec.”
Who could reject that sort of
greeting? While our contact these days is primarily through his newsletter (and
my fandom), I still count myself among Cec’s legion of friends, in no small
part because he prayed for a solid year after we met that I would find my way back
to God. In typical Cec fashion, I didn’t know that until I shared with him that
I was back with God.
Call it charisma, call it Christian
love. There are people like Cec in your life who reflect Jesus, who draw you
nearer to Him. There are people in your life who look to you in the same way,
whether you realize it or not. Use the gift as He desires to bring souls to His
kingdom.
Action
Introduce
yourself to a stranger. Let Jesus give you the words and confidence—and an
inviting smile.
Image credit: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/
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