RISING TO SON POWER

Part 1:

Picture in your mind for a moment a sunrise. Sunrays bursting forth, beautiful color,

incredible potential, hope for a new day. The sun, the source of unbelievable and, for all

practical purposes, virtually unlimited power. The sun, the focus of our existence as the

earth revolves around it. Without the sun, life as we know it would be non-existent. The sun

is the source of light and power for our entire planetary system.

Without the sun, we would be in complete darkness. Night and day are determined by

the sunrise and sunset. The sun gives us illumination that scatters the darkness so we can see

and observe by the natural eye the things that are hidden without its light. How confining

life would be without its light.

The rays of the sun provide warmth, light, and power. Without the sun, we would

have no plant life or food to sustain us. Stanford University research professor Philip Scher-

rer once said, "To the best of our knowledge our sun is the only star proven to grow vege-

tables." Without the sun, life on earth would not exist. And yet, following the sun rays, the

delicate sunflower lifts its head gently and moves with the sun throughout the day.

Through scientific discovery we have learned that the activity on the surface of the

sun impacts the earth. Solar storms and solar flares on the surface of the sun can actually

cause electrical blackouts and make communications systems inoperable on the earth.

In recent years, technology has developed to capture the power of the sun. With this

power, we are now able to generate energy for millions of homes and businesses.

When a mirror is placed in the right relationship to the sun, it can reflect blinding

light for many miles even though it does not have the power to produce light on its own.

Batteries of panels, also positioned in the right relationship to the sun, receive the sunlight

and then transform it into massive generating power for heating, cooling, lighting homes,and powering industry.

We have come to understand that physical laws govern the relationship of the earth

to the sun and the outcomes of that relationship. Human activity in harmony with these

physical laws results in huge benefits for mankind. However, when we ignore, disregard, or

abuse those physical laws, the results can be devastating.

As children, many of us learn facts about the sun and how it influences the earth. We

also learn how the sun impacts us individually. While we enjoy the warmth of the sun's rays,

we also know that our skin can be burned and we can experience long-term consequences

such as skin cancer when we are not careful. A proper understanding of the sun and how to

interact with it is critical.

Jesus Christ, God's Son

A little more than two thousand years ago, God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, appeared in

this world and "broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality"

(2 Timothy 1:10). This was a big deal. In fact, it is the most

important event in history.

Jesus, the Son of God, entered our world, bringing light

and life and hope. The Son illumines for us the only way to

God, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through

me" (John 14:6). Without Jesus in our lives, we live in darkness, spiritual darkness.

Jesus came to bring us a new way of life. This new life includes his power working

in and through us. We don't need good deeds or self-sacrifice in order to make ourselves

acceptable to God. Only Jesus can do that. It is because of his sacrifice on the cross that not

only are we justified before God, we also have the gift of eternal life.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life."

—John 6:47, NKJV

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God's Son does not have

life.

—1 John 5:12

Just as the sun is the source of life for the earth, we find that Jesus is the source of our

relationship with God. Jesus' payment for our sin debt provides the way for us to come to

the Father. Jesus is the only source of eternal life. Just as the earth cannot recreate what the

sun provides, we cannot recreate for ourselves salvation, eternal life, or the power we need

to live our lives for God's purposes. We need Jesus' power in order to live in harmony with

God's will for our lives. Only Jesus' divine power and precious promises enable us to tap into

the supernatural power God offers us.

As believers, our life is to revolve around the Son. The apostle Paul wrote, "He [Jesus] died

for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead,

they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them" (2 Corinthians 5:15). Jesus Christ is

to be the center of our life, he is the source of our power which is enabled within us through the

work of the Holy Spirit. As we grow in our relationship with God and as Jesus becomes more and

more central to our lives, he causes us to bring everything into conformance with God's will and

purposes. As we rotate our lives around the Son, we become more sensitive to his authority over

us. As we live in a proper relationship to God through Jesus Christ, we submit to his life-giving

power. Jesus, the Son, illuminates to us the way of life both for this world and the world to come.

"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

—John10:10, NKJV

"Don't be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seek-

ing the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you."

—John 6:27

Son Power

The sun provides a broad range of energy, including all the energy that is vital for life on

earth. In order for the earth to receive its many benefits from the sun, scientific research has

discovered that the relationship between the earth and the sun is critical. Not only is the

earth positioned in just the right place to receive all the benefits of the sun without being

destroyed by it, its precise position allows for correct gravitational pull between the two

entities. The earth receives essential power because of its precise proximity to the sun.

Believers who have their hearts properly positioned in relationship to God are re-

newed and empowered daily by the Son. As we study God's

Word, we learn to trust Christ as he lives his life in us and

through us by his Holy Spirit. Jesus, God's Son, beams God's

power to us just as the sun beams its power to the earth. Paul

wrote to the Colossians in the New Testament, "Christ lives

in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory" (Colos-

sians 1:27).

We are talking about real power here—God's power given to us by his Son and

through the Holy Spirit!

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But

we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.

—1 Corinthians 1:18

But to those called by God to salvation … Christ is the power of God and the

wisdom of God.

—1 Corinthians 1:24

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at

work, saving everyone who believes.

—Romans 1:16

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ

lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved

me and gave himself for me.

—Galatians 2:20

The power of the Son is accessible to us through the work of the Holy Spirit. This

begins when we trust in Jesus as our Savior. In the book of Acts we read these words, "Each

of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ

for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (2:38,

emphasis added). It is the Holy Spirit who enlightens us, empowers us, convicts us when we

need correction, and transforms us into the likeness of Christ.

For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit

to fill our hearts with his love.

—Romans 5:5

Just as the earth revolves around the sun, absorbing light and life, we receive light and

spiritual life through the Son. This is true Son Power; the saving work of Jesus Christ, God's

Son, working in and through us.

We need to learn from the sunflower. It lifts its head gently toward the sun and fol-

lows it throughout the day. We will find our greatest joy and purpose and strength when we

focus on the Son and follow him throughout our day.At the end of each chapter, you'll find three questions to help you apply what you have just

read as you consider how you can experience more Son Power in your life.

1. What was the most important concept you read about in this chapter?

2. Is there anything you need to do right now because of what you read in this

chapter?

3. How can you begin to incorporate the idea of Son Power into your life?

Talk to God

A key principle in KingdomNomics is "Soak, Sow, Flow." Soak your mind and heart in the

Word of God, sow the Word of God back to him, and let the Holy Spirit flow through you.

Sowing the Word of God involves memorizing Scripture and reciting it. One of my favorite

verses is Psalm 45:1, "My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king"

(NIV). Sowing the Word of God involves reciting that Word back to him in prayer. I often

choose a Scripture verse or passage and use the words verbatim or the ideas presented as I

talk to God. I often find other Scripture phrases becoming a part of my prayer as well. Even

though I don't usually reference the phrases I use, they simply "flow" out of me, you'll find

the references in small print just for your information.

Under this section of "Talk to God," after every chapter I will include one of my

prayers that I've written down as God has been teaching me about Son Power. You can

either read the prayer as your own or use it to inspire you to pray your own variation of it. I

truly believe that this allows me to pray in conformance with God's will as I use his Word to

praise and bring requests to him.

Scripture Meditation

"Then Christ will make his home in your hearts

as you trust in him.

Your roots will grow down into God's love

and keep you strong."

(Ephesians 3:17)

Prayer

Father, I have the greatest respect for you and your Word. I am totally

trusting in you. I want to make sure that my heart is positioned in a right rela-

tionship to you. I know that your eyes are scanning the entire earth, looking to

find those whose hearts are fixed on you (2 Chronicles 16:9). I choose to soakmy heart in your truth, desiring the roots of my innermost being to grow deep-

ly into the soil of your truth. May you make yourself known and strengthen

me with your living presence. You are the dynamic God, always on the move,

always transforming all of creation to approve your magnificent will (Romans

12:2).

I am calling on you because you promise to answer me and to reveal to me

the things that I do not know (Jeremiah 33:3). In accordance with your Word,

I have the expectation that the Son will rise in my heart with healing on his

wings (Malachi 4:2), first to heal the imperfections in my heart, and then to

help heal what is broken in this world.

Listen, O Lord, and act. Come and make your home in my heart. Rise in

the strength of the Holy Spirit to change me and the world around me. Only

then can I be free of the hindrances of this world to serve you in a way that

will bear fruit for all of eternity. Amen.

Memorize and Meditate

Spiritual "M and Ms" were introduced in the very first KingdomNomics book

and in Converterlator. They were used throughout the books to serve as powerful

reminders. M and Ms are specific verses that we want to memorize and meditate on.

You can choose any verse from this chapter as your own Spiritual M and M, but at

the end of each chapter, I'll make a recommendation of a verse or verses to help you

remember the key point of what you've just read. For this chapter, I'm suggesting the

key verse that appeared on the first page of this chapter: