“The power that creates is spiritual power, and it is in stark contrast to human power. What, then, are the marks of spiritual power?

“Love is the first mark of spiritual power. Love demands that power be used for the good of others.

“Humility is the second mark of spiritual power. Humility is power under control. Nothing is more dangerous than power in the service of arrogance. Power under the discipline of humility is teachable.

“Self-limitation is the third mark of spiritual power. The power that creates refrains from doing some things -- even good things -- out of respect for the individual. Have you ever noticed the number of times Jesus refused to use power? He refused to dazzle people by jumping off the pinnacle of the temple (Matthew 4:5). He rejected the temptation to make more "wonder bread" to validate his ministry (John 6:26). He refused to do many wonderful works in his own hometown because of the unbelief of the people (Luke 4:16-27). At his arrest, Jesus reminded Peter that he could have summoned a whole army of angels to his rescue, but he did not (Matthew 26:53).

“Joy is the fourth mark of spiritual power. This is no grim-faced, sour effort! When the lame man was healed, he went ‘walking and leaping and praising God’ (Acts 3:8). That is a good description of our spontaneous reaction to the work of God.

“Vulnerability is the fifth mark of spiritual power. The power that comes from above is not filled with bravado and bombast. It lacks the symbols of human authority; indeed its symbols are a manger and a cross. It is power that is not recognized as power. It is the power of the ‘wounded healer,’ to use the phrase of Henri Nouwen. The power from above leads from weakness. It is in contradiction to the society of the strong and the capable.

“The sixth mark of spiritual power is submission. Jesus knew what it meant to submit to the ways of God. As we learn to experience on a personal level this same kind of intimate cooperation with the Father, we will enter more deeply into the meaning of true power. Submission is power because it places us in a position in which we can receive from others. When, with humility of heart, we submit to others, we have access to their wisdom, their counsel, their rebuke, their encouragement.

“Freedom is the final mark of spiritual power. People were set free when Jesus and the apostles exercised power. The lame could walk; the blind could see; the guilty knew forgiveness . . . the powers of this dark evil age were defeated, and the captives were set free. Notice how Jesus worked with people. Jesus never ran roughshod over the weak. He never used His power to exploit or control others. It would have been easy for Him to do otherwise. The poor who heard Him so gladly would have done anything for Him because they were so grateful just to have someone pay attention to them. But Jesus refused to exploit the power He had over them. No, He freed them to be themselves, fully and uniquely.”