Listen to today’s devo!

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Cor. 12:9)

Expanded Passage: Esther 1:2-4, 10-12; 2:1-2, 5-7, 15, 17-18

We live in a world that glorifies power. Nations seek power; political leaders try to project power to reassure voters and secure elections. We look to climb a career ladder that gives us more power in the workplace. In interpersonal situations, we love to be the person with power, the person who is in charge and can get our way in a given situation.

If we are not careful, the church can look an awful lot like the world in this way. Often we too are mesmerized by power. We sometimes pay special attention to speakers who project power; we aggressively promote ourselves and our churches in a display of power. You can even argue that we create a Christian celebrity culture that parallels our secular celebrity culture of fame and power. Power and celebrity are not entirely bad things. We should encourage young people to discover their own spiritual power, so they can impact the world for good.

But we dare not forget that our power means nothing; we have no power of our own. Esther and Paul knew it; the widow and disciples discovered it when they met Jesus. Only Christ’s power means anything. And his power does not require our cleverness or strength, but our weakness, our humility, and our submission. Shrug off your shame like Paul and boast in your weakness!

Watch Christ’s power be perfected in your weaknesses.

Michael Jordan is associate professor of theology at Houghton University (NY), and the author of Worship in an Age of Anxiety (IVP, 2024).

© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.