Jesus never abused the power that He possessed. He served with humility and love, however, we often act out of God’s will. It is not His will to punish those who hurt us. The power that God has given us should be used to glorify Him. In Luke 9:54, we find these words:

“When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “‘Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up.’”

Jesus sent James and John to a Samaritan village ahead of Him to prepare for His arrival, but the people did not welcome Jesus. James and John wanted to invoke fire upon them! But Jesus rebuked them, and they went to another village. In Luke 9:56 (KJV) we find that the Son of man did not come to destroy lives, but to save them. To follow Jesus, one must completely surrender a hardened heart and the “old self.” Notice that Jesus not only rebuked His disciples, but He spoke of the cost to follow Him. Prayerfully, we have counted the cost and we are following the Master.