September 3: Insight Post by Rusty Coram

  -   September 3, 2025

Jesus Has Power Over Death: By raising the widow’s son from the dead, Jesus reveals His authority over life and death. This miracle is a foretaste of the resurrection and shows that nothing is beyond His power to restore.

Wednesday Verse

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. Hebrews 2:14-15 (NLT)

Wednesday Questions

Do I trust in Jesus’ power over every situation in my life, even when things seem hopeless? How does His promise of resurrection influence how I live today?

Wednesday Insight Post
by Rusty Coram

For many people, the idea of a powerful leader is someone who is unaffected by emotion, except maybe anger. To them, compassion, empathy, tenderness, and gentleness are regarded as weaknesses that could open a leader up to being taken advantage of and, therefore, need to be avoided at all costs. There are funny jokes about Chuck Norris that support this, for example, the one that says, “Chuck Norris’ tears can cure cancer…too bad he never cries!”

Now, when we get to know Jesus, this idea gets blown to bits. Jesus is the creator and sustainer of the universe (Colossians 1:15-18), and there is no one or thing greater in power (Philippians 2:9-11). Yet, in this short encounter, we see His incredible compassion for an unnamed woman who has suffered a tremendous loss. This poor mother has nothing to offer Him, yet He notices her and her grief and treats her like a queen. I absolutely love this about Jesus. Unlike many, Jesus isn’t primarily interested in looking for ways to enhance his brand and visibility. We can all visualize a political candidate showing up and spending a few minutes seeming to care and empathize, then zipping off in a motorcade to another photo op. [I’m sure there are political folks who genuinely care. I’m just tapping into a common caricature.]

Jesus has taken on the greatest assignment in all human history, and in that, He wants us to know exactly who God is, what He is like, and what He values. In this short meeting, we see His heart of compassion on display, His valuing of life regardless of social status, and His willingness to use His power and influence to comfort and alleviate suffering. This is the God we follow and who we should imitate.

“I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” John 13:15-17 (NLT)

Rusty Coram
Senior Pastor

New Hope Church
Lorton, Virginia
www.newhope.org