A famous English statesman said that "all power corrupts". He wasn't referring only to money, the kind of corruption that's maybe more obvious in society, and which comes to mind most easily when we hear the word "corruption". There are other forms of corruption, growing out of having what other people don't have, from an unhealthy sense of self-importance, or from pride. Having power, of any kind, is dangerous and it's easy to see what it can lead to. Just look around and pay a little attention to the daily news. Power, authority, in one form or other are necessary in human affairs, so that we can live and survive together. From the basic family unit up to the most complex of human organisations and institutions, there is legitimate power shared in various ways.

For the follower of Jesus, however, it is God who is the true and only real source of power; it's on Him, ultimately, that we rely; and whatever power any of us has is a mirror-reflection of His. If we can notice in other people the "down" side of the use of power, its negative corrupting effects, what about ourselves? How do I use, or maybe abuse, the power I have (influence, wealth, intelligence, authority, experience, personality, persuasiveness or whatever other gift of God), in the way I live and interact with others ?