Everybody knows Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor from America´s top TV sitcom of the ´90s, "Home Improvement." He was the grunting guy with an insatiable passion for his arsenal of Binford power tools. Just the buzz of a power saw, the roar of a lawn mower, or the kick of a jackhammer sent him into a canine-like vitriolic bark.

To Tim, tools were power and power is everything. But in his thrill for power, he got carried away, and what ultimately "powered up" was a display of some weakness in his life. The lesson, I suppose, is that true power is not found in a metallic tool, but in the character of the one who oversees its use.

Power. Our culture is obsessed with it. Our lives, our homes, and, yes, our churches are exposed to it. Power lunches, power ties, power plays, power moves, power books, power tools, power psychology, self-empowerment -- these themes and more fill American offices, companies and bookshelves. Power is big business.

THE LOVE OF POWER
Napoleon was obsessed with power. He wrote: "I love power. But it is as an artist that I love it. I love it as a musician loves his violin, to draw out its sounds and chords and harmonies. I love it as an artist."

Nietzsche waxed suspicious of the Napoleons in his world, saying, "I have found power where people do not look for it, in simple, gentle and obliging men without the least desire to domineer -- and conversely the inclination to domineer has often appeared to me as an inner sign of weakness."

Others have been less enchanted with power. Lord Acton said, "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Erich Fromm asserted, "The lust for power is not rooted in strength but in weakness." James F. Byrnes warned: "Power intoxicates men. When a man is intoxicated by alcohol he can recover, but when intoxicated by power he seldom recovers."

In the home, husbands and wives struggle with each other for power, children strive to pry themselves free from their parents´ power, and peer siblings contend for power. Some employers use force and fear to motivate employees, while employees form unions to force change upon their employers. Power permeates our society politically, socially, racially, sexually and financially.

In Jesus´ day, power was a central issue. The Pharisees perceived power as a chance to legislate righteousness among the populace in the form of tedious laws and traditions. The zealots, on the contrary, were tired of talk. They were determined to fight fire with fire in the name of God; to overpower the "power brokers" of their day with the sword.

Jesus issued a warning to the Pharisees: "´Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplace´" (Luke 11:43). He also issued a challenge to the men who followed Him: "´Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant´" (Matt. 20:26).

THE POWER OF LOVE
Christ confronted a power-crazy society with something even more powerful than power itself: love. It was a force of love that so powerfully touched and changed the heart of one zealot, the apostle John, that his name changed from "Son of Thunder" to "John the Beloved."

John wrote about this power: "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. ... There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:16-19).

"God is love." It´s one of the shortest sentences in the Bible, yet so sweeping in its meaning. God is love. No description of God is so clear-cut as this one. It´s as if God and love are nearly synonymous. John the Beloved invites us to get to know God by getting to know love; to get to know love by getting to know God.

Power was an essential part of Jesus´ earthly ministry. But He displayed His power only when it had a "love purpose" connected to it. Think about it. His healings were demonstrations of love. He multiplied the fish and loaves of bread when His love saw 5,000 hungry stomachs. Love bailed out an about-to-be-embarrassed couple at their wedding when He turned water into wine. His love even helped the disciples pay their taxes when He led them to a genuine goldfish.

Jesus was so convinced of the power of love that He said: "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles ... " (Matt. 5:38-42).

Power often kept Jesus´ disciples from seeing His love purpose. At Jesus´ arrest, Peter drew his sword and lunged at the bloodthirsty horde. He struck the high priest´s servant and cut off his ear. Jesus rebuked Peter´s action.

Jesus had power at His easy access, but a greater power kept Him focused and controlled: The power of love for the lost souls He had come to save. Once again, Peter let power get in the way of love.

POWER HITS HOME
Author Tony Campolo writes in his book "The Power Delusion": "A craving for power interferes with love and destroys personal relationships. The desire to be powerful interferes with the possibility of our being real Christians. ... Salvation lies in being surrendered to God, serving others, and giving up all attempts to be powerful."

Campolo´s words hit me close to home. Early in my courtship with Pam, now my wife, a power struggle interfered with our relationship. It may seem funny now, but in my early 20s it was no laughing matter. We were in college where Pam was an extrovert while I was the introvert.

Ultimately, the difference actually drew us together, but back then I saw it as a threat.

"Pam, I don´t believe you!" I said, glaring into her face. We had just left a casual gathering of friends. My statements masked my true intent. "You talked more than anyone!" (What I really meant: I didn´t quite know what to say or when to say it.) "You told too many jokes!" (I wish I could tell them as effectively as you.) "Why don´t you just back off a bit and let someone else get a word in edgewise?" (I envy your communication skills.)

My words nearly killed something in the spirit of my bride-to-be. I resented what God was calling me to embrace. Pam´s vibrant personality and sensitive social skills were a gift from God meant to draw this hermit out of his shell. Power said, "View these differences as a threat." Love said, "View them as a blessing!" Power demands. Love understands.

THE ULTIMATE POWER TOOL
If the Last Supper had been organized by the disciples, I´m sure it would have looked more like a putsch than a prayer gathering. After all, the plot had thickened and the heat was on. The Jewish officials and the Pharisees were moving in for the kill. The disciples were in greater peril than at any other time.

If they ever needed the power that this Revolutionary could offer, they needed it now. What would Jesus´ strategy be? When would He launch the attack? How long before Jesus would mount His rightful throne and re-establish the Davidic legacy with His loyal disciples at His side? The disciples waited at the table for Christ to roll out the battle plan and, perhaps, brandish a sword.

But the power tool of Christ´s choice? A towel. Jesus quietly picked up a towel, a basin of water and made His way around the table washing feet. Washing Peter´s feet, despite his protest. Washing Thomas´ feet, despite his doubts. Washing James´ feet, despite his brashness. Even washing Judas´ feet, despite his betrayal. Just when they thought He would brandish a sword, Jesus marshalled a power more formidable than the world had ever before known: the power of love. The "power tool" Jesus so freely imparted in that room drilled right through the stony shields covering those men´s hearts.

THE POWER TEST
Every day we face choices to act from power or from love: When your wife reminds you that it´s your turn to change the diapers, when the kids spill their milk at the dinner table, when your son borrows the tool you really need and didn´t put it back where it belongs.

It happens when your authority is questioned or your will is challenged. Power or love. Force or influence. In the home, the choice is master or father. On the job, the decision is boss or leader. Jesus chose to love and to lead. He knew that using a weapon would pierce the flesh, but that washing feet would open up the soul. Power seeks to control. Love seeks to influence.

At the cross, Christ confronted His enemies not with the power at His disposal, but with His incomparable love. History´s record would show that love is greater than power and ultimately will triumph. The resurrection is evidence that love is greater than all the power that man and Satan together can ever muster. Jesus possessed power. He was not possessed by it. He set the pace for men by carrying the ultimate "power tool" -- a towel. It symbolized the servant´s heart, bent not upon the love of power, but the power of love. The kind of power that builds bridges, affirms people, turns houses into homes and reveals Christ. In God´s eyes, this kind of power gets the job done.

By Robert C. Crosby for "New Man" magazine. All rights reserved

Let us journey on... yielding to love, not power...