King of Kings

(Note: I do not own this photo. Photo by Alexas Fotos on Pexels.com)

In a sermon recently, my pastor made a good point. I was sitting in church, surrounded by my family, when he said something that really made me think.

“Jesus is King,” he said. “Whether you want him to be or not, He is the King. How are you going to respond to that?”

I felt wonder surge through me. Deep down, I suppose I already knew what he said was true, but I had never thought about it that way before. He was basically telling us as congregants that we can’t not acknowledge the presence of a king, and Jesus is no different.

I remember reading recently in a book a conversation that the main character was having with a friend. The friend was explaining that the defining point in her relationship with Jesus came when she realized that up until then, she had lived as if Jesus lived in the corner of her heart. She had invited him into her life, but there were boundaries she had set for Him.

In other words, it’s kind of like inviting a guest to a party but then making them stand in a corner the whole time. They may as well not even be there.

I know this may sound harsh, but I think many of us as Christians can find ourselves inviting Jesus into our lives but that’s it.

I know I’m guilty of this.

We make Him stand in a corner, and it’s like He isn’t even there. Others don’t see His light and goodness in us and quite frankly, we don’t even see it in ourselves. Some of us are ready and willing to acknowledge Jesus as our Savior, but how many of us live as if He is our King?

I mean, really?

Back in medieval days, the king’s servants did all they could to protect their majesty. There was even someone designated to drink the king’s wine first to make sure it wasn’t poisoned.

How many of us would be willing to do that? To risk our own for our King? To lay down that which matters most to us and say to Him “It’s all Yours”?

If He asked us to drink a bitter cup, how many of us would drink it? (Unlike medieval kings, by the way, Jesus has already drunk the cup. There is nothing He’d ask us to do that He hasn’t already done Himself.)

Are we willing to surrender our whole lives to God, obeying Him even when it hurts or doesn’t make sense? Or are we still going to try to be king over our lives, following Jesus as far as is convenient for us and trusting Him as far as it seems safe?

Friend, we can’t be king over our lives with Jesus. Either He is King over our lives-or He isn’t.

And well, as the One Who never sinned and defeated death and Hell, I’d say Jesus deserves the title given to Him by His Father more than any of us do.

So, don’t just invite Jesus in and make Him stand in a corner. Let go of the reins and let Him lead.

After all, He knows the plans He has for you.

And they’re way better than the plans you have for yourself.

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