Wednesday, April 10, 2013

If Jesus is King... - Part 1

How should we live our lives if Jesus is King?

Memory Verse

 “what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”
Psalm 8:4 (NIV)

Reflection
I have to admit that for most of my life, I never thought of Jesus as King.  Savior - yes.  Lord - on good days.  But King?

As the wisdom of age sets in, I am coming to appreciate that this kingdom we are focused on falls apart if we don't have a king.  The unbelievably good news is that Jesus is an unbelievably benevolent king.  As we will see in the weeks to come, it is the very fact that Jesus is this generous king that equips us to be so central in extending His kingdom.

Now stop for a minute and reflect on that truth - Jesus is king.  That means you are known by a king.  My guess is few of us are known by royalty, so how does that make you feel when you reflect on the fact that you are known by a king?  And not just any king, but the King of kings.  Let me start us with three thoughts for this post with more soon to follow (and I welcome your additions in the Comments).

First, we should live each day in awe that the King of kings is even mindful of us.  The Psalmist captured it in the memory verse above.  That should make you feel pretty special.

Second, we should not think too highly of ourselves in light of the King of kings.  Does your pride or ego leave room for the King?  Imagine a king or queen stepping into your church or office.  I doubt that you would be quick to ask "do you know who I am?"  No, we would remain humble in an attempt to keep royalty the center of attention.  Philippians 2 provides us with good guidance.

Third, we should reflect on all this King did to bring us into His kingdom.  The latter part of Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) captures it well:  For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  This King endured the painful cross so that you and I could experience this kingdom.  Let's not also forget that He left His heavenly throne to live an extremely poor, high-risk life here.  That's what He did to extend this kingdom to us, and He calls us to follow Him.

Questions to Consider
1.  Is Jesus your king?
2.  If so, how is that reflected in your daily life?

Action Steps for the Week
1.  If Jesus is not really the king in your life, bow before Him and allow Him to assume that position.
2.  If Jesus is the king in your life, write down (at least) three realities that should be evident in your life given His kingship that may not be.

No comments:

Post a Comment