Every morning at breakfast, I read a chapter of a missionary biography to my children. Recently, we have been reading about Brother Andrew. Talk about an exciting life! This man lived on the edge! If you think missionaries live boring lives, you'll be in for a wild ride with this man's biography.
At one point, when Andrew shared with another couple that he was called to smuggle Bibles and Christian literature behind the Iron Curtain, the couple told him they wanted to give him their car. Andrew declined, not wanting to take their only vehicle. But they insisted, saying that they had determined that if he was ever called to such work, they wanted him to be able to have a car to accomplish God's work. Their simple response was, "We've prayed about this, and we are sure that God told us to do this. The car is needed for the King's business, and we are honored to be able to provide it for you."
Andrew and his friends had grown up in Holland, which is a monarchy. They understood what "the King's business" meant. If the King needs something, you provide it...period. They did this with a cheerful face and a heart that truly wanted to play a role in the King's business.
If the King needs our car to accomplish a task, would we release it from our grasping fingers? If the King needs workers in the fields, are we willing to raise our hands and say, "Is it me You want to send? I will go for You"? If the King needs warriors on the wall to pray fervently, do we climb onto that post and be diligent, even when it's inconvenient? If the King shows us one of His children who needs a home, do we step forward to adopt? If the King needs us to move across the globe or across the country, do we go without haste, even if it's not where we want to go? If the King needs someone to relocate to the middle of a slum on His business, do we volunteer to be that one?
Or are we too busy to let Him redirect our path, too comfortable to allow Him to change our direction? Do we assume that He is calling someone else to do the harder things, the more detestable things? Do we somehow feel "too good" for certain areas of His work?
Do we really truly give any weight at all to His position as King? Are we prostrate before Him, face down in absolute reverence? Or is that below us?
If a prestigious ruler walked into our home, we'd probably do all we could to honor him. There's an unspoken reverence that just oozes when in the presence of one of power.
So, why is it that we can be so indifferent, so complacent, so disobedient when we are supposed to be serving our King, the King of all kings?
1 Timothy 6 describes Him as:
THIS is the King we serve. Are we about His business?
If the King needs our car to accomplish a task, would we release it from our grasping fingers? If the King needs workers in the fields, are we willing to raise our hands and say, "Is it me You want to send? I will go for You"? If the King needs warriors on the wall to pray fervently, do we climb onto that post and be diligent, even when it's inconvenient? If the King shows us one of His children who needs a home, do we step forward to adopt? If the King needs us to move across the globe or across the country, do we go without haste, even if it's not where we want to go? If the King needs someone to relocate to the middle of a slum on His business, do we volunteer to be that one?
Or are we too busy to let Him redirect our path, too comfortable to allow Him to change our direction? Do we assume that He is calling someone else to do the harder things, the more detestable things? Do we somehow feel "too good" for certain areas of His work?
Do we really truly give any weight at all to His position as King? Are we prostrate before Him, face down in absolute reverence? Or is that below us?
If a prestigious ruler walked into our home, we'd probably do all we could to honor him. There's an unspoken reverence that just oozes when in the presence of one of power.
So, why is it that we can be so indifferent, so complacent, so disobedient when we are supposed to be serving our King, the King of all kings?
1 Timothy 6 describes Him as:
the blessed and only Sovereign,
the King of kings,
and the Lord of lords,
the only One who has immortality,
dwelling in unapproachable light;
no one has seen or can see him,
to Him be honor and eternal might.
Amen.
THIS is the King we serve. Are we about His business?
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