Throughout history kings have had ultimate authority over their subjects. In the book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered the three Hebrew children to be forced into a fiery furnace just by his own word. In the book of Esther, her husband the king, inadvertently issued a command when he was deceived, for anyone who desired to do so that they could kill a Jew. In New Testament times the king or Caesar had absolute power over people’s lives.
Getting closer to our time, Christopher Columbus sought the good grace of the Spanish King to sponsor his voyage in search for what he thought would be the Orient. He was indebted to the king to bring back to Europe spices, gold, or whatever else he could find that would be of value. Approximately 100 years later, King Henry ordered Anne Boleyn to be executed because she did not provide him a male heir. In the 1700s King George ordered the colonists to provide quarters in their homes for British soldiers. These and many more are examples of the ultimate power of the king perceived or in fact.
We are admonished by Scripture to obey God as our master or king. This has been problematic for us. No professing Christian has lived under the absolute authority of a King. The early Christians knew what it’s like because they did have Kings in those days. We are left to observe the Bible verses which admonished us to respond to Jesus as King. In the book of Revelation, he is called the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This leads us to a very dicey issue. How are we going to have the loyalty and submission to God without knowing the lifestyle and the strict authority of the King?
Certainly, we do not want to operate our spiritual life in fear of God’s expectations. Neither do we want to ignore his authority as Lord and Master of the universe. This cannot be a matter of pretending that we live under his kingship. One must have a loyalty to God that says he is our Lord and Master. How can we improve our spiritual life so that we have a father/child relationship with God while at the same time we honor him as the King of our lives?
Our duty is to show a deep loyalty to God, not allowing anything to interfere with how awesome we see him. When he has given his word in the Bible, we cannot take them lightly. As our heavenly King, we must respond to his directives positively without question. If we are going to be loyal to the King of the universe, we cannot participate in or support any word or action that could demean him. When it comes to time for worshipping him, we are obligated to take that worship seriously. Whenever we have an opportunity to share with other people our relationship with Jesus, hopefully it will be quite natural that we testify to his goodness and love.
Do you see the point? Since the Bible calls God our King and Lord, we have the privilege to verify his rule over us to other people. If someone who is an unbeliever offers a temptation to us, our witness to the king’s glory can only be thoroughly true. Let us promise ourselves that we follow the claims we make when we say we love him and appreciate him. Obeying God is a positive experience, if we see it that way.
Christian Writer 