Honor the King of kings

In church yesterday, we sang “Jesus Shall Reign.” While we were driving home, my mom made a really interesting comment. Americans have a rather distorted view of God as the King of kings...we’re used to a democracy. Back during the time of Jesus–or even as recent as Queen Victoria–the king (or queen) had supreme authority. No one dared cross the will of the ruler. Victoria was shocked when her husband, Prince Albert, dared to question the command of his wife, the queen! Questioning political authority was out of the question. But now, in a democracy, we change things to fit the will of the people. If enough people disagree with the law, we can change it. But God–as the King of kings–does not leave room for us to question His authority. What He says is the law. We can’t vote God out of the picture. What He says is truth, and there is no changing it. Yet man, in his fallen state, thinks that God’s law can be changed just like the law in a democracy. Look at the moral mess this has put us in! There is no absolute law anymore; it’s whatever is right in the majority’s eyes. This is so wrong! We need to view God as an absolute Sovereign, not as a political party that can be voted out in the next election. Jesus rules over everything! There is no questioning Him. Honor the King!

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.

Behold the islands with their kings,
And Europe her best tribute brings;
From north to south the princes meet,
To pay their homage at His feet.

There Persia, glorious to behold,
There India shines in eastern gold;
And barb’rous nations at His word
Submit, and bow, and own their Lord.

To Him shall endless prayer be made,
And praises throng to crown His head;
His Name like sweet perfume shall rise
With every morning sacrifice.

People and realms of every tongue
Dwell on His love with sweetest song;
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on His Name.

Blessings abound wherever He reigns;
The prisoner leaps to lose his chains;
The weary find eternal rest,
And all the sons of want are blessed.

Where He displays His healing power,
Death and the curse are known no more:
In Him the tribes of Adam boast
More blessings than their father lost.

Let every creature rise and bring
Peculiar honors to our King;
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud amen!

Great God, whose universal sway
The known and unknown worlds obey,
Now give the kingdom to Thy Son,
Extend His power, exalt His throne.

The scepter well becomes His hands;
All Heav’n submits to His commands;
His justice shall avenge the poor,
And pride and rage prevail no more.

With power He vindicates the just,
And treads th’oppressor in the dust:
His worship and His fear shall last
Till hours, and years, and time be past.

As rain on meadows newly mown,
So shall He send his influence down:
His grace on fainting souls distills,
Like heav’nly dew on thirsty hills.

The heathen lands, that lie beneath
The shades of overspreading death,
Revive at His first dawning light;
And deserts blossom at the sight.

The saints shall flourish in His days,
Dressed in the robes of joy and praise;
Peace, like a river, from His throne
Shall flow to nations yet unknown.

When PEOPLE are BIG.....and God is small

I've been reading this book called "When People are Big and God is Small" by Edward T. Welch. I am in the middle of it, so I still look forward to what else I'll learn through it. Thus far, though, I've learned a lot and I highly recommend it to anyone. Let me tell you why.

There is a universal problem that may be found under many different labels such as: peer pressure, codependency, and people-pleasing. Biblically, it is known as the fear of man. The fear of man elevates people to the position of God. People become our god, the ones that control us. This fear does not necessarily mean to be afraid, but means to be controlled by and to hold in awe.

Does this sound familiar to you? I know for me, I can very easily be controlled by other people. I want to be accepted, loved, applauded, and thought well of of by people. I can so very, very easily try to conform to the ways of others so that I don't look "weird" and "out of it". I can be controlled by what I think others might think of me. What man thinks of me can become my standard for all of life, the way I talk, react, think, dress, and everything. This is a very real struggle for me and, I'm sure, that to some extent, you struggle with too.

Okay, so I have this problem. So what? It won't do me any good to know that I struggle with this problem (more correctly put; sin) if I don't know how to fix it. But, that's the good news! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! So, what's the solution? Well, in "When People are Big and God is Small" Edward Welch gives seven steps to overcome the fear of man in our lives. Here they are:

1. Recognize that the fear of man is a major theme both in the Bible and in your own life.
2. Identify where you fear of man has been intensified by people in your past
3. Identify where you fear of man has been intensified by the assumptions of the world.
4. Understand and grow in the fear of the Lord. The person who fears the Lord will fear nothing else.
5. Examine where your desires have been too big. When we fear people, people are big, our desires are even bigger, and God is small.
6. Rejoice that God has covered your shame, protected you from danger, and accepted you. HE HAS FILLED YOU WITH HIS LOVE.
7. Need other people less, love other people more. Out of obedience to Christ, and as a response to His love toward you, pursue others in love.

As I've worked through these different steps, I've realized that it's when we become consumed by our fleshly desires to be loved, accepted, and applauded that we become controlled by the fear of man. What we need to do is get our eyes off of what we "need" (i.e. want (we don't really need it)) and on to our God. Focus intently on Him, His perfect attributes and loving, merciful acts to mankind. Then, out of awe for who He is, out of gratitude for what He has done, and out of obedience to His perfect law, love others. Don't be controlled by them and expect them to fulfill your "needs". Be controlled by the fear of the perfect, holy, just, loving God. Find your delight and purpose in Him.

This is MUCH easier said than done...and the truth is that we are all not perfect. We will still fail, mess up, and sin. Perfection awaits us in eternity (aren't you excited?!;)). But while on this earth, we will, at one time or another, make people bigger than God. That's the bad news. The good new is that we can be forgiven! We can confess and get back up to fear God above all else. Although we never will be perfect, we need to keep striving towards that end. Ask God to give you the desire to grow in the fear of the Lord. Ask Him to change your heart! Search the Scriptures, mediate on them, and embed the truths contained within into your life. Ask God to make your consuming passion to seek Him first. We cannot do this on our own. We need God to change our hearts as only He can do. Resolve to do nothing in your own strength, but to do all through Christ who gives us strength.

So, ask yourself, "In what ways (if any) do I make people bigger then God?" and, once you got your answer, I challenge you to start looking for ways to please and bring delight to God, our Maker, Sustainer, and Savior. Put God in His rightful spot; above all else.