The Heart of A King: Ways of a Lesser King

Who is the KING?  There are a few answers that may come to mind . . . Burger, Kong, Tut, Mufasa, Martin Luther, Jr. A king is the chief authority over a country or people.  There is little argument that, if God is a reality (and He is), than He is THE KING!  As the creator and sustainer of all that is, God is second to none.  As the giver of life and salvation, God is worthy of our loyalty or allegiance.  As King, God rules and reigns in the big scope of the entire universe as well as the small scope of each and every one of our personal lives.  Whether we know Him or acknowledge Him as such, He IS the one and only true King!

If our God is THE King, why do allow so many “lesser kings” to rule and reign in our lives?  We know something (or someone) is a “lesser king” when it is 1) NOT God and 2) it is given our obedience.  There are a number of “lesser kings” that we allow to substitute God’s rule and reign in our lives, let me mention a few . . . 1) money/possessions, 2) accomplishment/success, 3) entertainment/happiness, and 4) relationships. We are drawn to these “lesser kings” because we want to be like others (see what others have and desire to have it), or we feel dissatisfied (not content with ourselves).  Sadly, our attraction to any “lesser king” is more than just innocent comparison or dissatisfaction; it is a willful rejection of God’s rule and reign in our lives.

READ:  1 Samuel 8:1-22

Once we’ve rejected God and chosen our new “king”, what are some things we can expect to happen?  The Lord uses one verb to describe what a substitute or “lesser king” does when we invite them to rule over us . . . TAKE (buy = own, capture)!  ILLUSTRATION:  When I was 16 years old and younger, sports ruled and reigned my life.  Most of the choices and priorities of my life revolved around accomplishment in sports.  Sports TOOK the best of my time and energy, . . . . ultimately my life.  The blessings God had given to me to use for His glory, I used for my own selfish purposes.  What are the “ways” of “lesser king” we allow to rule/reign in our lives? 

1.  A “lesser king” takes what is ours and APPOINTS it for their own selfish purposes (vs 11-12) – God loves to bless us and give us things that we are to be stewards of and use for HIS purposes and glory.  God blesses us with life, time, talents, abilities, energy, possessions, money . . . all of which are given to us to be used according to His will.  When we allow anything other than God to rule and reign in our lives, those things which are ours, all the sudden are taken by the one we are obeying and used for its own selfish purpose.  When it comes right down to it, any king besides God is going to USE us and waste our blessings on themselves! 

2.  A “lesser king” takes what is ours and GIVES it away to others (vs 14-15) – Isn’t it nice to know that a “lesser king” is generous?  “Lesser kings” love to give.  They love to take what is ours and give it away to others!  Sounds like a good thing right?  Not when we are supposed to use what God has given to us and give it back to Him in whatever way He desires.  We are stewards of the blessings we have been given by God and we are first and foremost supposed to give them back to Him.  Our time, talent, and energy are not to be dispersed to meaningless temporal endeavors, but rather to God’s perfect and eternal plans.

3.  A “lesser king” takes what is ours and ENSLAVES us (vs 17) – Once we allow ourselves to be ruled by a “lesser king” we will eventually feel powerless to say no.  Once we’ve allowed a significant amount of our lives to be taken we are committed (obligated).  “I can’t go back/quit now, that would be a waste”.  “I’ve got too much invested”.  “I’ve spent too much time/money”.  “There’s no turning back now”.  Once we’ve become a slave we no longer have a choice.  A slave does exactly what his master says. 

CONCLUSION

The good news is that God the King is a giver and not a taker.  He does not ask anything of us before He has already given His most prized possession . . . His Son Jesus Christ.  Only after He’s given everything to us does He ask that we give our lives to Him.  The heart of God, our King, is to give of Himself so that we might have a relationship with Him.  That is a King worth allowing to rule and reign in your life!