King of my Heart

"I will praise you, Lord, will all my heart;

before the 'gods' I will sing your praise."

Psalm 138:1

They wanted a king.  For years, God had been the rightful Ruler of Israel, sending Judges to help turn the hearts of the people back to Him, but leading them as their ultimate King.  Now, however, these wayward people decided they wanted a king of flesh.  It was more important to them that they look like the rest of the world than it was for them to live life the way God had designed them to live.  Therefore, they demanded a king.

Upon their request, the Lord instructed Samuel to warn them of the pitfalls of their demands.  The human king would take, take, take; claim their sons for war, their daughters for royal service, their servants and prime livestock for his own use, and a tithe to benefit his own larder.  Most alarming was the prediction that the people would become like slaves to the king.  Still, they wanted their earthly king.  (1 Samuel 8)

In the same way the people of Israel rejected God as their king, I often do the same.  How can Jesus be the King of my heart?

Respect.  One of the most amusing scenes in the classic movie, "The King and I," is when the main character, Anna, is confronted with the custom that every man or woman in the king of Siam's presence prostrate themselves before him.  She watched his subjects, wives and children put themselves in ridiculous contortions in an attempt to show respect for their king by keeping themselves lower than he.  In the end, Anna refused to go through such ridiculous practices and agreed to simply bow when coming into his presence.

The position of a king demands respect, and Jesus is no different.  If I am to make Him king of my heart, it is important that I revere Him as worthy of all glory, giving up my own desire to take credit for anything good in my life.  This means I'll also treat Him the way He should be regarded, guarding His name as precious and considering His commands as important.

While it is not necessary for me to bow to Jesus, my heart must always be inclined to Him if I am to make Him King of my heart.

Surrender.  A kingdom is all about the king and fulfilling his desires.  This is why the Magna Carta, the groundbreaking document signed in 1215 between the barons of medieval England and King John, was such a big deal.  This forerunner to the U.S. Constitution secured liberty for the people, lawfully protecting them from a king's tendency to abuse his power at the cost of his subjects and giving rights to the people for the first time in world history.

As a resident of the kingdom of God, everything is about Him.  Instead of abusing His position like an earthly king does, bullishly taking the helm, however, God is a king who waits for His own to willingly bow to His plans and purposes.  When I make Jesus the king of my heart, then, it is up to me to place Him in that position as Lord, allowing Him to have full access to my heart. (Romans 10:9)  When I do so, I will no longer demand to get my way but over time I will find myself desiring His plan above my own, trusting that His way is better than my own.        

Residing in the kingdom of God means willingly surrendering to God and His good plans and purposes that go way beyond my own.

Loyalty.  My dog looks lovingly into my eyes, wanting nothing more in life than to please me.  He tries so hard to do my bidding and greets me with great enthusiasm every time I walk through the door.  In contrast, my cat can take me or leave me.  If he's in the mood, he'll greet me with an upright tail and friendly rub against my ankles.  If he's comfortable where he is, however, he'll stay put until he's good and ready to move.

A dog is known for loyalty because his heart is set on pleasing his master while a cat is more of a connoisseur of comfort, looking mostly to fulfilling his own desires.  When it comes to my relationship with the Lord, I would like to be more like my fully committed dog than my flaky cat.  When my heart is devoted to pleasing my King, I will set my own agenda aside and instead go after God's.  I will delight in His Word, knowing it is the very source of joy.  (Psalm 1:2)  I will be all in, wanting to live life His way even if it means sacrificing my comfort, my security or my rights.  The treasure of knowing Jesus Christ will surpass anything known to man.  (Philippians 3:8)

As a loyal subject in God's kingdom, I am committed to His agenda, not my own.

If I want to make Jesus King of my heart, I will need to respect Him, surrender my rights to Him, and remain loyal to Him.  In these ways, I will reside in the Kingdom of God and enjoy Him forever.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to put myself completely in His hands.

When do I rule my own life instead of letting Jesus take that position?

How am I guilty of disloyalty in my heart, valuing other pursuits and beliefs as more important than Jesus?         

Healthy Fear

"Moses said to the people,

'Do not be afraid.

God has come to test you,

so that the fear of God will be with you

to keep you from sinning.'"

Exodus 20:20

Smoke rose from the mountain, obscuring it from their sight.  Light flashed from within the cloud, sending peels of thunder that threatened to burst the eardrums of those gathered at the foot of the hill.  Then, as if to make sure everyone was listening, the sound of a trumpet blast destroyed any sense of peace and security anyone had left.  The people of Israel were left shaking in their skin.

"Forget this!  We would rather have you speak to us, Moses.  We'll listen, we promise.  Just don't have God speak to us directly again or we will die!"  (paraphrased from Exodus 20:18-19)

The Israelites came face-to-face with the holiness and sheer power of God and realized it was too much for them.  They no longer thought of God only as their benevolent Deliverer, but also realized His righteousness, sense of justice and might.  Suddenly, they didn't want to have any personal contact out of shear fear.

It is good for me to have a sense of awe and respect for God, but not to the point where I want Him to remain at a distance; there must be a good balance.  Therefore, here are some things God wants me to understand about cultivating a healthy fear of Him.

Not Afraid

The judge had the power to condemn her to prison or set her free.  Therefore, in her guilt, she searched for a defense attorney who could plead her case and serve as an advocate before such a man of power.

In the same way, I am guilty of breaking God's perfect law and therefore am condemned to death. (1 John 1:10, Romans 6:23)  Because of my position as a sinner, I cannot come into the presence of such a holy God.  I need a mediator who will plead my case before the righteous Judge.  I need Jesus Christ.

Jesus serves as my high priest.  He stands between me and God with the blood of His perfect sacrifice covering my awful sin.  Since I have accepted Jesus as my Savior, I need not be afraid of God.  Instead, I can boldly approach His throne of grace with the confidence that comes from knowing I have been made right with Him. (Hebrews 4:14-16) I need not fear.

God does not want me to be so afraid of Him that I will not come to Him with my deepest struggles or trust Him with my heaviest burdens.  Instead, He has made a way through His Son Jesus Christ to transform me from a guilty sinner into a beloved child. (1 John 3:1) As His daughter, then, I can come to Him at any time, knowing that He will shower me with love and blessings like any loving father does.

Therefore, I need not fear His wrath will devour me when I fail yet again, disappointing my own expectations.  Instead, I can have the assurance that there is nothing that can separate me from His great love.  (Romans 8:38-39)

God does not want me to be afraid of Him but to come to Him with all my fears and to trust Him to take care of all my needs.

Reverence

The little girl loved her daddy.  They often played together on the living room floor; she would climb on his back and he would make the trek around the house like a horse.  One day as the preschooler climbed onto her father's back, she demanded, "Go!  I'm the boss of you!"  She punctuated her command with a swift kick to the gut.

Firmly, the man removed his daughter from his back, looked her in the eyes and said, "You must never forget I am your father."  He wanted her to know that she had crossed the line of respect, treating him as she would a pet or playmate.

It is the same with me and God.  While He wants me to feel comfortable enough to approach Him freely, I must never forget His holiness, awesomeness and sovereign power.  I am not to take Him lightly.

When I am tempted to speak of Him as, "The man upstairs," then, I would be wise to think of a more respectful term. (Proverbs 9:10) When I am looking for someone to blame for my wretched circumstances, I would be wise to not cast blame on the One who holds my life in His hands. (Job 38-40)  When I turn my critical eye toward myself, picking apart my looks or personality, I would be wise to not question the way God knit me together.  (Isaiah 29:16)

While I need not be afraid of God, I do need to develop a reverence toward the Holy One of Israel.

Offense

Curse words didn't bother me.  Vile jokes failed to offend.  Sex outside of marriage was not a big deal.  These were my mindsets before I developed a healthy fear of God.  Not comprehending His sacred nature, sin had virtually no affect on me.  

Once I began to take God seriously, however, and reverence Him as holy, I no longer felt comfortable with sin.  Instead of cozying up to it, I became more sensitive to it's destruction.  While I used to wear my sin nature like a comfortable sweater, my understanding of the holiness of God makes it feel more like what Paul called a body of death.  (Romans 7:21-25)

The closer I draw to the Lord, the more His Spirit makes me realize what a serious offense my sin is to God.  Therefore, I don't want to treat sin like an intimate friend but rather like my worst enemy.  (1 John 3:4-10)

Developing a reverent attitude toward God awakens in me a realization of how offensive my sin is to Him.

While God doesn't want me to be afraid of Him, He does desire me to possess a deep reverence for Him as a holy God.  As this attitude of awe grows, the offensiveness of my own sin will also become apparent.  It is then that I have developed a healthy fear of the Lord.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will reserve a reverence for the Lord.

When do I feel afraid of God?

How do I treat the Lord as if He were here for me instead of the other way around?