Sunday, February 9, 2014

Chair Worthy

Chair Worthy
Feb 10, 2014
Acts 13:22  "After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'"

To be king for a day.  Oh what it would be like to sit on a throne and be king, just for one day!  Everyone would serve you, obey your every command.  No one could argue with you or prove you wrong.  No one could fire you from your job.  All the money and resources of the kingdom would be at your disposal.  You would be in charge, on top of the world.  We've all imagined this, to be in full command of others, with extreme wealth to supply our imperial whimsical desires.  But alas, no one reading this has ever experienced such opportunity, such a twist in fate from the current state of being.  It is a day dream made to stay just that, as the Lord never intended for a human to enjoy that type of lifestyle.

Just the opposite is what the Lord had in mind.  A throne is not a position to be envied because of idyllic worship but rather it is a point of servitude.  People were not meant to be served sitting upon a throne.  The Lord established thrones on this earth to serve the people.  The only throne to be worshiped is the one in Heaven, where the Lord alone is seated.  All other earthly thrones were not and are not meant to be worshiped.  They are a position of authority to serve the people who are under such earthly thrones.  If you review the first earthly thrones established by the Lord, they were over the Jewish nation.  The Lord allowed it only as a point of leadership, not because He wanted the Children of Israel to worship the man seated in the chair.  The king was there to serve the people, to take care of those under his authority.

It is a huge responsibility to sit upon a throne.  The chair is not to be envied unless you want to serve others whole-heartedly.  Being in a position of leadership over others is something the Lord takes very seriously.  In fact, if you remember King Solomon, the Lord honored Solomon because he wanted wisdom to lead the people with gentleness and fairness, meeting their needs and growing them up.  Solomon didn't want the throne to be worshiped but to serve those under his authority.  But to be in such a position, you must be willing to genuinely put the needs of the people above your own.  How you treat others in your leadership role is a huge reflection of your Christianity.  You must be worthy of sitting in that chair of leadership as demonstrated by your service to the individual physical and spiritual well-being of those under your authority.

You should never seek out the honor of the throne, lest you be worthy of sitting in such a chair.  How have you cared for those around you?  How have you served them and nourished their souls?  Do you sincerely place their needs and conditions of betterment above your own?  If you want a position of leadership because it satisfies the ego, then you are setting yourself up for failure and the Lord will not allow it.  The Lord is quick to de-throne individuals who are not worthy of sitting in such a seat, who do not look to the needs of others above self.  If you day dream of sitting in a throne to be a king, then that daydream must included hard work on behalf of the people, taking care of them like a shepherd would tend to his flock.  It is not an easy place and should not be desired if you want a relaxing lifestyle.  Only the selfless person can be worthy of sitting in such a chair of leadership.  Few are chosen by the Lord to be leaders and He looks very discriminately at your heart.  Your heart must be ready to sacrifice everything for those around you.  That is what makes you chair worthy.  An earthly king will do only whatever the Heavenly king wants him to do on behalf of the Lord's people.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:
  2 Chronicles 10:13-14, Psalm 132:11, Is 16:5, Luke 1:32

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