The King Eternal

     As a young believer i had the privilege of being in a ministry with a lot of song writers who used the words of the Bible as their lyrics. Decades later i still remember most of these. It is a wonderful way to hide the Word of God in our hearts. (Psalm 119:11) One of these songs was based on 1 Timothy 1:17. "Now unto the king eternal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (KJV)
    This morning as i am in the pain of childbirth until Christ be formed in people (Galatians 4:19), the truth is that it is not about us, but about Him, Jesus, the King of the Kingdom of God. Even those Christians who have had some degree of relationship or belief in Christ for many years do not often seem to grasp this.
     I find at least fourteen places where the New Testament speaks of preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God or just preaching the Kingdom. Some examples include Matthew 4:17. Mark 1:14-15, Acts 8:12 and 28:31. The staggering reality is that we, degenerate and depraved human beings ( Romans 3:23, Genesis 5:5, 11-13, 2 Timothy 3: 1-9) have, through the obedience and love of King Jesus, been given the inestimable privilege and honor of serving the Creator of the Universe.
     God has the right and the power to force us to serve Him. He can do whatever He wants as a potter can with clay. ( Romans 9). Instead He gives us the privilege of voluntarily submitting to Him. Historically most of the people who have ever lived have been dominated by an earthly pagan king, a dictator, or some other kind of tyrannical rule. Genuine believers have the joy of serving a King who loves them more than anyone else possibly could.
     Recently a young adult who grew up in the church told me that she was somewhere between an agnostic and an atheist. After some conversation i said that i would pray that God reveal His love and truth to her in a way that she could understand. Driving away I, although not an emotional guy, wept at the reality that she does not know King Jesus, does not have the relationship that i enjoy.