Imagine your father was the richest, most powerful man in the world. Think Bill Gates or Warren Buffet rich. Now imagine also you were your father’s prize, the apple of his eye. No matter how many mistakes you made, he always forgave you, always wrapped his arms around you letting you know everything would be okay. Finally, imagine despite all his wealth and love, the thing you enjoyed most was disappointing him.
Instead of taking advantage of the best life had to offer, you preferred cheap knock-offs. Once more imagine every time he reached out to hold you, you laughed and walked the other way. Wouldn’t it be great if this was just a bad fairy tale?
In truth, this is the story in which we find ourselves. Our Heavenly Father is King of the World, Creator of the Universe, more powerful than any other being. He is lovelier and more loving than we could ever imagine. God is eternally patient. He has given us access to every resource and all the power in His Kingdom. There is nothing He has which He does not make available to us.
Knowing all this, how is it we choose to spend our lives? Few are living in the full power of God. Few are reflecting His love to the world around them with any consistency. We are more content to pursue the comforts and pleasures of our world than partake of the far greater offerings of His Kingdom. Anything the earth can offer pales in comparison to what is in Heaven.
Still, we’d rather not pursue things we can’t have right here, and right now. We are so immature we can’t stomach delaying our pleasure. It’s a bit ridiculous; we aren’t children! Many of us have been following Christ for years, even decades. The problem is, instead of being ruined for Jesus, we’ve become spoiled by the world. We’ve allowed the devil to convince us his cheap imitations are worth more than the real thing. If you like the copy, imagine how amazing the original must be!
When you surrender your life to Jesus, you are proclaiming Him Lord of your life. God proclaims Himself to be your Father. In that moment, everything changes. Too often, In the next moment, we start scrambling to get back everything we’ve just surrendered. Why? Our Lord is King of the world; why would we want to serve the jester instead?
Next time you are tempted by the simple, temporal comforts and pleasures this world offers, consider the alternative. Consider withdrawing instead from your personal storehouse in the Kingdom of God. There is no real security on earth. There is no trinket or experience that will bring lasting joy or contentment. Only Jesus satisfies. Only He can keep you safe from real evil. We’ve got to remember and recognize our Savior is King of the World. He loves us beyond comprehension and longs for us to stay by His side. Do you think you can do better than that?