A Child of the King
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After she married the Prince of Monaco, the beautiful actress who became Princess Grace gave up her plans to return to films. “The citizens of Monaco thought that my continuing in my career would not be proper for a princess,” she declared. “The people of Monaco are dear to me and my first obligation is to them”.
What a good example this is of what God and people expect of those who have become children of the King through receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior! “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,” declared the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 2:9). Wow! If we are that, why should we worry about self-esteem?
Where do our first duties lie when we have joined God’s royal family? Do we dare continue in the same worldly pursuits we had when just plain people of the world? Or are we obliged to rise above degrading earthly things and live in accordance with our new royal station?
The Bible says, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-12). We are to be new persons.
The children of God have an obligation to live noble and righteous lives not only for their Father in Heaven, but also for the sake of their fellow human beings. If they see Christ in us, they may have a desire to know Him too. How can we witness to them about their need to receive Christ, if we are still living the same old way?
When we receive Christ, He implants a whole new life in us, according to Second Corinthians 5:17. Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us to put off “the old self” and put on the “new self.” When we do that, many of our old ways and habits will take wing, to be replaced by those becoming a child of the King.
Paul also said he would not become a slave of anything. Many stars of stage and screen actually seem to become enslaved by the idolization that comes with their being stars. The business gets in their blood. Princess Grace wisely chose to not only be a good wife and mother, but a princess devoted to her adopted people. The ways of her former life might have drawn her away from her husband, children, and people.
Since our Lord gave Himself completely for us, is He asking too much for us to live completely for Him? Just as the people of Monaco asked Princess Grace to gave up her former desires for them, so Christ, with His nail-pierced hands outstretched toward us, asks us to relinquish our desire for worldly attractions for Him. And He gave His life for us.
Questions: Are there some old ways and habits that need to take wing in order for God to be first in your life? Why does God ask us to live noble and righteous lives?
About the Author Muriel Larson
Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Will He Be Ashamed?, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog
Tags: actress, adulterers, Bible, child, children, drunkards, films, God, homosexual, husband, king, Lord Jesus Christ, Monaco, Muriel Larson, Prince of Monaco, Princess Grace, prostitutes, royal family, self-esteem, swindlers, thieves, worry
