Jesus, Are You the King?
Who or what is the King of your life?
Verse of the Day
‘On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.’
‘For, at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.’
‘And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord —his name alone will be worshiped.’
Today’s Devotional
Recently I attended an event at which Jamie Winship was the highlighted speaker. If you have never heard him speak or read his book, Living Fearless, I highly recommend that you do so. Much of today’s topic comes from the talk that Jamie gave. It impacted me greatly,
There is a question that is asked of Jesus in all four Gospel books of the New Testament. Let’s look at all four accounts of this question.
‘Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him. Jesus replied, “You have said it.”’ (Matthew 27:11) NLT
‘And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”’ (Mark 15:2) ESV
‘So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.’ (Luke 23:3) NIV
‘Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”’ (John 18:33-37) NASB
There are very few times in the Gospel books when Jesus is asked a question and He then gives a direct answer. This is one of those few times. And it is important enough that all four of the Gospel writers include it.
“Jesus, are you a king?”
As we enter December and into the season when Christmas is everywhere we look, this seems like a question that each of us need to answer for ourselves. Is Jesus Christ the King of your life? Would a stranger who followed you around for a few days see evidence of your answer?
As humans, we were made to worship something. Something or someone will sit on the throne of our heart because that is how we are made. This “king” could be self, money, image, influence, sports, politics, food. The list is long of the potential “gods” we could serve with our lives. God gives us freewill to choose whom we will worship.
We are each invited, in such a loving and kind way, to choose Jesus as our King.
The story of Christmas, where we remember the birth of Jesus the Son of God as a human baby, is telling us what kind of King Jesus is. He is sacrificial. He goes to great lengths to invite us into His Kingdom. He knows what it is like to be human. He wants ALL of us to be an active part of His Kingdom. He wants you. Exactly the way you are. With this in mind, let’s look at today’s key verses again.
‘On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.’ (Revelation 19:16)
‘For, at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.’ (1 Timothy 6:15)
‘And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord —his name alone will be worshiped.’ (Zechariah 14:9)
Jesus IS King. And he wants to be your King. And mine. It’s more beautiful than I can put into words. Because He is the kind of King who serves, and loves, and gives. He demands nothing of us. He simply invites us to believe in Him. And He invites us into a relationship with Him where He molds us into His image as we follow Him. Let’s look at the Christmas season with the perspective of a King who is going through great lengths to invite us into His Kingdom.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Holy Spirit, what do I need to know about who or what is sitting on the throne of my heart?
What do I need to know about Jesus being my King?
How do I live today as part of the Kingdom of Jesus?