To Encourage You

1 Kings 4:1-6 “King Solomon was king over all Israel, and these were his high officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha were secretaries; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and king’s friend; Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram the son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.”

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you know that some of the news that is filling the airwaves at this time is about Ukraine and Russia.  One of the stories that has emerged from this horrible war is the courage of the president of Ukraine. Most of us probably didn’t know anything about him a few years ago, but now “President Zelensky” is a household name.  One of the things that we’ve learned about this man is that he was once a comedian on a television show.  He was the furthest thing from a president that one could imagine.  But then he was elected. And then this war.  The people of Ukraine have been greatly emboldened as they’ve watched the courage of this man.  When offered the opportunity by the United States to flee for his own safety (as perhaps most leaders in his situation would have done), his reply was “I need ammunition, not a ride!”  It’s destined to be a quote the world will remember for years after this ugly war ends.  The whole world has been transfixed by this man’s unlikely rise to be a wartime president and the courage and leadership that he has shown. 

It is this story that is playing out right now before our eyes that my mind turned to as I read the passage above from 1 Kings.  It’s the account of Solomon’s “high officials.” They were men who, by one means or another, became powerful leaders under this wise king. They had great responsibilities over a great kingdom.  And they obviously ruled well, for when the Queen of Sheba came from afar to personally witness what she had heard about the kingdom, she exclaimed to Solomon, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom,but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me.”

But do you realize that if you are a Christian, you are also serving in a high position under an incredibly wise king. No matter your background, no matter your past life, no matter where you came from or what you once did, the moment you put your faith in the King of kings, you became one of those who are described as “a kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:6). The former fisherman, Peter, put it this way in 1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 

So, do you realize this? Do you understand that you have been called by God to a high position as one of His children, one of His princes, one of His royal priests in the greatest kingdom that will ever be?  And every one of us has a role to play in the great war against that kingdom that has been raging since the foundation of the world.  We are called to be our King’s ambassadors, with great boldness sharing the message of the gospel that can save men and women from the onslaught of destruction that our greatest enemy, “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), has unleashed upon them. He’s an enemy bent on killing, stealing, and destroying everyone in his path, but as we serve our greater King, we are called to bring the message of eternal salvation that has the power to rescue each and every person in our life.  And “though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). We do this as we speak, live, and love one another to the glory of God.

So, are you engaged in the work and mission God has given you? Are you active in your role as a servant of the King, or are you sitting on the sideline hoping someone else will do the work that the King of kings has for YOU to do?   You see, if you are a believer, this is your time and this is your place to serve.  Every one of us is to boldly get in the fight, not flee from it. We are to be an example that others can look up to, serving with courage, eagerness, and skill.  And we have a King that is ready to infuse us with these things. He wants to fill us with His Holy Spirit and equip us to join in the fight.  As Paul told his protégé Timothy, “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1-3). In other words, we are to get in the fight. We are to use the talents, gifts, and resources God has given us to advance the kingdom of God. He’s given each of us a job to do.  There are no exceptions.