KING

There's something in you and there's something in me that wants to be king.  We want the power and authority to do whatever we want.

We don't want to be accountable.  We want to be autonomous instead.  Beholding to no one but ourselves.

If we have enough money, we don't have to worry about what anybody else thinks -- if we have enough authority, we don't have to be polite -- we don't have to spend time with people we don't want to spend time with -- there's something in you and me that wants autonomy and unaccountability.

When you showed up on this planet X number of years ago in a little earth suit about a foot-and-a-half long, you drew an imaginary circle around yourself and said:  'God, You may have created the universe - You may have control over everything out there, but I'm king of all that's inside this circle.'

At the same time we know very well that when there's resistance to God's will, there is going to be pain.  In fact, if you violate the principles of God either by accident or on purpose, there's going to be discomfort.

When our kids were young, I wanted them to understand the relationship between rebellion and pain. And I realized I could teach them the relationship between those two things myself -- or I could wait and let a school teacher teach them -- or I could wait and let an employer teach them -- or I could wait a let somebody who drives a car with a blue light on top teach them.  Because at some point we'll all be confronted with the reality of the relationship between rebellion and pain.

"LET HIM BE KING."

But 'kings' don't understand this.  'Kings' do what they want.  It's just how kings are.

Some of you may be caught in this dilemma right now because you've tried to be a law to yourself.  You have enough personal leverage - you have just enough authority - so you've made your own law. You may even feel like you're in a wrestling match with God.  God wants you to do something and you don't want to because you don't want to have to be accountable to anybody, because the battle going on inside you is:  I want to be king.

It's time to surrender it all to God.  You make a lousy king.  There's only one King.  He rules it all.  He wants you dependent on Him.  He wants you accountable to Him.

Let Him be King.

And be blessed.