Standing before the King
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:9–11
Obey every impulse of the Holy Spirit.
One time many years ago, the king of Hungary found himself depressed and unhappy. He sent for his brother, a good-natured but rather indifferent prince. The king said to him, “I am a great sinner; I fear to meet God.” But the prince only laughed at him. The king's disposition was not helped. Though he was a believer, the king had gotten a glimpse of his guilt for the way he'd been living lately, and he seriously wanted help.
In those days it was customary if the executioner sounded a trumpet before a man's door at any hour, it was a signal that he was to be led to his execution. The king sent the executioner in the dead of night to sound the fateful blast at his brother's door. The prince realized with horror what was happening. Quickly dressing, he stepped to the door and was seized by the executioner, and dragged pale and trembling into the king's presence. In an agony of terror he fell on his knees before his brother and begged to know how he had offended him. “My brother,” answered the king, “if the sight of a human executioner is so terrible to you, shall not I, having grievously offended God, fear to be brought before the judgment seat of Christ?”
The king feared standing before God one day because of his sin. As a Christian, we don’t need to fear standing before God because our sin has been paid for by Christ! But we will all stand before Him and give account of our actions.
Everyday God gives us opportunities to serve, obey, and honor Him. For example, God has commanded us to witness to others. God is dealing with people’s hearts right now about trusting Him. At just the right moment, He may bring them across your path and impress upon your heart to witness to them. If you ignore His leading, that is an opportunity missed to take part in God’s work, and one day, you will give account for those missed opportunities.
Many times, if we aren’t sensitive to the Holy Spirit we can miss His leading in our life. How can God speak to us if we are busy listening to the world? Daily we must clean our hearts out of any sin, set aside any distractions that keep us from hearing God, and tune our heart to listening to the Holy Spirit. As we are sensitive to His leading, God will show us ways to honor and serve Him.
Are you taking advantage of every opportunity God gives you to serve Him? As someone once said, “Only one life twill soon be passed; only what’s done for Christ will last.” Obey every impulse the Holy Spirit places in your heart. Make sure you are sensitive to His leading and follow His guidance as you live for God each day.
To find out more about Pastor Paul Chappell visit his blog or follow him on twitter.
Daily Bible Reading
Numbers 32-34 • Mark 9:30-50
