TUESDAY, MAY 6
Scripture: 1 Samuel 8:4,5

1 Samuel 8:4,5 says, “Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, ‘Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.’” For all those that think being a King simply means getting everything we want forgets the purpose. Kings had the toughest job of all – judging between right and wrong! Kings, in Scripture, were the ones who made the tough decisions and did the hard things. They had to judge! As long as we can preach a Priestly Gospel, it means we can do the easy, fluffy, loving, gracious “turn-the-other-cheek” prayers and actions. If we do only that, we never have to enter into a much harder realm. The difference between being a fun aunt or uncle and a parent, is a parent cannot spare the rod. It is not difficult to figure out why. For the last seventy years leaders have fed the church a diet of kind-love with no tough. If leaders represent only Priestly, it can be fluff without the tough. But when we initiate the Kingly, it can be rough and it can be tough. Part of Kingship however, is being tempered by the Spirit, both in what we say and how we say it. Walking as a King means maturing into Christ’s image to the point we can follow the Spirit, laying down all of self-desires. Self can manifest as self-protection which can make it easier not to deliver difficult corrections. But it can also manifest as righteous indignation that is not of God. Self-righteousness can be just as dangerous as self-protection and neither is of the Lord. Walking as a King means growing up, eating Scriptural meat rather than milk, and manifesting the whole counsel of God in every decision and every word. Today’s church is not walking in the whole counsel of God and it is evident because the majority of ministries are nicer than God. Samuel’s generation wanted a King. And they knew what that meant. A King would do hard things, a King would judge right from wrong and a King would have the fear of God necessary to execute that justice. Isn’t it time we made a choice to be the King that Jesus died for? How long will we hesitate to walk in the fullness of our calling?