"Having said all this, if I were to choose one quality above all others to guide a man into, so that he might become a good King, that secret would be friendship with God. For if he has this, it will compensate for whatever other deficiencies the man may have, and if he does not have this, no matter how gifted he might be, he will not become the King he could have been." Each stage has a central focus, a boiled down to one sentence goal. Here it is friendship with God. We are after something that can only come from a journey that has been walked with God every step of the way. And it is essential that we have this if we desire to rule well.
"One of the big lies of the King stage is the idea that now you ought to know enough to operate out of your own resources. Not true. You will be faced with new challenges, bigger challenges, and the stakes are much higher. Many lives hang in the balance when you are a King." This past week we shared how the more we grow and mature the more freedom God gives us in decision making. With each decision comes a choice, do we draw near to God and see what He thinks about this, or not?
1 John 2 says, "I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning." It repeats same phrase this twice, first in verses 13 and then again in 14. We see that "the fathers are the friends of God." There is something more than casual acquaintance, this is personal and real, something that has been forged through trial and hardship and has stood the test. "How many Kings do you know who act as if they know God, in the manner that friends know one another?" Probably very few, if any at all. But this is what I want to be said of me, that I was a friend of God. If we would be good Kings we must be.
"Allow me to make a distinction. I believe a man can be a good King over some aspect of this world - a home, a school, a church, a nation - without having to be an intimate friend of God. I'be mentioned Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Churchill. I don't know how deeply they walked with God, but they were good men and served as good Kings. However, if we would be men in full - as God created man to be - then we must find the fulfillment of our lives in relationship with God. A deep, intimate relationship... This is the reason for our existence - to walk with God."
Ultimately that's what it all comes down too. "If we would be Kings in the kingdom of God, help to bring about his rule here on this earth, then we must follow the Master. We must learn to walk with God. Perhaps the single greater weakness common to good men now acting as Kings is that they do not walk with God. They have learned some principles of leadership, they have their market analyses, they have their opinions, and they try to govern by these alone. They are not bad men, per se. But they live by a practical agnosticism, even men who are leaders in the church. I promise you, you cannot master enough principles to address every situation you will meet."
No matter how skilled or intelligent you are, something will hit you that you aren't prepared for. It is these times that people most often turn to God, when there is no other option left. But what would happen if a King has a friendship with God? I'm not going to say that the hard times won't come, because they will, but I am saying that you won't have to face them or make the decision on your own. Your closest friend will be with you as you decide together, and will stand by you for the outcome, even if its a hail of bullets.
"How will a man be able to rule what he has been given if he is not in this kind of relationship with God? He will - by default - lean on his own understanding, something he is warned against in Scripture (see Prov. 3:5)." That verse is one of the most profound teachings, if not the most profound, in the Bible. If we would only live by it.
"I urge friendship with God as essential for a King for two reasons. First, because a man in power is positioned to do great good or great damage, and he will not have the wisdom to address every situation. Humility demands he turn to God, and often. Remember - the heart of the King is yielded to God... But there is an even deeper reason than expedience. This is what a man was made for. To be a King and not know God intimately is like a son who runs part of the family business, but never talks to his father. Yes, we are here to serve as Kings. But that service was never meant to take the place of our relationship with God."
Our role as King is ultimately a role of service to The King. We are given power from Him and we will have to give an account to Him about how we have used it. Without knowing Him personally and being submitted to His will how can we use that power correctly? Even with good motives we can still fail because ultimately our purpose as Kings is to lead people closer to God. If we don't know Him how can we cuckoo this purpose?
Friendship with God is what we were made for, and it's what we're after. "How is this cultivated? Part of it is orientation... If you would become the friend of God, your orientation needs to be to walk with God through the day. It's a posture, where you are aware of god and asking, 'What are you up to here, God?' And, 'What is this about? How do you want me to handle this?' With this orientation, this posture, I would add an open heart... without a heart alive, awake and somewhat free, you cannot know God."
If we want to know God and be close to Him, we have to pay attention and be alert. God is always speaking, always teaching, always affirming. We need to be intentional about searching for the lessons. But there is one more thing.
"Finally, and pardon the obvious, but you must actually want it. Because unless you really do, you will not be able to fight for the time required to cultivate friendship with God... God doesn't offer his friendship to men who don't care enough to make room for it." If we would know God, we must want to. The relationship, as with any, must be prioritized. I know how busy life is, but this friendship isn't an option if we desire to be the best Kings possible. God has done everything possible to pursue us and make this friendship possible, but we must choose to respond for it to go anywhere.
You were born for this, "your life as a man is a process of initiation into masculinity, offered to you by your true Father. Through the course of that journey, in all the many events of the Beloved Son, the Cowboy, the Warrior, the Lover, whatever else you learn you will learn to walk with God, for he is walking with you." That is what a King does above all else, he walks with God, side by side as friends, and leads others in the way.
"Father, raise the King in me. Develops in me the heart of a King. Help me to rule well, in your name. Teach me to be a good King, like Jesus. Help me to rule well right where I am. But above all else, teach me to live as your friend... Show me how to cultivate an even deeper relationship with you. To be one with you, even as Jesus is one with you. In all things. And show me the men you want me to father... show me how to offer what they need. Teach me to initiate my sons as Kings."
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
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