Long Live The King

Bhumibol Adulyadej is the current king of Thailand. He took the throne on June 9, 1946, and is the world’s longest-serving current head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. Bhumibol is highly revered and is also protected by the Constitution as "inviolable,” or “secure from violation or profanation.” He has no right to charge anyone who insults or defames him, but anyone can file charges for him; the penalty is three to fifteen years in jail. Photos of the King are commonplace in homes and in businesses. Before movies, a short film about the King is played in theatres. He is seen as so important by the Thai people that his ill-health has affected the financial markets. People ADORE him!

Can you imagine if Christians treated Christ that way? What if we took the name and reputation of our Lord so seriously, that folks around us didn’t dare blaspheme or curse because they feared how serious our reaction would be? Do we even react at all any more when someone takes the Lord’s name in vain? What would it be like if we prayed, sang a praise song or read a Bible verse right before watching a movie? What if we had symbols of our faith all over the place – in our homes, our businesses and our offices? What about on our bodies? Bruce says we should behave as though we had the word “Christian” tattooed across our forehead. We should be forever-glorifying and respecting our Lord Jesus. And not just because we have to, but because we want to – because we love OUR King that much!

I’ll be the first to admit that I fail miserably at this at times. For whatever reason, it’s not easy to live every waking moment as though Jesus was right beside me – even though He actually is. I find myself “forgetting my faith” when it’s convenient. I don’t do this on purpose, mind you, but then sometimes, I’m not purposefully remembering my faith either. There’s been way too many times when I’ve been happy there wasn’t a Jesus fish on the back of my car when I’ve just had a bout of major road rage. Or when I recommend a questionable movie to a friend, I add the “It’s got a lot of language” pre-cursor (That makes it right, doesn’t it?). Or when someone upsets me, I blame my anger on their behavior. Or I blame my misdoings on my genetics or my upbringing or … As though sin has qualifiers that makes it ok sometimes.

Kinda makes me wonder why my King doesn’t just point at me and holler “Off with her head!!”

But I already know the answer to that… It’s because He loves me. He gets upset when others mistreat me or speak against me. He sends His bodyguards to protect me from evil. He has my name written in the palms of His hands. He constantly watches me over me in love. He ADORES me!

What a thought - that a miserable wretch like me could capture the heart of the King.  :)

* Some info about Bhumibol Adulyadej was taken from Wikipedia.