Dancing with the King - Keeping in step with the Master
Introduction
I'm not really one to sit and listen to instructions. I'm more like my seven year old granddaughter Madeline, who tends to be more of a person who learns by doing than by hearing.
A couple of weeks ago, we were having a family dinner out on Jeremy's and Kristy's back patio. After eating a few fresh cherries, Madeline came over to me and asked, “Papa, if I plant these cherry pits, will they grow into cherry trees?”
“Well, we can give it a try.” I responded.
With that, we grabbed a shovel and headed to where I thought would be a good spot for a cherry tree to grow.
“No, I want to plant them over here.”
“Okay,” I answered affirmatively, even though I had my doubts about the rightness of her choice.
“Now, here's what we do,” I said. “You take the shovel; dig a hole; put in some bone meal; fill the hole half full of water”
“No papa, I think I'll do it just like this,” she interrupted, as she chucked the cherry pits into a hole in the ground.
“But honey, I thought you wanted me to teach you how to plant a cherry tree.”
“It's okay Papa, I already know. I just wanted you to be here with me.”
And that's how I tend to be with Jesus. “It's okay Lord, I can handle this. You just stand close by and applaud me when I do something well.”
Even when reading instructions, I quickly glance over them, but usually the printing is too small and the writers are too slow in explaining, so I cast them aside and do it my way . Most often, I have to humbly return to the instructions sometime later, after I've failed.
Here I am then, nearing sixty, and finally learning to appreciate taking the necessary time to sit at the feet of my Creator, Jesus, and listening to what he has always been wanting to teach me about life.
I've been teaching Synoptic Gospels for the past several years at our Pacific Life Bible College and have been long fascinated with Jesus' teachings in Matthew's, Mark's and Luke's gospels. He had a wonderful way of getting his point across by using whatever was happening at the moment as an illustration. Whether they were at a wedding together, walking by a farm on the way to town, in interaction with the religious leaders who were opposing him, laying hands on a sick lady or holding a baby in his arms, he was consistently in teaching mode.
And his lessons were always about the Kingdom of God. It was the theme of everything that Jesus did. When he told his followers to prioritize the Kingdom of God , he truly meant what he said.
My suggestion to you, as you read this book, is to set aside what you think you already know, and imagine yourself sitting at the Master's feet, just as his chosen disciples did. Try and listen with Kingdom-tuned ears to whatever he said, whether it immediately seems relevant or not. See with Kingdom-focused eyes, the things that Jesus pointed to as he talked. I guarantee results; and I base that on both, the Word of God which says, Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light for my eyes [1] <Psalm 119:105> and also my own experience, as I've walked with the King over these past five or six decades.
I'll do the same thing. Rather than be an arm-chair politician or sports coach, I'll be a learner with you. My prayer for me, as well as for you, as we begin is:
Father, I know so very little about your invisible Kingdom, but one thing I do know is that your ways are not my ways and your thoughts are not my thoughts. I do understand that you are infinite and I am finite—and that's why I so desperately need to learn from you.
Thank you for promising to give me, and anyone who asks, your Holy Spirit to explain your Kingdom to me. I simply pray that I'll be a ready listener as you unfold your words to me.
I am here at your feet my Lord. I'm a willing candidate for your Kingdom use. You know my heart much more than I do, but I am choosing to be a believer and a doer, as well as a listener of your teachings. Like the man you healed so many years ago, I pray, “I believe—but please help my unbelief.” Amen
