A Child of the King ...the Wayfarer 6/11/16

A Child of the King 
6/11/16

Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” 

(Luke 18:17)

As we go through life, heritage and inheritance is important to each, whether acknowledgement of that heritage, and through it, the inheritance of values as well as credence given through the character of our forebears, or whether it be the lack of substance that is carried through generations, poverty leading to poverty, wealth leading to wealth, the values of each of those following down from generations past.

The anger instilled in past generations flows to the next, and the next, and the next, unless and until the cycle is broken and the reality of the cycle is seen to be what it is: poor excuse for poor behavior caused by never having faced the reality of the laws of physics, and the law of God that each action has an opposite and equal reaction that it must in turn generate by its very existence.

Racism begets racism, whichever side from which first generated, hatred begets hatred, violence begets violence: negative begets more negativity, greed begets further greed, apathy begets still more of itself.

None of these things exist or proliferate by themselves, but are in fact merely learned behaviors and attitudes, taught by adults who have chosen to accept the normality of their continuance rather than the need to break the cycle by accepting the TRUTH of the means of breaking that cycle.

A small child has no concept of poverty, nor wealth, racism, nor status. Hatred has no meaning until taught, negativity is only understood as a lack of love expected and returned by that small human soul.

A newborn has only trust, as it seeks the sustenance of its mother’s breast, and knows only the comfort of being held unless rejected.

We each enter the world the same way, taking our first breath of the sustaining air provided by God, with surprise, releasing that breath and taking the next anxious and upset to find ourselves separated from the protection of what was our normality until being birthed into a new reality that then surrounds us.

The child formed in the womb, then continues to be formed, eventually forming themselves through their surrounding circumstance, and choices made, first for them, then by them, in reaction to that circumstance.

What is seen to be that circumstance is seen through the eyes of others interpreting that circumstance for them… setting values of one kind or another within them that remain for life, unless the choice is made consciously to overcome the circumstances created by those values, accepting values that are proven to change the circumstance itself.

This is not an easy transition, in fact it would be impossible for an “Adult” to accomplish in and of themselves.

It requires a rebirth, into the realization that what is intended for them is in fact the love and comfort expected by the newborn, that may only be provided by their Creator Himself.

That birth is a spiritual birth, through the grace provided us by our Father’s love given us in the sacrifice of His only Begotten Son, Christ Jesus, Who defined the necessity for that rebirth in the 3^rd chapter of John, and gave us the promise of an inheritance acquired only by means of that rebirth.

John 3 King James Version (KJV)

3 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

² The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

³ Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

⁵ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

⁸ The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

⁹ Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

¹¹ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

¹² If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

¹³ And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

²⁰ For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

²¹ But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

²² After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

²³ And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

²⁴ For John was not yet cast into prison.

²⁵ Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.

²⁶ And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

²⁷ John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

²⁸ Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

²⁹ He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease.

³¹ He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

³² And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

³³ He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

³⁴ For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

³⁵ The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

³⁶ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Once that rebirth occurs, then one, having become once more the newborn, whose values are those of his new family, comprehending that all else holds no value when placed in comparison to the love that has been given may state, as did Hattie Buell in 1877, the song used for today’s title :

“A Child of the King”

My Father is rich in houses and lands,
He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,
His coffers are full, He has riches untold.

o    Refrain:
I’m a child of the King,
A child of the King:
With Jesus my Savior,
I’m a child of the King.

2.    My Father’s own Son, the Savior of men,
Once wandered on earth as the poorest of them;
But now He is pleading our pardon on high,
That we may be His, when He comes by and by.

3.    I once was an outcast stranger on earth,
A sinner by choice, an alien by birth,
But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down,
An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.

  A tent or a cottage, why should I care?
They’re building a palace for me over there;
Though exiled from home, yet still may I sing:
All glory to God, I’m a child of the King.

Having been accepted as a child of the King, the necessity of our own acceptance of what we expect to be given us must in turn be given by us as well.

John 13:33-35 King James Version (KJV)

³³ Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.

³⁴ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

³⁵ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

That love, given us by God through Jesus, accepted as a newborn accepts the love given in its first moments of life, continues throughout life when chosen, and remains through eternity as promised.

To be trite, born once, die twice, born twice, die once.

The choice given on a cross through the sacrificial physical death of Jesus, and more importantly the promise given us through the resurrection, ascension and mediation of Jesus, is available to any and all…Whosoever!

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

I choose to be a child of the King, because He chose to allow me that choice!

Amen and amen!

the Wayfarer