I Was Just Thinking

by Pastor Vincent Imwensi

There are certain things that are not for kings. I did mention in my last article (Successful people have dos and don’ts) that the Bible is a gold mine of wisdom and success keys and here is one of those nuggets:

“It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings…..” (Prov.31:3).

The principle here does not only apply to the monarchs of kingdoms but also to anyone who is at the helm of affairs in any capacity. Those who are not yet there but dream of rising to the top will do well to take heed to this counsel too.

What is particularly intriguing about this is that the king has all authority and power to do whatever he pleases (especially at the time when the Bible was written), yet he is told here that he must keep away from certain things. In other words, he must not think that his privileged position gives him the privilege to do whatever he pleases – he must have boundaries to his conducts and he must have checks and balances in place.

Why? Because that is how to protect the kingdom over which he reigns, preserve his position as king and retain the honour and dignity that is befitting to his kingly position.

Who is a king?
Like I said earlier, you do not need to be a monarch or president of a nation for this to apply to you. It applies to any headship or leadership position of any degree. For instance, it will apply to you as the CEO of an organization, or the pastor of a church, or the manager of a department, or the head of a family or the group leader of any functional unit of any kind.

Also, according to the scriptures, born again Christians belong to heavenly royalty and have been made kings and priests in Christ Jesus (Rev.1:5-6). Don’t worry if you don’t understand what that means but know that if you are born again, you are a king and this applies to you.

Painfully true
Examples abound to underscore the wisdom of what I am sharing with you. Let me give you a few: A married man took liberty into his hands and starting going to bed with his house girl (or au pair) for illicit sexual indulgence. Right from the first time he did it, he reduced himself to her level and lost her respect. His wife later found out and his marriage hit the rock and shattered to pieces.

In 1998, a well celebrated and highly respected president of the United states of America (I don’t want to mention names), indulged in an immoral affair with a staff at the white house. When it leaked, it cost him dearly. His reputation deflated like a punctured balloon and his international acclaim turned into ridicule. If only someone had told him that there are certain things that are not for kings!

About three years ago, a sports superstar and superhero, holding several world records in track events, tested positive for steroids. After some interrogations, she tearfully admitted her guilt. Not only was she stripped of her medals but was also sentenced to jail. The honour and dignity she once enjoyed for her numerous sporting achievements flew out of the window. If only she had known that ‘it is not for kings’!

Spare yourself the pain, the fear, the blackmail and the damage
The funny thing is, when “kings” are yielding to the temptations and persuasion to do what they are not supposed to, they think it will not affect them in any negative way. Sometimes, even when they know that such actions can be devastating, they think it will never be found out.
Then there are others who are deceived into thinking that even if it becomes exposed, they are well able to handle it and silence the repercussions. But by the time they find out how wrong they were with such assumptions, it is too late.

Right now, there are some “kings” out there who have paid and/or are still paying thousands of dollars to suppress the publicity of their hidden misdemeanor. They have made themselves helpless victims of a threatening blackmail in the hands of their traitors.

Then there are those whose hearts beat faster than normal because of the tormenting fear that what they have done might be discovered and made public anytime. These ones have neither the resources nor the option of paying to cover up their tracks. They know what the consequences will mean to their career, reputation, family and position. What a miserable way to live!

And yet, all these hidden torments, threats, blackmail and other tragic consequences can be avoided by taking heed to this simple wisdom that there are certain things that are not for kings.

What a paradox!
Let me ask you – have you ever given in to any weakness, or pressure or temptation and done what you know to be wrong? Have you ever done something for which you later blamed yourself because you knew enough not to have done it in the first place?

I will be surprised if anyone answered “no” to that question. This is one of the strangest problems that we have as humans – to know that something is wrong and can be damaging and still go ahead to do it nevertheless.

That is dumb, isn’t it? It means we are all ‘dumb’ then – without exception.

Indeed, the problem is more than just being “dumb”. It has something to do with the fallen nature of man for which man has no answer. That is why you find that the most disciplined, well cultivated and strong-willed people still fail at this point.

Here is the solution
Thankfully, there is a solution to this problem. The solution is found in Jesus Christ. When a person believes in and receives Jesus Christ as his Saviour, something happens to his entire nature. The person becomes born again or born anew which means that a new godly nature is impacted into such an individual.

Within this new nature is the power to live right and say no to what is wrong. Just like the law of aerodynamics suspends the law of gravity and makes it possible for a heavy object like the aeroplane to fly, that is how it is here. The power of the new nature that you receive on becoming born again helps you to conquer the weakness of human nature, thus enabling you live above what is wrong and sinful.

But it does not end there
Someone might say to me – if that is the case, how come some believers fall into sin including even some men of God? Good question.

Let me answer it like this: The law of aerodynamics that makes the aeroplane to fly does not wipe away the law of gravity – it only suspends or renders it inoperative. But the moment that law is switched off during a flight, gravity will immediately take over and the aeroplane   will come down crashing. The law of gravity has no respect for position, size or status. It is either you neutralize it by the application of the law of aerodynamics or it will bring you down.

This is why after getting born again, you need to learn how to walk in victory in order to keep flying. It is also the reason why those who think they’re invincible should take heed, lest they fall.

Visit our websites for more helpful information on becoming a born again christian, vital keys to walking in victory and a lot more.

If you have a personal question that you would like me to answer for you or if you have a prayer request, feel free to contact me via this email address: pastorvin@livingwordlive.net

This entry was posted on Friday, January 14th, 2011 at 2:35 pm and is filed under Inspirational. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.