{"id":6156,"date":"2025-10-21T15:23:50","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T15:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/?post_type=article&p=6156"},"modified":"2025-10-27T18:06:57","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T18:06:57","slug":"there-is-one-true-king","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/gospelinlife.com\/article\/there-is-one-true-king\/","title":{"rendered":"There Is One True King"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I want to be the best parent I can be to my three children. But in looking at all the ways I want a do-over or could be better, if I get one thing right, I want it to be that they love Jesus and desire him to be king of their lives. It\u2019s something I\u2019ve talked about many times with each of them when they were facing challenges or big decisions. Because\u2014let\u2019s face it\u2014we all want to be the king in our own lives. The poem \u201cInvictus\u201d by William Ernest Henley is famous for its final lines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul. \n\n\n []<\/a>\n [1] William Ernest Henley, \u201cInvictus.\u201d https:\/\/www.poetryfoundation.org\/poems\/51642\/invictus.<\/span>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

We all want to be king<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenge is that since the beginning of humanity in the garden of Eden, there has been one unchanged aspect of the human heart\u2014deep down in our soul we all desire to be the king of our lives. We are unwavering in our determination to unseat the rightful and only true king, Jesus Christ. It is not always obvious to us, and we need to constantly look at God\u2019s Word to combat our tendencies to make ourselves king.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An old bumper sticker said: \u201cJesus is my co-pilot\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years ago you could find the phrase \u201cJesus [or God] is my co-pilot\u201d on mugs, t-shirts and bumper stickers quite frequently. It was a trend that I guess was supposed to show some sort of connection to God and to imply that people allowed God to help lead their life. To that catchphrase I say, \u201cNo, he\u2019s NOT!\u201d Let\u2019s be honest, if we are using metaphors for how we relate to the creator of the universe, he\u2019s not<\/em><\/strong> the co-pilot. When you think for a minute about the ways we all make mistakes daily, we don\u2019t even have any business being in the cockpit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The irony is that we are insufficient to rule our lives, as disordered and self-destroyed as we are, but we still think we are best suited to run things. As another poet, Shel Silverstein, wrote in his poem \u201cGod\u2019s Wheel,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GOD says to me with a kind
of smile, \u201cHey how would you like
to be God awhile And steer the world?\u201d
\u201cOkay,\u201d says I, \u201cI\u2019ll give it a try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where do I set?
How much do I get?
What time is lunch?
When can I quit?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGimme back that wheel,\u201d says GOD.
\u201cI don\u2019t think you\u2019re quite ready YET.\u201d \n\n\n []<\/a>\n [2] Shel Silverstein, \u201cGod\u2019s Wheel.\u201d https:\/\/hellopoetry.com\/poem\/599\/gods-wheel.<\/span>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

We need a true king who rules justly, self-sacrificially, lovingly and mercifully. We, on the other hand, when we make ourselves king, are greedy, merciless, self-serving, blame-shifting, self-justifying, and lacking generosity and empathy\u2014not kingly at all. When we\u2019re honest about our true nature, we know we are not<\/em> king material. And the discovery that comes with giving Christ his rightful place as king of our lives is that this is what we were designed for and where our true identity rests\u2014as children of our Heavenly Father, who should rightfully occupy the throne of our heart as our glorious, gracious and loving king.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When we\u2019re honest about our true nature, we know we are not king material.<\/div>