I watched a documentary sometime ago which was about an English lord who was almost bankrupt after hosting Queen Victoria. The queen was so at ease in his estate that she stayed there for many weeks. Now, if you think: “Lucky him! I wish it was me,” then just read what follows before GOD hears you and grants your request.
In Africa, if a President visits your home, it’s definitely Christmas before time; but in those days, when the queen honoured you by stopping at your house, you certainly knew that the time of the big works and big spending had come. First of all, a delegation would come before her to make sure that you knew the protocol of the palace – how to bow, when to talk, sit, eat or stop eating etc.- and would not commit a crime of lese-majesty. Then, and most importantly, you had to put your hand in your pocket and do whatever it took for the sovereign to feel as much at ease in your home as in the palace. So, you needed to renovate or refurbish the place; buy some new linen, plates, cutlery, and horses even. You needed to hire more hands to work in the house, the stables and the gardens. Bread, wine and meat often came from afar, from those whose products had met the quality standards fit for the royal table. Contrary to African ways, you would not receive any envelop to cover the incurring costs and the bill was usually very high. You’d better be wealthy, for great was the humiliation if wine or oil would run out during such events. Needless saying that the queen was not going to sleep in the guest room while you enjoyed the master bedroom; and actually, you could even count yourself lucky if you did not have to share your servants’ quarters for lack of place in the main house… Let’s not forget that in those days, kings considered that the entire kingdom and its inhabitants were divinely theirs and that they could help themselves as they wish (1Sam 8:10-18). The costs were so high that, even though the lords were very proud for the great honour bestowed upon them, they also prayed that the visit would not be long. Indeed, what I didn’t tell you is that in our example, Queen Victoria came with an entourage of more than a hundred people that had to be fed, lodged and entertained! Well, the glory of a king is in a multitude of people, isn’t it (Pr 14:28)? And, as we all know, Victoria was a great queen…
I have said all this to show that receiving a king is not a small thing and therefore, receiving the King of kings should not be done lightly. This is why Jesus warned His disciples saying: Which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' (Lk 14:28-30). And then, He added (vs. 33): Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
We like knowing that everything we lose for the sake of the Gospel will be paid back to us a hundredfold in this present life; but we do not like remembering that this compensation will also come with tribulations (Mk 10:29-30). This is why you shouldn’t be quick inviting Jesus or accepting His invitation. You need to carefully count the cost of the great works needed, especially as Jesus doesn’t come for a week. Ideally, He comes for a lifetime. You must know that at the end, you will lose everything: your will, ambitions, desires, freedom, priorities, friends, parents, children, job, and your money: EVERYTHING. You will have to lay ALL at His feet and only go back with what He would decide to give you. Are you ready to risk all that? Some people counted the costs and said: "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof… Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Lk 7:6 & 5:8.
I said it wasn’t good to be too quick to invite HIM, but I didn’t say you must not do so. Indeed, contrary to Queen Victoria, His yoke is light and easy to carry. A poor widow only had a little bit of flour left. She wanted to use it to cook their last meal –her and her son- when Elijah came. He was hungry and requested not to be served first – which is already preposterous in Western cultures-, but that she first bakes his own cake before baking hers and the son’s. It looked as though submitting would mean losing everything, including her life and that of her son. However, she needed to lose everything first, before gaining everything: Jehovah Jihreh had entered into her house (1Kings 17). Consider the cost. If you are not ready to obey without murmur like this poor widow, do not be in any hurry to make decisions that you may regret and that may bring shame on the Name of the LORD in the future. Count the costs, so that you will not stop halfway through the building. Count the cost without dreaming or being biased. Jesus comes to take EVERYTHING and He helps Himself First; but if you open the door to HIM, if you make your heart a heaven and if you honour HIM by putting HIM first in everything, you will never lack a thing again. If you happen to lack anything or to toil in any area, this would simply be an area where Jesus is not as yet King.
Have a wonderblessed week!
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