"THE" Royal Wedding: A Spiritual Perspective

4/29/11

Nielsen estimated that 22.8 million people in the US watched the Wedding of Prince William to “commoner” Kate Middleton. A whopping 400 million reportedly caught livestream coverage on YouTube alone. I wonder if Billy Graham has ever had that large a viewing audience.

From the dress to the tiara to the balcony kiss, the world seemed to be enraptured. But…..did they have “ears to hear” when Kate’s brother James read from Roman’s chapter 12? I hope so. That chapter is so filled with truth. Brother Buddy says one of his Bible study chums, who is the principal at Atherton high school in Louisville, reads Romans chapter 12 everyday.

Here’s some of my spiritual perspectives of that chapter from the Revised Standard Version, which he read.

1I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2) (Applying those 2 verses would be a great way to begin everyday.)

9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; (The ability to recognize what is good, and hold on to it will allow genuine love to flow through you to others)

11 Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. (Trusting the Lord for His strength will keep you going and glowing as you serve others)

12 Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (This is not just a put-on happy face, that would vanish by noon, rather a deep seeded joy that springs from His grace in your suffering and a fervency in prayer.)

18 If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all. (Wouldn’t that make for a sound sleep if you could end your day knowing that you had made choices throughout the day to live at peace with all those who had crossed your path!)

Those are my spiritual perspectives. What are yours?

SELF-SACRIFICE

2/21/11 Self-sacrifice. Sacrifice for others. It’s our spiritual service. Yet self-sacrifice is a most difficult thing for us to do. It’s a surrender of sorts. It comes with joy but only as we sacrifice all the details of our lives without conditions. Lord I will gladly serve you in Africa but just don’t make me walk across the street to my cranky neighbor and share your love.

Sacrifice is not easy. Yet, when we sacrifice with our eyes focused on Him, it becomes easier. His life becomes more evident in our life. As the child once said, “Jesus begins to stick out all over.”

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (Romans 12:1)

Consider these words of Oswald Chambers and then contemplate these verses. “You must be willing to be placed on the altar and go through the fire; willing to experience what the altar represents-burning, purification, and separation for only one purpose-the elimination of every desire and affection not grounded in or directed toward God. But you don’t eliminate it, God does."

“Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar” (Psalm 118:27).

You “bind the sacrifice . . . to the horns of the altar” and see to it that you don’t wallow in self-pity once the fire begins. After you have gone through the fire, there will be nothing that will be able to trouble or depress you. When another crisis arises, you will realize that things cannot touch you as they used to do. (O. Chambers) What fire lies ahead in your life?

Are you willing to tell God you are ready to be poured out as an offering, Maybe you can start with the ones dear to you as it says in I Thessalonians 1:8, “so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” Sharing one’s life with another is true sacrifice.