I Walk with The King

To Heavenly Land; the Kingdom of Right–the Pathway of Light…


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Rights vs. Righteousness – Politics and Religion: Part 2

We have rights. In the U.S.A our rights are more sacred than baseball and apple pie. Our constitution contains a bill of rights. The very core of what the founding fathers believed was based on the rights of the citizenry. I don’t know about you but I’m thankful and proud to be an American and to be able to take part in the rights the constitution guarantees me.

However, I often have to remind myself of my true citizenship. I sometimes forget that though I have rights as an American citizen, my duty as a citizen of God’s Kingdom may not always align with those rights.

“ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” Eph. 2:19

As an example, let’s consider the Apostle Paul and his missionary partner Silas as they preached in the city of Philippi in Acts 16. They encounter a woman there who was possessed by a “spirit of divination.” Some local men were making a lot money by her fortune telling, and after Paul (by the power of Christ) cast the spirit out these men arranged for the arrest of Paul and Silas.

They were beaten and thrown in to prison, and what follows is a beautiful story of the conversion of the jailor and his family. The next morning the magistrates sent word to release them secretly and Paul had a few choice words to say about the matter.

“ But Paul said to them, ‘They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.’” Acts 16:37

Paul exercised his rights as a Roman citizen, but notice when he did it. He could have done this the day before and saved himself and Silas a beating. But for whatever reason he allowed their arrest and as a result a man and his family were led to Christ.

I don’t pretend to know the reasons Paul did what he did, but I do know that in some cases our rights as U.S. citizens may need to take a back-seat in favor of doing God’s will. It’s the difference between exercising our rights and being righteous.

Cuinn’s Hero

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Cuinn Shirt

My eight-year-old son Cuinn came in from school recently with a do-at-home writing project.  He was supposed to write about his hero in three paragraphs and each paragraph’s requirements were mapped out for him.  (Did we write three-paragraph essays when we were second graders??)  Cuinn was not enthused in the least because he initially said he didn’t have a hero.

Then a few days later he went to his closet to find a t-shirt to wear.  He found a shirt that his uncle and aunt had given him once that stated simply, “Jesus Is My Hero.”  Cuinn came running out of his room with his essay idea in hand and finally he was excited!  He started jotting down his facts and main points and then put them into his final essay.

Without really knowing it, the next Tuesday Cuinn would get up in front of his class and read his essay aloud…and thereby preach the good news of Jesus Christ to Mrs. Davis’ class at Washington Elementary.  Here is his essay in its entirety:

Cuinn’s Hero
Jesus is my hero!  He was born in Bethlehem in the year of 0 A.D.
When Jesus was 12 he and his parents went to Jerusalem.  When his family left, Jesus stayed behind.  His parents got worried about Jesus because he was missing.  His parents went to look for him.  They found him safe in the temple where Jesus was asking priests questions.  The priests couldn’t believe how much he knew.  Jesus was a carpenter and he was the best teacher ever.  He also performed miracles like walking on water and healing the sick.  Jesus also helped the blind see.  He was raised from the dead!
Jesus is my hero because he never sinned and he actually can save people.  He is a real person.  He always did the right thing and he is a perfect example for me.  I want to be like him!!

Upon reading the essay, my brother-in-law Christopher remarked:  “Matthew 10:24-25a says, ‘The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord.’  What struck me is that being like Jesus does seem to be ‘enough’ for Cuinn. A lesson we could all learn from…”


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Lord, Make Me a Fisherman

Last Sunday, brother Chase Palmer taught an excellent sermon titled, “Go Fish.” He challenged our congregation to get busy sharing the message of Jesus Christ with people within our spheres of influence. As he spoke, some of these words began to form in my mind. I hope you can use them as a fun, rhyming reminder to look for opportunities for Christ.

Lord, Make Me a Fisherman

Lord, make me a fisherman every day,
As through the waters I make my way.
With the line of Your love and the hook of Your grace,
With the lure of the hope to see Your face.

Lord, give me a pole to cast it all in,
To reach out to souls who flounder in sin.
Place many people within my reach,
From shining horizon to foamy beach.

Draw them in! Set them free!
Make them clean, just like Thee.

So often I’ve failed to launch out to bay,
While watching the ocean fade evening-gray.
And lest more opportunities swim away,
Lord make me a fisherman every day.


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Politics and Religion: Part 1

We live in a culture that is both politically and religiously charged.  As Christians, how are we to conduct our lives in the midst of so much controversy and strife?  What is the separation between our duties to the kingdom of God and duty to our Government? In Matthew 22:17-21, the Pharisees sent their servants to ask Jesus this very question, in an attempt to trap Him by His own words.

“17Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

The wise answer of our Lord served the dual purposes of both answering their question, and exposing their hypocrisy.

18But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? 19“Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius. 20And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” 21They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

I think the main problem is that we try to compartmentalize our lives; our Christian life, our work life, our family life, our political life. But Jesus makes it much simpler for us. Instead, there should be only our lives as Christians. Our service to God and to our government need not, and indeed should not, be mutually exclusive. The two go hand in hand together.

Over the course of my next several blog posts I will explore in greater detail what the Bible has to say about this subject, and how we can incorporate the advice of Jesus into our lives.


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I’m not really a pet guy.  I don’t necessarily dislike pets or animals in general, but I’m very content to live without a pet.  Even then, there was something about this dog story that drew me in.

The story goes that a 7-year old German shepherd in Italy named Tommy used to accompany his owner Maria to church every day.  Maria was faithful to go to pray every morning when the church bell rang, and Tommy joined her each time.  Sadly, Tommy’s owner died late last year.  Even though she is gone, apparently the German shepherd continues to show up every morning when the church bell rings.  While I would not go so far as to say Tommy has become accustomed to prayer in the mornings and won’t miss it now, it is clear that this dog longs to be with his master.

Your alarm clock rings most mornings, just like that church bell in Italy rings every morning.  When it rings, do you immediately long to be with your Master?  The psalmist said, “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.” (Psalm 5:3 NKJV)

Whether one admits it or not, each of us has a yearning within to worship.  The Eternal God is worthy of our worship and praise.  Wake up each day with a desire to worship and serve your Master.


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God: Mean or Nice?

Neither. He is holy. You may have certain immature feelings about God, however, and they are similar to feelings you may have felt about your parents growing up. If you were receiving or witnessed a sibling receiving punishment or correction you may have felt that Daddy was mean. If you were receiving reward from Daddy, he was nice. In each case, our opinion of Daddy at the time was mostly dependent upon how his way of being was affecting us at that point in time. Later, we grow up and realize that Daddy was always the same. It was really our own behavior that dictated the relationship.


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Suit Up, Roll Out

Several months ago my brother in Christ, Frankie Masters, presented a great sermon about the Armor of God as described in Ephesians 6:10-17. Many of us have heard explanations of all these pieces, and some principles for how they might work in our lives. We also learn about how we should have this armor in our life, and the benefits of using it. However, all my weaponry is totally worthless if I fail to don it before battle. How foolish of me to charge into the ranks of hostile soldiers, naked and empty-handed! What Frankie said that is often missing from such lessons is the practical application of Paul’s teaching here. He advised me to make actual use of the Armor of God every day by mentally and spiritually gearing up before I leave my home. Your routine may vary, but mine goes something like this, and it’s in the form of a prayer:

Father God, as I begin my day, please help me to put on the whole Armor of God that You provide Your children. Please help me put on the Breastplate of Righteousness to protect my heart where the Enemy wants to strike me. Please help me put on the Helmet of Salvation, to protect my mind from false thoughts and the Devil’s deceits. Help it to guard my eyes from things they shouldn’t see and help it protect those I meet from the words of my own mouth (Note: my set of armor needs the optional full-face mask! Ask for that feature if you need it, too). Lord please help me to place upon my feet the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace, so that I can bear the saving message of Jesus Christ to all who need it. Father, please bind up this armor with the Belt of Truth, so that I can base all my actions on what is real. Please give my left hand the Shield of Faith, to stop any lie the Enemy hurls at me and place in my right hand the Sword of the Holy Spirit, Your Word, that being so armed I may go out and do battle for the purposes of Your eternal Kingdom. Please help me endure difficulty as a good soldier of Christ, and my I bring glory to your mighty name. I ask this in the name of Jesus your Son and my Captain. Amen.

Let me tell you something–this works. You are really gearing up in the spiritual realm. Just imagine how you must appear to Satan and his hosts! Visualize it. This is also a focus tool to remind you that, prepared or not, you are walking onto the field of battle. Your enemy never forgets it, takes a day off or gives an inch. When I enter battle naked and weaponless, I lose. When I purposefully join battle thus protected and armed, I win. As Frankie urged me, I also urge you… Suit up before you roll out.


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One Foot In Front Of The Other

I have a confession:  I don’t know how to blog.  I never have blogged in my life.  (And now you have so much reason to read on, don’t you?)

When Christopher asked me to blog periodically on I Walk with The King I was immediately enthusiastic to participate, even with absolutely no experience.  I figured blogging could be as simple as putting one sentence in front of the other.  Kind of like walking.  Doesn’t the song go, “Put one foot in front of the other”?

Often I need to tell myself simply to put one foot in front of the other.  Long range goals and plans are good, and sometimes they are necessary.  Yet grand plans and where-I-want-to-be-in-ten-years-from-now-thinking can swallow me alive sometimes!  What about you?  It can be overwhelming.

I don’t want a life of “overwhelmed.”  I need simple and uncomplicated.  But this idea of walking with the King, with Jesus Christ…that is DAUNTING!  We are to look unto Jesus and make Him our focus.  We are to make heaven our goal.  This does not necessarily sound simple.  How does one do something so massive?

Then I am reminded of what Jesus said in Luke 9:23:  If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Today I desire to go after Christ.  Today I need to deny myself.  Today I must take up my cross.  Today I choose to follow my Savior.  Don’t get too far ahead of yourself, Craig.  Make today count most of all.

What will you do to walk with the King?  Start today by simply putting one foot in front of the other.


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Playing With Fire

I’ve been studying in the book of Leviticus lately, and spent some time thinking about the story of Nadab and Abihu. If you don’t know this story, they were two sons of Aaron, who was the first High Priest under the Law of Moses. In Leviticus chapter 10, shortly after being consecrated as priests, Nadab and Abihu offer a sacrifice to God using fire that He had not authorized. Because of this, the bible tells us that, “…fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.” -Leviticus 10:2

We live in a culture that increasingly pressures us to become tolerant of sinful behavior. Maybe we even become desensitized to the point that we begin to give in to this pressure. It has reached the point in this nation that standing in the truth of God’s word regarding sinful behavior has become tantamount to burning a cross in someone’s front yard.

We serve a loving and compassionate God, but He is the same God that destroyed Nadab and Abihu thousands of years ago. After this incident, God’s message to Aaron was this:

“By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.” -Leviticus 10:3

God’s message to us is clear. We can either do it the easy way, or the hard way. But He WILL be regarded as holy, and He WILL be glorified. The details matter. The punishment for sin may not be immediate in this day, as it was for Nadab and Abihu, but that is only because:

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” – II Peter 3:9

When we start to ignore the truth of God’s word, and assume that He will overlook sinful behavior, we become like Nadab and Abihu and are just playing with fire.


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Are you my BFF?

Late one night recently, I began clicking through my Facebook friend list. I unfriended about a dozen people. If you saw this post on my page–congratulations–you made the cut. It wasn’t mean-spirited or anything, but if I (a) didn’t immediately recognize you, (b) didn’t talk to you much in high school or (c) don’t like your feed, I checked the box and cut you loose.

I also organized some of you into new categories (which you really should consider if you are an FB user). You can now have Acquaintances, Friends and Close Friends. This will help me enjoy my News Feed more, but it was more beneficial on a personal and introspective level. It made me think about what a friend really is and who my “friends” are. What does Jesus offer us on the topic of friendship?

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.  John 15:12-15 NKJV

In this touching discourse during the Last Supper, Jesus talks to the apostles–His friends. True friendship according to Jesus involves love, sacrifice, respect and open communication. If these characteristics are missing from a relationship, it’s probably not really a friendship, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s good to have layer of people in our lives that we like and get along with but we are not close to. The word for this is an Acquaintance, and it’s from this pool that we generally develop great Friends.

So, Facebook has helped me better define the relationships in my life, and allowed me to identify some room for personal growth, too. Just don’t be offended if I refer to you as “my acquaintance.” Consider yourself a pre-friend, and I’ll do the same.