Ten desperate lepers cried out to Christ. Hearing, Jesus told them to go to the priest as the law required, and as they went they were healed. Imagine, if you will, the joy, the celebration that went through the ten on finding they were healed.
Only one turned around to thank the Healer.
Imagine in our case, if it was cancer, the joy we would have if Jesus spoke and we were healed just as we were headed to our chemotherapy session. We would be dancing in the streets, calling our friends, even telling strangers what had happened to us. If we were standing in line at Taco Bell when it happened, we would be screaming and telling the whole store.
How soon would it be that we got around to turning to God? How soon before we bowed our knee and heart in prayer?
How soon was it after we found out we had cancer that we asked God to heal? How soon was it that it became a request on Facebook for people to pray?
I am a self-centered person, I care more about me than you even know, or perhaps you do. If you asked my friends though, you may get a different answer.
I know me, and I have learned that there are four people in the universe that I have not successfully fooled.
Me, Myself, I and God.
Maybe Me, Myself and I are fooled some of the time, but God? Never.
Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is within me.” Luke 17:21
This should scare, amaze and perplex the bejesus out of us, no pun intended.
But, I have come to realize that there also are competing kingdoms ‘within us’ constantly battling for superiority.
All too well Illustrated for me this very morning.
My wife asked me, “What is this withdrawal from our bank account for?” Instead of responding with a simple explanation, the Kingdom of Self and Money kicked into gear.
The archers were sent to the walls, the drawbridge was raised and the moat was restocked with more alligators. Admittedly, I was even surprised at the rise of this kingdom.
I did manage to explain, and it was something inconsequential, and we went peacefully about our day.
That’s why I was so surprised at the rise and full alert status of the Kingdom of Money within me. Money had joined forces with the Kingdom of Self. I was thankful that they didn’t mount an all-out assault; that would have been ugly. They did go into full alert defense though, until I explained and the threat went away. Keep me out of trouble here, the threat was not my wife, it was my self-interest and comfort zone.
Ah yes! There is yet another kingdom. Is there anyone that doesn’t love to live in the Kingdom of Comfort and Pleasure? I picture the King of Comfort sitting in plush pillows or a nice recliner as pretty girls bring platters of ribs and bowls of chips at the snap of his fingers. They change the channel or fluff the pillows at his slightest whim, never debating about what he is watching, nor ever speaking unless spoken too. The King of Comfort even has people to make all his decisions for him, including when to send the archers on the wall.
There is a multitude of kingdoms all battling for supremacy, within me.
Yet another, and I won’t mention the details, is the Kingdom of Sex. I only know about the male side, the female side is a mystery that I have learned little about.
Would you like one or two more? I thought you would.
The Kingdom of Time could be the most brutal and vicious of them all. The Kingdom of Time rules with an iron fist, yet on observation seems loose, disorderly and out of control. The King keeps all of his time in an underground vault guarded by well-armed troops, ready to fight if even one second is stolen or lost.
Employers, spouses, acquaintances and even loved ones are often the archenemies of time. The Kingdom of Time is ruled by the Kingdom of Mine which is the brutal over-lord of both Money, Comfort and Time. Mine has huge armies it sends out in mass, hard to detect, they are masters of camouflage. It wears many masks of Charity, Faith, Hope and Love. It’s King’s name is Self Interest, changing his color at whim.
One more Kingdom to go, the most powerful yet. A defender of the host and the giver of Life, Hope, and Love.
The Kingdom of God.
The arch-enemy of the Kingdom’s of Money, Self, Sex, Comfort and Time. The only way that the kings win; by our allegiance till death, sworn and fulfilled.
Question to self?
Will it be the Kingdom of Money, Self, Sex, Comfort or Time?
Or the Kingdom of Life, Hope and Love?
Jesus told the one leper, "Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you." Luke 17:19
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