Straighten Your Crowns, Worthy Sheep!
Yesterday my blog featured two sheep dogs called Goodness and Mercy. They kept the sheep from danger. In the case of God’s goodness and mercy following us all the days of our life, I’d say it’s a blessing to be sheep in our Good Shepherd’s royal pastures.
But lest we consider ourselves “the little lamb that went everywhere with Mary” or the “poor little lambs who lost their way”, or “baa baa, black sheep, have you any wool” kinds-of-lambs-or-sheep, remember we are under the care and oversight of our Good Shepherd and King, Father God. That makes us royalty in His family. 1 Peter 2:9 says: “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”
The Apostle Peter is reminding us of our status as sons and daughters of God; that we are heirs and heiresses to Jesus’ rewards. I’ve latched onto the word “royalty”, and I own it. To me, it means “You’re powerful because of God in you!” What if we saw ourselves not as mere sheep in the family, but as the royal daughters and sons of God?
I’ve always associated royalty and heirs as an entitlement, privileged, born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Not so in God’s royal family. We are invited to freely receive the blessings and fruit of royalty because Christ is our BIG brother.
If we truly believed we are heirs to heaven, would we spend so much time worrying about little things or what someone thinks about us? Knowing how securely placed we are, how loved we are, and how provided for we are, we would start to take on a royal mindset.
We are royalty and royalty comes with responsibilities. As royal daughters and sons of the Most High God, we should be distinctly aware of our unique position to influence others by our behavior and words. Royalty knows that everything they say and do will be scrutinized so we must be conscious of our words and actions to make sure others feel loved, cherished, and valued.
No longer should we be striving for more money, more power, more followers, or to be “the best.” What we should be doing is pursuing excellence in our work and ministries, by putting people first by loving well, forgiving well, taking criticism with grace, and setting examples with how we love and raise our families.
Everyone is craving intimacy with God whether they know it or not, and an encounter with you could be a taste of that for them. All it requires is being in agreement with God Who says “You are royalty!“ Believe Him. Now, go straighten your crown and go about Kingdom business, Your Royal Highnesses!