Something I Must Tell You

'This is the woman for me,' said the king to his two advisors, 'now how should I get about to win her over?' His wise advisors thought considerably throughout one entire night, and proposed their plans to him.

'You are the king,' said the first advisor, 'and you could send a royal decree to her family to release her to wed to you. No one is permitted to go against such a decree.' 'No!' the king replied, 'I cannot force her to be with me in this way. I want her as queen because of her own free will, not because of my imposed will on her!'

The second advisor then gave his proposal: 'As the king, your palace is filled with riches to the brim. We could adorn the wealthiest robes on you, ride over to the town in your largest carriage, pulled by your finest white horses. Your 100 finest servants and soldiers will be there too. On seeing this, she will be awed by your wealth and status. How could one refuse to wed you then?' 'No!' the king replied, 'she might as well marry my money and power! Such possessions do not last forever. She will wed me because of my character, because of the person I am, and not due to my title as the king!'

And so the king decided handed over his kingdom over to his prime minister and advisors for a year, exchanged his finest robes for dirty peasant rags and walked to this humble town alone. He lived, worked with and shared the same home as the townsfolk, blending in so well that no one knew who he was. Slowly, he got to know the girl and her family and charmed his way into her heart.

Soon, a year was up and he revealed who he was to her. She was surprised but that didn't matter: she was in love with the person that the king was and not because he was king. He brought her back to the palace and made her his queen. They lived happily ever after.

Now exchange the character of the king with that of God. Yep, that's what God did for us. To win over our love for Him, he sent his son Jesus, to be one of us, living amongst us and to ultimately die for our sins. But He didn't stay dead. He overcame death, rose again to walk on earth, showing himself to many before physically rising up to heaven, His home.

With all that power, God could have taken away free will from us and make us love him inherently right from the start. Or he could come down to earth with his whole host of angels and heavenly hosts periodically to remind us He's there, all powerful, that we may accept him with awe. No, that's not the kind of love He wants from us. He wants wholeheartedly love, full of faith and belief in Him.  He touches and guides us in little whispers, sometimes so soft that we choose to listen to the torrent of noise from society and the world today instead of Him. But when He needs to, He'll thunder His will and word to us, that we may listen to His much needed guidance. 

How can you reject such a king, who so sincerely came to earth to seek us, but yet found betrayal and an unjust death by the people he so wanted to love and save? Despite this, He still waits by our door, knocking and waiting for us to open it to Him. And don't ever say He doesn't understand worldly troubles from where He is - He's been in earth, suffered, cried, laughed, and experienced everything a human could ever experience in a lifetime to fully understand how we are like. After all, weren't we created by Him anyway?

God is a special friend who's always by my side. Who's always forgiving of my mistakes. Who's always touching me with His love, such that he sent his Son to die for me, for you, for everyone such that the gap between Him and man may be closed forever, that we can at long last reach our creator.

It's not the concept of eternal life or the fight between good and evil or anything philosophical that makes me want to run to Him everyday. It's not because I've grown up in a Christian environment or that I have no choice. No. It's because this God, this religion, is One who has created Man solely for love, solely for His to care and tend. But Man is stubborn and chose his way instead. Still, he forgives us daily for all the mistakes we make, and by His graces we shall see Him some day.

Christianity's greatest truth is in that it's one of love. We have a God who loves us, and encourages us to first love Him, and then use His love to love our neighbors, and even our enemies. God loves us, and shows it to us daily, by guiding us through each obstacle and decision. He sometimes speaks in whispers, and sometimes in a thunderous voice, but we know He is always there. At the end of the day, He will always forgive us for our mistakes if we seek repentance. That's it. No 'sorry' rituals to do, no rites to perform. We just close our eyes, bow down humbly and say 'please forgive me, I want to change.' Likewise, there is no physical sacrifices to make, no joss sticks to buy. All we have to do is say 'God, I know you are out there. I believe you sent your son Jesus to die for us, such that we may be with you, despite all our failings. Such is your love. I want to love You because you have loved us. Please come into my life and lead me. I want to be a new person.'

If you've never said those words, whether quietly by yourself or in a loud proclaimation, it is my sincere wish that you someday do. 

("Knowing You" playing in the background): All I once held dear, built my life upon,  All this world reveres and wars to own;   All I once thought gain I have counted loss,  Spent and worthless now compared to this.  Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You  There is no greater thing.  You're my all, You're the best,  You're my joy, my righteousness,  And I love You Lord.  Now my heart's desire is to know You more,  To be found in You and know as Yours,  To possess by faith what I could not earn  All surpassing gift of righteousness  Oh to know the power of Your risen life,  And to know You in Your sufferings;  To become like You in Your death, my Lord,  So with You to live and never die.

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