HEAVEN’S HONOR: PASSION for GOD
In
my house is a picture that hangs on my wall, of a young warrior kneeling before
an equally young queen. He is obviously being knighted, no doubt for a noble
deed; the sharp end of a long sword being touched lightly upon one of his
shoulders by the faead is humbly bowed, his back turned to you and me. In the
rightmost corner, almost in the shadows but not quite, are severnlookers. One of
them, a young boy, perhaps his page, is holding on to a shield almost as large
as he, the emblem upon it matching the embroidered emblem on the back of the
young warrior’s vest. Another one, a much older man, stands tall and quiet,
solemn yet in rapt attention at the holy sight before him. Is he the
warrior’s father? Too old. His mentor? Perhaps. It is a poignant scene
that evokes silent but strong emotions of awe and majesty in me. I love to look
upon it. What makes it more special for me, though, is the short note on a sheet
of paper that came with it, written by the friend who had given it to me. The
note reads:
This
young warrior’s heart is filled with joy as this honor is bestowed upon him.
How
much more Heaven’s
Honor
will bring for you someday as the Lord Himself grants you
His
blessing for faithfulness in this earth? Imagine all this and Heaven too! I love
you.
Our Lord Jesus was similarly “knighted” the day he humbly
asked his cousin and forerunner, John the Baptist, to publicly baptize Him,
although it was clear to both cousin and crowd (and to you and me) that it
should have been the other way around. Persuaded by the Master’s gentle reply,
John finally consented. Scripture reports that
“As
soon as Jesus was baptized… heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God in
the form of a dove
come
down, and lighted on him. And a voice from heaven said,
‘This
is my son, whom I love. With Him I am well pleased.’”
As a result of His humble submission to fulfill all
righteousness, Jesus received the Father’s approval and Heaven’s Honor.
“Heaven’s Honor.” I thought of those words when two of our three children
received their respective honors in their last school year’s commencement
exercises. Our eldest child and only girl graduated from elementary, with
honors. Our eldest son, two years her junior, similarly received a special award
for academic excellence in one of his subjects during his school’s rites two
days later. My heart beat fast and proud both times. “It’s true,” I
said to myself, at the same time amused and amazed at my discovery, “the
parent is prouder than the child.” Though our children were
the honorees, it was I who had felt the greater joy. The Olympian Eric Liddel,
whose life the film “Chariots Of Fire”
is all about, once explained to his friend why he would not run on Sundays
(because it is the Lord’s Day) even if it meant losing the opportunity to win
more gold for his country. He said:
“God
made me for a purpose, but he also made me very fast.
And
when I run I feel
His pleasure.”
What a joy it must be to feel the pleasure of God! Greater
than the joy of being given medals of gold and a hero’s welcome by one’s
proud and grateful nation.
For whose pleasure do we live? For whose gaze and for
whose honor? Jesus lived His life for only one Person’s pleasure,
the Father’s. So should we.
There
is a Latin phrase for this
kind of life: Coram Deo. It means “face to face with
God” or “living in the Presence of God.” As
surely as the picture of the young warrior hanging on my wall elicits my
pleasure, as surely as its association with my giver-friend causes me to
treasure it beyond its actual worth, so my life, in association with my
Savior, is ever before my Father’s sight. It is now for His
pleasure that I live, His approval that I seek, His honor that I
now strive to obtain. As I am the appreciative beholder of the picture on my
wall, so God is my public.
I
am His pleasure,
He is my passion.
____________________________________________________________________________________
SEE YOU AT THE CHRISTIAN DEVELOPMENT CENTER, TAGAYTAY CITY,
OCT.23-25, 2003 FOR “HEAVEN’S HONOR: PASSION
FOR GOD” ♦ FEATURING REV.
JAREN LAPASARAN
(Image credit: “The Accolade” by Edmund Blair Leighton)