Princes and princesses
by Charles Bertelsmeier
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For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6).
One of my hobbies is family history research. I enjoy finding out the names of my ancestors and their relatives and trying to understand other aspects of their lives. And sometimes, we discover very interesting surprises. One was that my great-grandmother in Germany had children with five different men, but we can only find that she was married to two of them. An initial reaction was that she was an immoral person, but we don’t know what her circumstances were, so we intend not to judge. Another surprise is that my wife is descended from royalty across Europe, but predominantly in England and Scotland. We often joke with her that she is a princess.
This brings us back to our reading for today. We are co-regents with Jesus Christ as he reigns over and manages this universe, concentrating on the lives of the people on this earth. (If you can make the time, I encourage you to read the whole passage, not just the verse written above.)
What does this mean? Just as Jesus has been given work to do in revealing his Father’s plan for the lives of all people, bringing them into his kingdom, so too is our role to demonstrate God’s love and purpose for all.
I’ve struggled with this role most of my adult life, and most of my efforts have resulted in failure and discouragement. God’s answer to me amazed me in its simplicity. Stop trying and just follow where he leads. God’s Spirit does all the hard work. We just have to be there to witness God at work (and share the gifts God has already given to us). The hardest part for us is letting go. Letting go of what we think is important, like our reputation, our security (physical, financial and personal) and our time. We can only do this if we are sure that we can really trust God’s promises. If we are struggling with this trust, God is patient and happy to spend the time to teach us. All we have to do is ask.
Oh, the joy (and humility) of seeing God at work changing people’s lives, especially when we had been given an opportunity to be involved many years ago, and we felt we had failed.
How does it feel to be a co-regent with Christ? Are you happy to take the role of a servant in the same way that Jesus was a servant to humanity while he was here on earth?
Loving Heavenly Brother, Jesus, I really struggle to get my head around the idea of being a co-regent with you. Please help me live out the role you have given me today. Thank you for the Holy Spirit living in me, guiding me to love others in the same way you love me, so my life may be a witness for who you are. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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