Excerpt from, "My Fathers Kingdom"

This chapter is called - Being Crowned

One of my father figures,  Mr. Moore my band director, came to visit me at MSU at the end of my senior year. He just called me up sometime in the afternoon and asked how I was and what I was up to. I said, “Hey Dad!” I’m just chilling…we’lll I’ll be there in a minute…lol WHAT! I had to get back to the room and PREPARE for my fathers arrival. He came, he showed up, his word was true. He said he was coming and he was there right in my face with a box of valentines day chocolate and …this is the catch  A RACK FULL OF HIS FAMOUS RIBS! Man o Man…if you ever had his ribs you would understand. I was so touched. We walked up to my room and we sat down and just talked. He said that my room looked like a jail cell…thanks MSU. He stayed for about thirty minutes and then he said, “Ok I better get back home…this was a nice drive.” I asked him…dad what are you doing here in east lansing. O nothing I just came to see you babe.

Mr. Moore had no other agendas he really came an entire hour and a half on a mid day afternoon to come and visit me! ME! For some reason I didn’t understand that. It confused me. I thought well what am I supposed to do. How do I show appreciation, how should I offer him something of value. Surely I should have given him something for his gracious love.

Not so…Mr. Moore didn’t want anything from me…and I could not offer him anything, I was not capable. He just loved me because he loved me. So he put his love in action. Just like God does. Later the next year, I started playing my instrument again and I had a few performances in the fall. I told Mr. Moore about them and he wanted to come I just had to remind him. I never told him about the performances. I just didn’t want him to come all that way for…nothing.

This attitude was a direct reflection of my rejecting free love. This is exactly what we do with God. God offers us his grace and his earnest love. We reject God’s love because we feel as though we have to offer something in return that is substantial. In reality, we can never offer God enough for all that he has done. Once we are filled with condemnation and the weight of sin (i.e, sexual immorality, lying, not praying, disobedience in general) we think we have to do 21 spiritual jumping jacks in order to get back in Gods grace. As though you can ever deserve Gods grace…if you could earn it. It would not be Gods grace! What your really trying to do is fulfill the lusts of your own self righteousness. Righteousness can not be achieved through your action’s it is only imputed through faith in God.

This message became clearer to me when I fell flate on my face…with no getting up in sight. I was’nt reading the word, going to church, praying. I was a mess! My mess had caused my natual life to span out of control and a critical position of transition. I had messed everything up! I decided I can’t ask God for favor or mercy or grace because well…I haven’t even talked to God neither do I know how at this point. Also, I did not want to ask God for grace simply because I needed it right now. I thought how dare me go before God now and ask for something…I’m only asking because I really need it (how dumb were these thoughts) and besides I don’t have a real connection with God now. I do not DESERVE God’s grace or his hand of favor. I concluded…well I guess I am just going to die here!

One morning I woke up and I said…I’m just going to pray.

God assured me that his love and his grace were unmerited. He was going to continue to protect me and cover me because He is God. Simple enough right. God is God…I am that I am…and his word is like security enabled lol. It is written in Jesus Christ blood. Therefore, I received favor, grace, righteousness, joy, peace because God does not count your wrongs he chases you and provides for you regardless of your bad choices and reckless behavior. This does not mean that you take his grace for granted. But it does mean that you do not reject it because of your personal hang ups…receive Gods grace.

In the end…PSALM 103 summed up my entire life lol

“Praise the LORD, o my soul; 
   all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 
² Praise the LORD, my soul, 
   and forget not all his benefits— 
³ who forgives all your sins 
   and heals all your diseases, 
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit 
   and crowns you with love and compassion, 
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things 
   so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The scripture says that he CROWNS you with love and compassion; in the KJV it says who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies. To crown describes an intimacy with God where he identifies you in his Kingdom. He declares your identity in Him. Monarch’s are not given autonomy over a region without WAR. Spiritual warfare is not always about casting out demons and all that stuff it is however, the most important part is the war with yourself! You must first go to battle with you! Win the war against your flesh and then receive your crown. Then you can enjoy the intimate ceremony of your personal coronation.

Further, the crown itself is a symbol of the power and authority of the monarch(king or queen, YOU) God gives us a share of his ruling power. Therefore, we rule and reign with him. We declare that things on earth would be as they are in heaven. And most importantly we rule with love and compassion for the people of this world. We once receiving the compassion and love of God then share that love and compassion with mankind. RULE!