No King.
Those two little words struck me as I studied my Bible one day. I read them several times in the book of Judges. Chapter after chapter, the same phrase appeared.
In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. (Judges 17:6)
In those days Israel had no king. (Judges 18:1)
In those days Israel had no king. (Judges 19:1)
In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. (Judges 21:25)
The definition of king according to Webster's dictionary is:
King: a male monarch of a major territorial unit; especially: one whose position is hereditary and who rules for life
I was taken aback by the last part who rules for life. It means the king rules for as long as he lives in this definition. But as Christians, Jesus is our King—he rules our natural and eternal lives. He literally rules for life.
I’m so thankful to have a King; aren’t you? I’d have a complete mess if I did everything as I saw fit. Who knows where I’d be? The one thing in life I’m confident of is this – there’s no other place I’d rather be than surrendered to, and following, King Jesus.
There are many reasons why we should follow Jesus; and they become especially poignant at Christmas. Here are 7 marvelous reasons to celebrate having a King:
Reason #1: Jesus is the Promised King
Jesus was promised and He keeps His promises.
Have you ever broken a promise? Or has someone you love broken a promise they made to you? It hurts either way and it’s disappointing. It does happen sometimes, though. We may try hard to keep a promise, but no matter how hard we try, we end up breaking it. Then we hurt someone and we’re disappointed in ourselves.
But Jesus was promised throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament. His birth was foretold and it came to pass. His death was foretold and it came to pass. He does not fail to keep His word. You can trust that.
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:30-33)
Reason #2: Jesus is the Born King
Jesus was born so that we could be born again.
Have you ever held a newborn baby and fell madly in love?
If so, then you can’t imagine doing what God did for us. He sent His one and only beloved Son to pay the price for our sins. Jesus was born to face death on a cross and to suffer in our place. Can you imagine that kind of love?
He came to save us. When we recognize our need and follow Him, putting our faith completely in Him, we are born again.
Through Him, we have eternal life in Heaven. Without Him, we are lost.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
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Reason #3: Jesus is the Come to Me King
Kings in history have often said, “Off with their head!”
But Jesus says, “Come to me” instead.
A King who asks us to come to Him? It’s unheard of. There’s a lot of red tape to get to speak to a King. Your chances of speaking to any King, even in this day and age, are slim to none. But Jesus invites us with, “Come to me.”
How marvelous!
We celebrate a King who wants to hear from us. He wants us to share what’s on our hearts with Him. He wants to help us and give us rest. He desires a relationship with you and me.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
Reason #4: Jesus is the Walking With Us King
Jesus walked a mile in our shoes.
Jesus (fully God and fully man) lived a perfect life on earth without sin. Because He walked in our shoes, He understands our struggles. He relates to our sufferings and empathizes with us.
Generally, a King is raised in a royal household. He has servants and doesn’t do manual labor.
Jesus left His royal home to live a humble life and He worked with his hands as a carpenter.
This is not your average King.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
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Reason #5: Jesus is the I Got You King
“I got you.” Have you heard someone say that to you in response to a need?
I doubt you’d ever hear it coming from a King. Have you ever heard of a King who is loyal to you? Most Kings expect loyalty but may not return the favor. They might throw you into prison or a dungeon. But we have a King who won’t turn on us.
As a matter of fact, when we are in Christ, He has us in the palm of His hand. He won’t let go. And nobody can take us from Him.
He’s got us.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. (John 10:28-29)
Reason #6: Jesus is the Rock Bottom King
When we’re at the end of our rope and we hit rock bottom, Jesus is the Rock at the bottom.
Usually, we exhaust ourselves from our own efforts before we finally turn to Jesus for help. He’s there at rock bottom (whatever that may be) waiting patiently for us to give Him our problems and let go. He will handle it. Trust Him.
We take refuge in the shelter that is Jesus Christ, our Rock.
But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge. (Psalm 94:22)
Reason #7: Jesus is the King of Kings
There is no other King like Him.
Instead of condemning us to die for our own sins, He died for them instead. He made a way for us so that we can live.
He has our best interest at heart each and every moment of our lives. He will do what He says He will do and keeps His promises.
There’s no other King who deserves our trust and loyalty more.
Melinda Eye Cooper is an award-winning writer. She grew up in the Missouri Ozarks but lives near Nashville, Tennessee. She and her husband have three sons, two daughters-in-law and a grand-daughter. (And a spunky dog named Lincoln!) Melinda writes articles, devotions, fiction, and is currently working on a middle-grade fantasy novel. She grew up in a large family and many of her devotions and stories are inspired by her childhood. Visit her website here. You can follow her on Facebook here. If you love an old-fashioned Christmas Novella click here.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Lukbar
Melinda Eye Cooper grew up in the Missouri Ozarks but lives near Nashville, Tennessee with her family. She writes articles and devotions and has some fiction projects in the works. Melinda grew up in a large family and is number seven of ten children. Many of her devotions and stories are inspired from her childhood.
Melinda has been honored to be a Selah Awards finalist for online articles and a finalist for the 2023 Writer of the Year Award with Serious Writer.
Her non-fiction book “Cross My Heart” is available here. Visit her website here to receive blog posts via email. You can follow her on Facebook here or Instagram here.