Royal Birth

One day this week, someone asked me a strange question. “Jesus wasn’t an American; was he?” Of course, I said, “No, he was Jewish.” This reminded me of the time when a close friend was so angry when Lizzy told her that Jesus wasn’t Catholic. “Well, of course he was,” this friend argued. Surprisingly, many Americans let our nationalistic or religious pride get in the way of what it means to be royal, to be the King’s kid.

There are many common beliefs that stop Christians from acting royal. Here’s one, “God helps those who help themselves.” People often incorrectly attributed this phrase to the Bible. Ben Franklin printed it in Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1757. However, the concept likely started with the ancient Greeks.

An important reason to study the Bible is so that we understand the character of our heavenly father. Whatever the original source of the Ben Franklin quote, the Bible teaches the opposite. God helps the helpless (Isaiah 25:4). Romans 5:6 says, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” In terms of salvation, God provided the “help” that we needed precisely because we could not help ourselves.

In some practical ways, the concept “God helps those who help themselves” is helpful. God is faithful; He expects faithfulness. Actually, the Apostle Paul said, “…This we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat” (Thessalonians 3:10). Let me illustrate with an example, if you asked me to help you paint at your house, but then just watched me as I do the painting, I was not actually helping you. I was doing the work for you. 

Some Christians fall into the trap of inactivity. We ask God for help, but then expect God to do everything himself. Our excuse is that God will provide according to his will and in his timing. We use God as an excuse for our inactivity. A better approach would be, if you are in need of a job, ask the Lord to help you and then be active in actually looking for a job. While it is in God’s power to do so, my experience is that God will not cause employers to come looking for you.

I worshiped for years with an older man who was a real fan of the law of reciprocity: “you reap what you sow.” The dictionary says that reciprocity is the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit. It is true that the Apostle Paul warned the Galatians, “Do not be deceived God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).  Paul was mostly talking about storing up our treasures in heaven. While there was certainly some truth to the older man’s viewpoint, understanding Paul’s instructions in that way completely misses the point of Jesus’ teachings.

Jesus explained that the motivation for loving others and doing good was not to get something out of it. The reason we should treat others with love is because we are to be just like our Heavenly Father, who shows love even to those who are ungrateful (Luke 6:35-36). Jesus said that it is no big deal to show love to those whom love you. Giving to others is no big deal when you expect to be paid back. Think about it, this is the attitude of the mafia, politicians, and everyone else in the world. If we live in this way, we are not standing apart from the world—we are just like the world.

People often say to me, “You are just like your dad.” Indeed, it is easy to see the family resemblance. The Locklear genes are strong. Recently, my daughter, Chandler, was working with a man while doing some fundraising for a new orphanage in Haiti. He asked are you a Locklear? She responded, “Yes, why do you ask?” He said, “I love your mother and your brother.” “You look just like your brother. “ 

We should have a desire to show a family resemblance. People should be able to look at the way we act and the way that we live and say, “there is no denying that you are the King’s Kid.” This doesn’t come naturally, so we have to make an effort. We’ll need to ask God for help to demonstrate royal character, even when we don’t feel like it.

No, Jesus was not an American. So, most of us don’t likely look much like him. But, others should easliy see the family resemblance in our character. People should know that we are royal we are the King’s kid. The question is “Does the way you live reflect that you are a child of God, or do you live the same way as the rest of the world?” 

Copyright © 2020 Chuck Locklear

Also, see Attitude Determines Altitude.