Reign or Rule?
by Jilly Lyon-Taylor
Last year in Britain we celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. As the reigning monarch for over 60 years she has been a blessing to the nation and has provided a godly influence, not least through her Christmas broadcasts. However, in modern times the monarch is only the titular head of state, and it is Parliament which sets the laws and governs the nation. The Queen, therefore, reigns in Great Britain, but she does not rule.
In ancient times it was not so. A king would have both reigned and ruled over his kingdom. He would have had absolute power to fix the laws, and his subjects would have had to submit to his decrees. Under a good king the people would have known peace and prosperity, but under a bad king their lives could have been a misery of oppression, fear and poverty. The people’s lives were affected by the type of rule and reign that they were under. There is a spiritual parallel to this.
As we submit to God’s rule and reign in our lives, we will come under His covering and protection and will know His blessings of peace and provision. If we withhold areas of our lives from Him, not allowing Him to be Lord over them, we may find that we are outside His blessing, and that those areas are open to influence from the enemy. We may wonder, then, why we are facing so many problems!
Jesus taught His disciples to pray ‘Your kingdom come’, and much of His teaching was about the Kingdom of God. Many of His parables began with the words: ‘The kingdom of God is like’, and He told the people that ‘The kingdom of God is within you’ (Luke 17:21). This kingdom is not like the model we have in Britain, where the monarch reigns but doesn’t rule. The Kingdom of God is established in a person’s life, or in a community, church or nation, wherever God is honoured as King and is allowed both to reign and to rule.
Many people call themselves Christians but are not willing to obey God’s laws and to submit to His will for their lives. They acknowledge Jesus Christ as King in a nominal way, but that is like having a titular monarch who reigns but is not permitted to rule. What about us today? Are we willing to pray ‘Your kingdom come’ and to allow Him to take His rightful place on the throne of our lives, as we submit to His reign and rule?
Prayer: Lord God, I am sorry for the times I have not allowed You to rule and reign in every part of my life. I submit every area of my life to You now and invite You to be Lord. May Your Kingdom come in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Jilly Lyon-Taylor is part of the Leadership Team at Ellel Pierrepont. She worked in publishing and then with children in Hong Kong before concentrating on being a full-time mother and serving in the local church. Her desire to see people healed led her to the Luke Nine Eleven Training Scheme(NETS) at Pierrepont, and now she teaches and ministers there.
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