It's been a difficult couple of years for many of us. what with brexit, covid, global warming and living costs rising, Not everyone is in the best place emotionally, physically, spiritually etc. The events of the past few years are causing more People to question their beliefs and blame god as a result of the bad things that are happening. god is not part of the equation for a non-believer. They do not see that god is with them or that he can bring them through trials. They choose the parts of the gospel they like, such as the fact that god is perfect. when they are faced with difficult challenges they, then, look to Christians to answer hard questions like, “if god is perfect, then why is he allowing all these bad things to happen to me?”
As Christians, we, too, can forget that despite the bad things going on in the world, god is still in control. We forget that sin only entered the world when adam and eve chose to turn their backs on god in the old testament. If you want to know what I am on about, read the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis chapter 2). when we face challenging times, we allow the ways of the world to influence our thoughts. We don‘t look at what the word of god says and ask god to give us strength. this is because we are too proud. We do not want to admit that we are wrong. When we eventually come to that place, it is by the grace of god that we are saved.
This weekend, another historic event takes place as Britain watches the coronation of King Charles Iii. For some people, it is the only coronation they will live to watch and celebrate. the younger generations will live to see the next king crowned. It is a day to celebrate and a day for communities to come together. It is a day to be joyful. Whether you are keen on the royal family or not, (your opinion is your opinion, and I am not telling you that you have to be happy about the new monarchy), it is a day of new beginnings and great promises. It is an opportunity to embrace what it means to be British and to belong to this great nation.
Whether you are a royal enthusiast or someone who believes the monarchy should be abolished, I believe this weekend gives us the opportunity, as Christians to represent the love of Christ in our homes, with our families, and in our communities, amongst our neighbours and friends.
these are just a few ways in which our words and actions can reflect Christ.
1. thank god for the new monarchy
God has created us all for different callings. god has called king charles to this position of becoming our next king. Whether you are excited about the coronation, as Christians, we are called to celebrate other people’s successes. Galatians 6:7 says ”rejoice at the success of others. Don’t wish them evil. whatever you sow, you’ll reap.“ that means if you are openly rude and negative about others, non-believers will build up this picture about you, and even worse, Christians as a whole. Someone once told me, “you may be the only connection someone else has with Christ.” we have to think, ‘do we want people to look at the way we live our lives and wonder why we are kind to everyone?’ Or do We want them to think, ‘if that‘s the way Christians behave, then why do I want to know?’
despite whether you are keen on the monarchy or not, we can thank god for our king. God calls us to love others, whoever or whatever they have done. It doesn't mean we have to worship the statue of king charles. We can thank god that we live in a country that is safe and sound. We can thank god that we have the freedom to live our lives how we choose to (within reason). More than that, we live under a system where we have a voice. men and women are seen as equal most of the time, compared to many other countries across the world. We have people leading us who intend to listen to us as a nation. Our voice matters to our leaders.
2. pray for the new king
being in power is any capacity. this is the plan god has for king charles’ life. King Charles iii was born knowing that one day he would have to fulfil this responsibility. let’s pray for him in his role, because there will be difficult challenges along the way. We are not living in easy times right now. King charles may or may not be a believer, but as Christians, We know and believe in the power of prayer. It says in matthew 7:7, “ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Let‘s be praying for King Charles's salvation. Let’s pray that the lord will bless and anoint the king to lead in the way our Saviour King intends this nation to be led. Let us pray that this country would turn their eyes to Jesus; that as a nation, god would be at the centre of people’s lives. We know the impact god has had on our lives. We know we are so much greater with him than we are without him.
3. share our testimony with someone
we always think our testimony (faith story) is boring and irrelevant. We never believe that our story could positively impact someone else's life. We forget, though, that our testimony is not about us. It is about god. It's not us receiving praise. It is about giving the glory to god. We may say one thing that doesn't mean anything significant to us. To another person, it may be the one thing that person needs to hear which leads them to salvation.
Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” we should never be ashamed to share the truth of the gospel and the things god has done in our lives. The Gospel is accessible to all, and the invitation is open to all. If it is the difference between seeing the people we love most in heaven for eternity and knowing we could have something when we didn't, what do we desire most?
By Lizzy price