Royal Behavior
A certain celebrity couple with ties to a certain royal family have been in the news for the past few years. The son does not want all of the responsibilities that come with being part of a royal family, although he seems to want all the benefits. The issue seems to be the royals’ behavior. It is not becoming of his family’s royal status and it seems his life choices are embarrassing for the royal family. Indeed, whether we like it or not, there are certain ways we should behave. The Bible makes a lot of this clear.
“‘So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.’” (John 13:34)
“‘Do to others as you would like them to do to you.’” (Luke 6:31)
“Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39)
“Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18)
“Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
These are just some examples of lists we find in the Bible that dictate our behavior as Christ followers. And why behave this way? We need to obey the One we’ve decided to follow, the One who paid for our sins and offered us the free gift of eternal salvation. Our King Jesus said that we are now welcomed into the Royal family of God. Our behavior should reflect that status.
“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” (Ephesians 1:5)
“And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.” (Romans 8:17)
“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
We are heirs with Christ, adopted into God’s family, and He calls us a royal priesthood. Does your behavior reflect this reality? Are you living as if you belong to the Royal family of God? Do your words, actions, and how you interact with others and treat others reflect this royal priesthood? You have been adopted into the Royal family. Read through the Scriptures so you know what your King has decreed and be sure to follow His words. Don’t go back into those sinful ways before you were adopted into the family of God. You are part of the Royal family now. Act like it.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
