This week, we learned that the Queen of England passed away. I saw many people expressing great sadness over the loss of this woman and wishing the incoming King a successful reign. I thought this seemed odd being as we made a very conscious effort to separate ourselves from England and the monarchy back in the 1700’s. Or something like that. I’m a bit fuzzy on the history, but my general observation here is that many of us seem way too enthralled with the royalty of another country and not enthralled enough with the royalty that covers our entire world and existence; Jesus Christ.

I’m not sure why people choose to follow celebrities and earthly kings and queens so vigorously. Not only does this constitute idolatry, but the idea that any person is to be put upon a pedestal and worshipped is just ridiculous. From what I’ve heard about the dealings of this particular “royal” family, they have been less than regal. So, I’m not sure what we would be worshipping here. Every person has flaws, no matter what crown they wear. The only flawless person to ever wear a crown was Jesus. And He was given no respect here on earth. Instead, He was ridiculed and crucified because He spoke out against the things that people were doing that were blatantly against God’s word. He tried to guide people to a better way of living and for His trouble, He was killed by people who were brainwashed into thinking that man somehow knew better than God. A recurring theme in history, no doubt. Those who try to present a better way of life are met with scorn by those who manipulate the truth and prosper from the suffering of others. Yet, those who suffer tend to admire the ones who tell sugar-coated lies and spin their evildoing as a necessary way of doing business. Those working Satan’s agenda are very good at making things look great on the surface because they know that most people won’t dig much further down than that. For too many, as long as it looks pretty, there is no need to wonder what it contains.

When we start peeling back the layers, however, we can see that the only way that some people can achieve their ends is to package their actions in something less offensive than what they are actually doing. Satan is a master at this. He paints things up nicely and offers them without requiring any effort at all on our part. We can partake of these things without obligation to uphold any standards. We can drink from a cup that is always overflowing…as long as we don’t need to know where the wine is coming from.

God’s truth requires more than just showing up. It requires adhering to standards that most people find difficult and sometimes even annoying. Playing by God’s rules doesn’t allow us to over-indulge in the treats that this world offers. He asks us to take only what we must and enjoy the blessings He gives us with the knowledge that our cups will overflow when we make it to His kingdom. Dulling our senses here will only serve to blind us to the needs of our fellow man and will keep us from taking action to do the right thing when everyone else is doing what’s wrong. Staying preoccupied with the standards set by this worldly society will ensure that we never get to the real rewards that He has in store for us. Instead of wearing a crown of our own, we’ll find ourselves limited to admiring crowns being worn by those who certainly haven’t earned them.

The point is, we should take care to direct our worship to the one who truly deserves it. Jesus is and always will be the King of Kings. There is no other worth our admiration. We can have our favorites here on earth, but we should never forget the one who gave His life for us. He died for our sins and He continues to bless us even though we rarely deserve blessings. While you’re mourning an earthly queen, don’t forget to thank your King for His grace and mercy.

Rebecca Benston is the owner of Higher Ground Books & Media and the author of over twenty titles currently available through Amazon and other outlets. Her books include a mystery series (The Rona Shively Stories), empowerment resources such as Wise Up to Rise Up, Don’t Be Stupid (And I Mean That in the Nicest Way), and From Judgment to Jubilee, children’s books including Grumble D. Grumble Learns to Smile, All the Scary Things, and See How Strong You Are. Benston lives in Springfield, Ohio with her awesome daughter, Mya and enjoys traveling, reading, writing, and telling it like it is. She enjoys being able to help other authors get their stories out there through Higher Ground and has recently expanded her freelance services to offer more extensive guidance as a writing coach and social media manager. For more information, you can contact Benston at highergroundbooksandmedia@gmail.com.

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