Strength For The Journey, with Joe Stowell The King Lives ! “For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:20 NASB In the summer of 2006, the Prime Minister of Japan visited the US for high-level meetings with our President. Or at least that’s what I thought. Sure, he was here to visit the President, but much to everyone’s surprise, Japan’s most influential man was an Elvis fan and he wanted to go to Graceland to visit the home of his hero. So off he and George Bush went on Air Force One to give the Prime Minister a tour of the Elvis mansion. In fact, the white-tie dinner reserved for dignitaries that is usually held at the White House was held in the Memphis mansion. In the midst of this pop-culture pilgrimage, Prime Minister Koizumi even broke into an impromptu Elvis tune! It seems that Elvis obsessions extend well beyond the borders of the US! In the years since Elvis passed away, the rumor mills have occasionally reported “Elvis-sightings” from diehard fans who refused to believe that “the King” is dead. People all over the world bore witness to the fact that they had seen Elvis in all kinds of places: grocery store parking lots, fast food joints, hotel swimming pools—and even cruising along in traffic (driving various shades of Cadillac)! Web sites and fan clubs are consumed by this sincere, yet ultimately trivial pursuit. Which reminds me that our King—the ultimate and real King, Jesus—is not dead. And while Elvis fans are pursuing a glimpse of the “King,” think of how wonderful it would be if someone in your world were to see a “God sighting” by watching your life. Think of it: Each day we have a chance to give someone a God sighting as the attitudes and character of Jesus are seen through us. And, in fact, providing God sightings is God’s intended purpose for our lives, so that all can finally believe that Jesus really lives. Let me explain. In our text, 1 Corinthians 6:20, we are told that Jesus paid a great price so that we might live to glorify Him. God’s glory is the manifest expression of all that He is in His all-surpassing, praiseworthy, stunning perfection! And glorifying Him is quite simply showing off the reality of His glorious character in all of our actions, encounters, and attitudes. It’s making the invisible God visible. And He has chosen to make His love, mercy, grace, justice, righteousness, holiness, and every other aspect of His stunning character visible through you and me! God’s glory is His “wow factor,” because when it is experienced and visibly seen, it’s an awesome reality! So when was the last time you stunned your world by loving someone who is unlovable? By forgiving a deep offense? By choosing integrity over compromise? By serving others instead of serving yourself? By reaching out to the poor and oppressed? By extending grace to an undeserving soul? What a privilege—we have been saved to provide a few “God sightings” in our world. Thank God, our King lives!
Posted on: Sat, 05 Oct 2013 12:13:28 +0000