In the Presence of a King
August 25, 2017
In the presence of a king, don't ask for small gifts!
"The golfer Arnold Palmer once played a series of exhibition matches in Saudi Arabia. The king was so impressed that he proposed to give Palmer a gift. Palmer demurred: 'it really isn't necessary, Your Highness. I'm honored to have been invited.'"
"'I would be deeply upset,'" replied the king, 'if you would not allow me to give you a gift.'"
Palmer thought for a moment and said: 'All right. How about a golf club? That would be a beautiful memento of my visit to your country.'"
"The next day, delivered to Palmer's hotel was the title to a golf club. Thousands of acres, trees, lakes, clubhouse and so forth... The moral of the story is: In the presence of a king, don't ask for small gifts!"
- From Brennan Manning book The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus
It is a great story, but might be an urban legend - with truth!
Lessons?
Let life surprise you.
Don't be surprised when life surprises you.
God is not your enemy.
God enjoys giving you good gifts.
Don't settle for the same stuff for which humanity lusts.
Go for the gold.
Live as if you are the King's kid.
When you don't get all the junk you ask for, remember that you have inherited the whole factory.
Live in the abundance of kingdom awareness.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." - Philippians 4:6, NIV