Doves On Distant Oaks

The Cross or the Throne

At one point in the Apostle Paul’s ministry, he decided to send his loyal follower, Timothy, to the church at Philippi. He wanted to more fully understand their situation and find out how they were doing.

Timothy had a Greek father and a Jewish mother, and probably responded to the Gospel during Paul’s first missionary journey. He joined Paul on a later missionary journey while probably still in his late teens or early twenties. Evidently, he had endeared himself to Paul, who addressed him in a letter as "my true son in the faith" (1 Timothy 1:2). Timothy must have so grown in the faith that he later became the Pastor of a church in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3).

Apparently, when sending Timothy to Philippi, there was no one left among his followers that inspired in Paul the same level of trust in the faith as had Timothy. Paul wrote, "For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:21).

Paul isn’t speaking of all mankind, just those he considered his followers at the time. And yet, I have to ask myself if this isn’t directly applicable to me at times—actually more times than I care to admit. The things of this world are so insidious in their influence on me … on all of us.

The question has always been, how do I keep from seeking things of my own when that’s what the world constantly tells me to do. The world is like a song that gets embedded in my brain, which causes me to go around humming it all day without thinking. Yes, insidious is the right word.

To combat it, I like to think that we all have, in our hearts, a throne and a cross. Jesus is on one and we are on the other. When we put ourselves on the cross of self-denial, sacrifice, and humility, we put Christ on the throne where He belongs. But … every time we put ourselves on the throne of desire and want of what the world offers, we put Jesus back on the cross.

I hate the thought of putting my Savior back on the cross, so it’s important for me to evaluate myself constantly. That’s easier said than done because I get so busy doing "other stuff" that I don’t even realize I’m doing it. It takes practice, and prayer, and the Holy Spirit to help me remember.

Until I’m able to consistency check myself, I’ve set alarms on my phone morning, afternoon, evening, and night to ask myself, am I on my throne or on my cross? None of us are perfect, myself the least of us. I know I fail to think of Christ over my own wants and needs.

The trick is to be aware enough of my motives to recognize when I do so, and then modify my behavior. I don’t need to be perfect yet, just better. What we should all strive for is to become the Timothy of today, having the proven character and inspiring others to trust in our faith … to be considered worthy of the likes of a Paul.

For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your condition. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.

– Philippians 2:20-22

Keywords: Throne, Cross, World, Character

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