Esther shares her thought for the week; tea with The King.
A few months ago, an envelope was pushed through my letterbox, which was incredibly special-looking. It read the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, which could only be from Buckingham Palace! I opened the letter and there was a card inside. The card read “The Lord Chamberlain is commanded by His Majesty to invite Mrs. Esther Wise to a garden party at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, 8th May 2024 from 4 to 6pm”. Knock me down with a feather, a real invitation to have tea with the King. WOW- little ‘ol me going to see the King at the Palace!
I received the invitation because the Reading Mayor invited my dear mother to attend the Garden Party and could bring someone with her. So, I got the opportunity to escort her to the Palace. If you know me well, you will agree that I love to dress so I got thinking about the perfect outfit, and quietly extremely excited, not like my mother who told everyone she met.
Fast-forward and the special day had arrived and we set off to the Palace. Upon arriving at the palace, we waited patiently to see the King and Queen with their entourage. We then queued up for afternoon tea which was a delightful array of dainty sandwiches, cakes, and the finest selection of teas. The experience felt like a cherished memory in the making. I was captivated by the grandeur of the palace and the company of the other attendees, but my thoughts turned to a higher King, Jesus, who holds a special place in my heart.
I reflected on the significance of meeting the real King, I contemplated the profound teachings and scriptures that resonate with what the Bible states. The prospect of the rapture and meeting King Jesus in glory overwhelmed me with a sense of urgency and a profound understanding of the need to be spiritually prepared for His coming.
King Charles is royalty – he is the King of England, but King Jesus is the special one – He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the one who gave His life for us, He is the one that heals, saves, and restores. No other king on this earth has or will ever do that.
The remarkable thing about Him is that none of us need to dress in our finery. He receives us as we are. Praise His Holy name. In fact, when the rapture happens, we will not have time to change into fancy clothing.
According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so, we will be with the Lord forever.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
As I concluded my day at the garden party, I pondered the profound contrast between earthly royalty and the divine sovereignty of King Jesus. The memories of the event and the deep con-tem-plation of spiritual truths left an impression on me, reinforcing the importance of being spiritually ready for the ultimate encounter with the King of Kings.
God bless
Every week one of our members shares a short thought aiming to inspire you for the week. You can watch previous Thought For The Week videos by clicking here.