"But a beautiful cedar palace does not make a great king!"
Jeremiah 22:15 (NLT)
The more I think about it, the more I realize the massive amount of dirtiness I desired to hide by drinking and using. I remember doing lines of cocaine and instantly feeling beautiful and powerful. If I had a drink in my hand I felt sophisticated and in control. Somehow, I believed looking as such on the outside, would compensate for the emptiness I felt on the inside. Using drugs and alcohol somehow "gold-plated" me and when the buzz was over the plate was gone and I would have to "re-dip" myself, if you will, by doing some more, hence entering into the vicious cycle of addiction.
The Word of God says that we are kings, royalty, co-heirs with Christ! But never will the authority of this position be blessed unless I walk in righteousness. I could continue doing the things that "gold-plate" me, including resentments and various levels of pride, and in turn feel presentable externally. But the scripture clearly states that doing so does not make a great king. A great king doesn't hide from battles, but runs right into them ready to fight by doing the next right thing regardless of the circumstance.
It takes a lot of effort and most times, pain, to rid ourselves of the muck and miry clay into which we get. But I am promised, through the word, a new life through Christ Jesus. As the layers of mud begin to dry and break off and I allow myself to feel the pain in the process, I deny myself the dipping in gold and instead CHOOSE to dip myself in the Blood of the Lamb. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God!
