Noble Things

2 Peter 1:16-17 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His Majesty. For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love and with Him I am well pleased."

This verse always reminds me of how properly important it is for us to understand that who we are in Christ is not a casual thing. It is the very, most noble of all callings and we would do well to return some of the majesty to the relationship with our King. I miss some of the noble things, some so simple, that people used to do. Appropriateness is dying for lack of perpetuation. Without becoming boorishly high-minded I think it is possible that we desperately need to return to some of the formality that was just plain respectful.

We surely live in a world that seems to have very little noble about it, and with a growing contempt for all that is noble. When I picture what “Noble Things” are, I picture all things that would please and serve the King. Jesus is the King of the Universe and of our hearts, and He deserves all praise, glory and adoration. The true function of a nobleman is to reflect back on the King in appreciation and to glorify Him for what He has done.

In the too casual and extremely disrespectful current trend of things, we seem to have no limits to trivializing and holding in contempt every good thing. Nothing is sacred anymore. Everything is a target of derision and mocking. Christian symbols, churches, holidays and heroes are often made light of in the name of comedy or openness.

My dad taught me a great deal about being respectful and respectable. His exemplary life will always be an inspiration to me. He always conducted himself in an honorable and appropriate way. My father always told me to "act right”! I better understand what that is, now that I am older. Stand up straight, keep your head up, always help out, don't be too loud, be courteous, go the extra mile. Do you remember all the long list of things you were told to do? Nowadays it seems that all of that tried and true advice about how to act is very unpopular, to say the least.

Once during a rainstorm I was standing in the front door of a Christian school greeting everyone, and a mother and daughter came to the door. The little seven-year-old girl came in the door first dripping from the rain and pulled back the hood on her jacket. Standing in the middle of the big green entry mat, she began wiping her shoes. She must have done it seven times, carefully wiping the bottoms and sides of her shoes over and over again. She finally looked up at me and said, "There, that ought to do it...can't come inside the church with dirty shoes and track mud all over the place." My reaction was quick, and I said thank-you to her for being so conscientious. Then her mother came in with arms full of things for the school and wiped her shoes in the exact same place, the exact number of times, and said the exact same thing. Noble things are taught by example. When we "act right”, then we are showing others how to act. I would sure love to see some common courtesies return to our society. Maybe we should set the example, so others will know that we have a King.

Nobly yours,
Pastor Fred

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