And so when a member of royalty, in line to the throne, chooses to pursue their
own interest and gain at the expense of the monarchy, it violates every principle
of the kingdom, and displeases the monarch. This could result into all kinds of
repercussions for the dissenting royal. It could result in expulsion, loss of revenue
and ultimately loss of material support. It brings dishonour to the royal family,
and causes the monarchy to lose good will from those outside the kingdom.
Instead of serving the monarchy, the dissenting member devalues it, doing it much
damage.
Hence Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, ‘ Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and its
righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well.’ As God’s royal people,
we are not born to seek our own gain at the expense of the Kingdom. God does
not want us to focus on wealth and the cares of this world, all the things we
treasure and crave. Instead, He wants us to be busy serving His Kingdom
alongside Him, reigning together with Him, as heirs preparing for eternal rule
with Christ. ‘ Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second
death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign
with him for a thousand years’ (Revelation 20:6).
And so the Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:12, ‘If we endure, we will also reign with him.
If we disown him, he will also disown us.’ This verse says it all; if we lay down or lose
our lives for the Kingdom, then we shall reign with Christ. If on the other hand we
choose our own way or gain, then we shall lose, and be disowned by the King.
In the story of the Prodigal son, the younger son put his interests ahead of those
of his father’s household and empire, decided to pursue his own gain, and lost it
all. The elder son chose to endure and work by his father’s side, helping perpetuate
the family estate, and he reaped big. He was always a privileged member of the
family, and he never lacked anything. He did not explore or experiment with
disobedience. He laid down his life for the father’s cause, and gained big.
The Bible has an interesting analogy on this topic: Ecclesiastes 10:7 records: ‘I have
seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.’
This analogy is not as far-fetched as some of us may think. When the prodigal was
suffering in self-exile, he remembered his father’s household, where even the
servants had food enough to eat and spare. Meanwhile he was eating with pigs in