“And [King Herod] vowed to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.’” (Mark 6:23)
Half a kingdom: that’s all that Herod was willing to offer. And even for that half-kingdom, his wife’s daughter had to please him with a dance. Do you see how different your Lord is?
Your Lord doesn’t give you a half-kingdom but a whole kingdom, and for this great gift He doesn’t even require a song and dance. Your Lord gives you His kingdom for His own sake.
The resurrection of the body, the hope everlasting, the daily joy, the forgiveness and mercy, the favor of the Father, the fellowship of the Church, the life to live, the death that is but a sleep, the new creation that comes with Jesus—all these things are yours, not because you pleased your king, but because your King died for you.
Now there’s a reason to dance!
LET US PRAY: Almighty Lord and King, Your gifts so far exceed all that I can imagine that I tend to forget them, or at least, to forget their magnitude. Help me to remember the great mercy that You have shown me, and to be awed by it, that I may ever praise and delight in You; for Jesus’ sake. Amen
Pastor Steven K. Gjerde
Zion, Wausau
