PROOF AND APPROVAL

If you have seen the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,* did you happen to catch this exchange between King Peter and Queen Lucy? The region of Narnia (it’s been stripped of kingship) is in perilous trouble, and Peter is staring at a mural of Aslan, the Great Lion and Sovereign over all. When they had faced danger before, Aslan came to their rescue and guided the kings and queens with his wisdom. It’s been over a thousand years since anyone has seen Aslan, and even King Peter is beginning to have doubts.

Peter: You've seen [Aslan]. I wish he'd just given me some sort of proof.
Lucy: Maybe we're the ones that need to prove ourselves to him.

It is so easy, isn’t it, to want proof that we are on the right path; making the right decisions; following our calling; or making noble plans that glorify the King of kings? We are a society of women and men who are evaluated routinely on our performance, as people, as workers, as parents, siblings, children, from the boardroom to the bedroom and everywhere in-between. We yearn for approval, for “proof” as Peter put it, because we have been trained up from a very early age to perform.

In his bestselling devotional My Utmost for His Highest,** Oswald Chambers writes: “God’s revelation of Himself to me is influenced by my character, not by God’s character.” That was part of High King Peter’s problem. His doubts about himself transferred into his doubts about Aslan.

That is routinely our problem too.

Queen Lucy had the perfect answer; “Maybe we're the ones that need to prove ourselves to him.” That is the crux isn’t it? In most cases, we have the tools. We often have experience. But when things get rough, we’re busy seeking approval when in fact; we have already been approved as witnessed by another Peter . . .

But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1Peter 2:9).

If you are struggling today, needing a hand up, then think on this: if Christ is your King, then you have already been chosen as an ambassador, an heir, a princess or prince of the Throne of the Most High. You have what you need. You are approved.

So be encouraged. Go, act on what you know is right in the eyes of God and His Word, fulfill your noble plans, and as you go, tell others, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mat 10:7).


"A noble man devises noble plans; and by noble plans he stands" (Isaiah 32:8).

*The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) Walden Media
** My Utmost for His Highest, Discovery House Publishers, Grand Rapids, MI

WHAT DOES "NOBLE" MEAN?

From the introduction to Noble Plans: Living as Heir to the King

The apostle Paul tells us, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is lovely, whatever is excellent, whatever is praiseworthy: think about such things” (Philippians 4:8, NIV). He goes on to promise that when you “think on these things” the “peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”

My mind grasps the concepts of true, lovely, excellent, and praiseworthy easily enough. The Bible and the world God created provide ample examples from which to learn true, lovely, excellent, and praiseworthy. My mind can take hold of these concepts and process them readily—but what about “noble?” If the Bible provides examples and instruction on “true, lovely, excellent, and praiseworthy,” then certainly there are models for “noble” and nobility.

This raised new questions. What does “noble” mean in today’s society? What did it mean in the biblical age? How does the Bible define this word “noble” that finds its way into everything from classical literature to action hero movies? For me, noble had always been some vague notion in the back of my mind born out of my high school European history class or classic literature like Sir Walter Scott’s Ivenhoe or Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’arthur. How could I—an average “nobody”—sincerely follow Paul’s admonition to “think about such things” as nobility without a biblical and therefore, foundational understanding of what it means to be noble?

Dr. Warren Wiersbe, referencing Romans 5:17, writes, “Because we belong to the family of the King, we can ‘reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.’”* In other words, if you are of the household of faith dear reader, then you are of noble re-birth, and that is a pedigree worth celebrating!

The emphasis of Noble Plans (and this blog) is based on an oft-overlooked passage of Isaiah: “The noble man devises noble plans; and by noble plans he stands” (Isaiah 32:8). When I first read this verse, I was enthralled with its implications. Paul’s admonition in Philippians—to think on noble things—was brought home in a new way as I rolled Isaiah’s words around in my mind. Soon I found more and more references to “noble” in the Bible like threads of continuity woven into the majestic tapestry.

I wondered at writing on the subject and committed to this plan, and stand behind the plan that God desires all of His children to be noble. It is my hope that God will plant in you noble plans and that these plans will see you through all of your days.

"The noble man devises noble plans, and by noble plans he stands"

*Heirs of the King, Discovery House Publishers, Grand Rapids, MI

PRINCESS POWER

“Kings’ daughters are among Thy noble ladies” (Psalm 45:9).



Okay, I admit it. I refer to each of my daughters as “princess.” Yes, it’s a stereotypically “dad” thing to do and I am exceedingly pleased to use the label. I likely always shall.

Sadly, in today’s world, “princess” is also oft considered chauvinistic. In my opinion, that’s a deleterious move to once again rob young women of dignity and respect. The thinking goes that if she is a “princess,” then she needs a prince to save her.

One might think that the princess appellation would be driven from our culture, relegated to history books and twisted into examples of female oppression. In fact, there is a move afoot to erase it from our cultural expression.

Thankfully, that’s unlikely to happen if the Disney Corporation has anything to do with it. Last fall I attended a workshop by marketing guru, Ira Mayer. His inside information is that every three years, Disney rotates their marketing campaigns between fairies and princesses. Why would they do this? Because they know that within the heart of every little girl, lives a princess waiting to get out.

In Noble Plans I write: “I believe that there is within each and every person, both inside and out the community of the redeemed, a deep and residing passion for personal nobility; a nobleness mirrored in the One in whose image we were created. Every person on earth, as the Scriptures tell us, is created in the “image” of God – the Lord of the universe – and as such, we have implanted within our core the image of nobility, a resemblance of the Sovereign Creator. If the Almighty God, Supreme Ruler of the universe and King of all the earth is the image reflected in us, then by default, we have within our souls the potential for a most royal bearing.”

Of course, “prince” and “knight” resonates in the hearts of boys in much the same way. Robert Lewis writes, “Who among us as boys didn’t thrill to the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table? The knight survives in our collective consciousness like an ancient Superman, committed to a code of conduct . . .” (Raising a Modern-Day Knight, (c) 1997, Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, IL, p. 12)

As noted in the verse above, the psalmist speaks of the King’s daughters. The king in this context is of course, God Almighty, making the daughters what? Princesses. These daughters are among God’s “noble ladies.”

But here’s the crux of the matter. As a society, we have relegated knights and princesses to the world of children. Let’s be honest. We all want to be lifted up. Somewhere inside you is a prince or princess waiting to be released.

“He raises the poor from the dust, And lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, With the princes of His people” (Psalm 113:7-8).

Don’t wait any longer. Be that person. You are royal. You are of a supreme lineage!

“The noble man makes noble plans and by noble plans he stands”