GRADUATION 2010

The atmosphere was one of complete celebration. There were tears of laughter and tears of joy. Yells and shouts as friends ran and hugged each other. It was a day of celebration, a day of victory for the king, and a day of fear and terror for the enemy. It was the day of knighting. A long line of warriors ran down the isles of the Church, and the onlookers watched the spectacle. A name was read and a man or woman approached the throne. How could a women be knighted. Well this is no ordinary kingdom… Names were read off the lists and the men and women took their places. Their walk was one of remembrance, and with each step that they took memories flashed through their minds of everything that had brought them to this moment. What they had given up, what they had sacrificed. Who they had left. What they had come expecting. What they had gained from this experience, and what they were now leaving with! Finally before the Throne they knelt, as the King stood He grabbed a giant scabbard that leaned against the arm of His chair. With His other hand He reached across His torso and pulled the sword from its sheath. As the blade left its case. A ringing sound of metal upon metal shot forth, and like the shrill cry of the eagle it echoed in the vast arches of the church, and penetrated the hearts of all who stood before the king. A wave of light exploded out from the sword and knocked all who were present to their knees. Everyone now bowed, the King walked down to meet those who were kneeling at the front of the throne. He started on the right there must have been 20 or thirty kneeling in a line before him, and just before the sword fell to the shoulder of the first man His voice shook the room as He spoke.

“Be loyal of hand and of mouth, seeking to serve all who come before you as best as you can. Seek the fellowship of good people, listen to their words and remember them. Be humble and courteous wherever you go. Don’t speak to much, but don’t be quiet either. Allow no one to suffer be it men, women, or children, and if you need to lift a hand to help them then do so. If you must draw your sword to defend them then do so, even unto your own death. For greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. If you come into fellowship with anyone who speaks disrespectfully to others or of Me, let them know in gracious words that this displeases you, as it displeases Me. Then depart from their company. You are to defend and protect all who seek to worship Me and promote faith in Me throughout the earth that I have made. “

His voice carried throughout the entire room, and not only did it shake the walls but the softness of His voice spoke to your soul as well. To an outsider it would seem as if he was yelling. But to everyone kneeling in the room, it was as if He was right beside you whispering the most sacred of secrets into you ear. If you paid enough attention you could almost feel the air from His breathe tickling your ears. After the echoes subsided from the room His sword fell first on the right shoulder and then on the left. One of the first of many the man on the far right jumped to his feet and Shouted

“Happy am I, the one who serves the king”

Two more, then three more people stood to their feet. All of their reactions where different. One lady jumped to her feet and then fell over as laughter shook her body. An older man stood to his feet and turned and the look on his face showed he had some sort of mission to complete. Some cried, some laughed, and other just walked away full of peace. But then He came to me. My head was bowed and I was looking at the ground and His sandals came into view. I could see the nail marks in His feet. The hem of HIs robe was golden and His garment was that of a pure white. A golden cord wrapped around His waist shone like the brilliance of the sun. His face kind and gentle looked at me, and I stared into His deep blue eyes and my soul melted inside of me. This was the King who I was pledging allegiance to. A King who rules with grace and mercy and love. Whose rules are only rules of kindness, and fairness, and justice. He empowers all who feel powerless and He gives authority to all who choose to fallow him. I looked deep into His eyes and all I could see was the love that He had for me; such an overwhelming love. The sword fell to my right shoulder and nearly knocked me to the ground so thick was His presence in the room. Then the sword went over my head and to my left shoulder and as it did gold dust fell all over my body, enveloping me in a curtain of light. Then the blade touched my left shoulder and as it left I felt every burden and weight leave my body. I knew they had been severed because they had not been mine to carry in the first place. No matter how deep they were or how much I had let them weigh me down they had no effect any more. I looked back into His eyes and a tear was falling down His cheek, but His face wrinkled up as His smile bunched up His face. He flashed His white teeth and then winked at me, and moved over to the next person. As I knelt there on the floor even though He had moved on I heard His voice in my head.

“Travis ,oh bold and compassionate one. Your identity is the very reflection of who you believe I say you are. You must know that I think very highly of you and so you must as well. Don’t you know that I boast about you to all the angels in My kingdom? Don’t you know that you’re reputation has already been establishes in heaven, hell, and on earth? Did you know you have more power then you realize? Did you know you have everything you need to get the Job done? I have equipped you and given you everything. For I have held nothing back. Go now and wreak havoc on the kingdom of darkness because nothing brings Me more joy then seeing you set people free. Believe the Bible is what I say it is. You have the power. Go now fearless warrior of God, go and heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. For I am with you even unto to end of this Age. Don’t hold back, don’t hold in the Joy I have given you to give to others, don’t hold back your smile for that alone has the very essence of heaven in it. You are meant to break so many chains and bring so many people back into My kingdom. Go now my son and show the world what I can do through you, because I will show off through you because it is what I do best. I Love you”

All I could do was rest in His presence and then I felt as if something exploded inside of me. Like I finally actually believed everything with my heart and not just with my head. I jumped to my feet and began to dance, and cry, and laugh. Then I smiled; and then I thought (Resting in the presence is nice, but God gave me all these gifts for a reason. Better get to work and go make my Daddy proud) So with that I turned and ran out of the church and began my journey no longer a unbelieving believer, but as a believing believer who is out on a mission. My mission, The Great Commission and I need to co labour with my Father In order to see that mission completed. So here I am ready to bring the Kingdom of God to Earth. But let me ask you this. Do you believe everything God says about you? What do you Believe God says about you? If you think God doesn’t’t have good thoughts about you I’d invite you to reconsider. Check the bible I bet there are plenty of promises in there for you! Are you a powerful person or do you seek power? Let me tell you one thing. You don’t have to believe in yourself because God already believes in you, its just when you believe in yourself as well the Job gets a whole lot easier. Oh! And one more thing enjoy the journey have fun with God, because God is in a mood! and he wants to have fun with you.