I love weddings! And there is nothing I like more than a Royal Wedding. This past week I set the DVR early and recorded the Royal Wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markel,  on 2 different channels on my DVR. Because I didn’t want to miss a thing! As the day grew closer and the hype of the event begin to escalate, I begin to ask myself, why do I like watching this so much?

Is it because I watched his mother get married?

Is it the dream of being a princess?

Is it the idea of Royalty and all the wealth that comes from it?

Is it because she is an american?

Is it the dresses?

Is it the hats?

 

After pondering over this for most of the past week. I came to the conclusion I love the tradition, I love the heritage that comes with it all. The castle is over 1000 yrs old. The center broch used in her tiara dated back  from the 1800’s. The gold for her ring is made from the family’s own chuck of gold from wales. The dress code for guests were, men could wear a morning coat, uniform, or sport jackets, and women must wear hats, dresses should at least be knee length, and their shoulders covered.  There is something rich and wonderful about the traditions, that comes with Royalty. There is a standard of excellence that I just love!

 

I have reminisced a lot about Tradition/Heritage this last month. As the Assemblies of God celebrated 100 yrs in Kansas, realizing I had lived over half my life with that great heritage. I am proud to have been raised in a home that decided to draw a line in the sand and say we will not be like everyone else. I am thankful for the heritage that has been afforded to me.

 

I have done my best to instill those same values and beliefs in my kids. I pray everyday that the same heritage and values I was raised with will not slip passed those who come after me and be considered  remise or unimportant. After all, I realize that the ultimate value I was raised with is a relationship with Jesus Christ that above all else is the most important thing. But because of that personal relationship with Christ. It calls for me to live a life different than others, a standard of excellence as well,  I have a heritage of this. But what happens if my kids and grands and great grands (one day) refuse to hold on to that same heritage. What will I do?

 

Like the New Royals, they will  also have a choices to make. The next generations will have to decide how to hold on to the roots of what they have been taught, while making a difference in the new world that seems to develop new hurdles that desires to keep them from that standard of excellence, day after day and  year after year.

 

As I pondered this in my heart. I was reminded of a young man in the bible that ultimately refused to follow the heritage of his family. He decided to live on the “Wildside” of his parents faith. He wanted to push it to the edge. He wanted to rebel against what he had been taught was right.

Samson who appears in the Book of Judges, 13-16 of the Bible,  was an Israelite who followed the Nazirite life, which included not drinking or cutting their hair. A Nazarite took a vow, This vow required the person to: Abstain from wine, wine vinegar, grapes, raisins, intoxicating liquors, vinegar made from such substances, and eating or drinking any substance that contains any trace of grapes. As well as touching anything dead.

 

Samson’s mother prayed for him as she was barron. One day an angel appeared to her and told her she would have a child and this child was to be raised as a Nazarite as he was going to be save the Israelites.

 

Samson was anointed with special power of strength. He had a God given gift that was to help him defeat the Philistines. Unfortunately, Samson got cocky,  He didn’t follow the traditions of his family and let the love of a woman outside the traditions of his faith lead him astray. He decided he would play to close to the enemy and ended up losing his life over it. He ultimately accomplished what God desire, but I have to believe, God’s original plan did not include Samson giving his life for it.

 

So that is the question we have to answer today. When is it okay to compromise your beliefs and traditions that make up that heritage? The Royals, are now marrying divocee’s and for the first time ever, there was an African American spoke at the thousand year old Windsor Chapel. Samson choose to marry outside his traditions of marrying within your own country. Samson choose to sleep with a prostitute that would soon be the end to his demise. He allowed his pride and jealousy to reek havoc on the Philistines.

 

Did either lowered their standard of excellence?  The angel told Samson’s mom to raise him as a nazirite which included not drinking alcohol, but Samson, allow the lust of his flesh to deceive him. Is one worse than the other? What is important here to remember is that anything that comes between you can God is wrong. When we believe that we know better than what the scripture says we have a problem.

 

God’s word is our absolute truth. There is no compromising it. God has given us His word not because He hates us or wants to make our lives miserable but He has given us His word because He loves us, He has given us His word because He wants to protect us. All too often today we are lowering our standards to fit in with what the world says.

 

On the opposite side many of us are willing to die on a mountain of controversy that God doesn’t even care about. It is important to teach our children the love of our Heavenly Father. He is not a God up in heaven waiting with a hammer in his hand, just looking for us to mess up so He can knock us on the head. If we do it right and our kids really grasp the fact that God loves them, then they will long to desire to please Him and follow after that standard of excellence.

 

So what are you doing today? Are you studying God’s word so you will know what it says? Or are you just taking someone’s word for it? Because when we don’t know what to do. We need to know what God’s word says.  That is the only standard of excellence we need to follow