A Life Well Played - Week 4
Week 4 Recap:
A Life Well Played: Who Is King?
Introduction
Every chess piece has value, but only one piece determines the direction and outcome of the game. The king stands at the center of every strategy, every sacrifice, and every move. As we close the series A Life Well Played, the chessboard gives us one final and important question: Who is sitting in the king’s rightful position in our lives?
Peace Begins With the Right Perspective
Peace does not begin when our circumstances finally change. It begins when our perspective changes. James contrasts the wisdom from below with the wisdom from above. One produces selfish ambition, disorder, and conflict, while the other produces peace, gentleness, mercy, and good fruit. Instead of asking God to change everything around us, we can ask God to change the way we see what is happening around us. A life well played begins when we choose to see life from God’s perspective rather than our own.
Self Makes a Terrible King
When self takes the throne, everything becomes personal. Our opinions, comfort, reputation, desires, and expectations become the center of our world. We become focused on protecting our little kingdom, and even disagreement or criticism can feel like a threat. Self is never satisfied and never truly has enough. But when Jesus is king, we no longer have to defend ourselves or prove our worth. We can be overlooked, admit when we are wrong, say we are sorry, and give someone else the credit because our identity is no longer found in ourselves.
Jesus Shows Us the Pattern of Peace
The life of Jesus gives us a completely different pattern. The King of Kings has every right to demand that others serve Him, yet He chooses to serve. He lays down His life willingly and humbles Himself in obedience. Jesus shows us that peace is connected to obedience, trust, humility, and surrender. Instead of constantly demanding our own way, we follow the example of the King who gives Himself for others. His life shows us what it means to stop living for ourselves and start living according to the will of God.
Peace Requires Partnership With God
We cannot live this way on our own. James tells us to submit ourselves to God, resist the devil, and draw near to God. Biblical submission is not weakness. It is obedience and alignment. Just as every chess piece operates under the authority of the king, our lives make more sense when everything is centered around Jesus. We cannot ask God for the peace that comes from His rule while simultaneously resisting His rule in the areas where we want control. Peace is not found in controlling every circumstance. Peace is found in trusting Jesus through every circumstance.
The King Gives Himself for Us
There is something different about our King. Jesus does not demand that His subjects die for Him. He dies for His subjects. He enters our brokenness, carries our sin and shame, takes our judgment, and gives His life so that enemies can become family. The punishment that brings us peace falls upon Him. The King sacrifices Himself for the pawns, bringing the series full circle. What begins with the ordinary pawn ends by revealing just how good the King truly is.
Closing
A life well played is not a life where everything goes according to plan. It is not a life free from pain, uncertainty, or difficult circumstances. It is a life centered around Jesus Christ. The question is not whether something sits in the king’s position in our lives. Something always does. The question is who sits there. When Jesus is king, we do not have to control everything, understand everything, fix everyone, or know what tomorrow holds. We simply trust the One who knows what is best and follow Him. A life well played begins and ends with the King in His rightful place.
