Oh! By the way, this is not some sort of a plot or a sequel to some Bollywood classic films where heroes and heroines serves as the protector of the village against frequent raids and robberies from bandits and dacoits. And don't even expect some disco breaks with some hero to heroine and vice-versa lip-syncing songs followed by some strenuous choreography! Well of course, it's about standing guard and keeping off bandits, and killing them in our lives, maybe not the real ones, but perhaps those bandits which controls our minds and actions...like the time bandits!
Well actually, I bought this book a couple of years ago, Time Bandits Written by Stuart Briscoe. The book talks about establishing our priorities; putting first things first. It was hell of an eye-opener for me too. What's our biggest problem today? Time management isn't it? The author recollects himself of a point where he had been forced into a situation where the demands of life exceeds the supply of time. Yes! it the time bandit!
Stealing away all the good hours of the day that goes into days and months and eventually years, totally wasted without having done anything essential during the given opportunity. Each day we are given a set number of hours that could be used, abused, invested, or wasted. Each day, there are things we know that have to be done. Then there are things we really ought to do, plus things we desperately want to do. The question is, But how do we find time for it all? The most important thing to do against all the other so-called important things is, first seek the kingdom of God. and everything will be given to us as well [Matthews 6:33]. It was that simple. Briscoe calls Christians to boldly address any areas of selfishness and to begin to see life through kingdom eyes. When we do, our priorities will change to focus on goodness, righteousness, and truth.
In fact, I was not planning to give a detailed review of the book. I am motivated to share some of the wonderful stories that really inspired me to stand on my feet against the time bandits. So, eventually I shall be sharing them with you.
Since the central theme of the book is about Seeking The Kingdom, I shall share an illustration, not actually a fiction...but perhaps is a real story during the era of the kings and the queens...
The battle was fierce and bloody at Bosworth on 22 August 1485. The forces of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, had engaged the much larger army of King Richard III of England and had prevailed. Many of Richard's soldiers, sickened by his deceit, treachery, and murder, had deserted him. He had fought bravely, but in close-quarter combat, his horse had been slain beneath him. Horseless in the midst of battle was no place for a king to be. Seeking to make himself heard in the din of war, he shouted above the fray, "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" [At least, in Shakespeare's dramatic version this is what he said.]
Gaining the kingdom had been Richard's inglorious obsession. He had schemed, betrayed, and deceived. He had committed murder - some said he murdered his own wife. He was probably guilty of infanticide - he was widely suspected of being responsible for the deaths of the young princes in the Tower. He had hacked and hewn his way to the throne. And his hands were incredibly stained with the blood of countless innocent victims.
But now his pursuit of a kingdom glorifying himself was rapidly arriving at a terminus. And suddenly the kingdom was negotiable. At that moment he needed a fiery charger. Failing that, any old hack would do. If anybody would give him a horse so that he could save his own skin, they could have the kingdom. For what good is a kingdom to a corpse? In fact, the kingdom was more than negotiable; it was expendable. The possession of a kingdom that had dominated his adult life and driven him to unspeakable excess was now of no consequence. A horse was all he wanted. To get away and save his skin. He had sought a kingdom and won a kingdom, but now it was utterly valueless.
By way of contrast, let me share a couple of stories told by that master storyteller-Jesus. We are all aware of the fact that in Jesus' day, before radio, television, newspapers, or paperbacks, a good storyteller was a huge attraction. He not only filled many a long hour in the dark evenings [and I guess they were hot and humid], but also passed on traditions and functioned as a teacher and moral guide. Well, you might be thinking I am giving out a less influential picture of Jesus here, but I am not! Now, Jesus was a master storyteller and delighted in telling parables enlightened the concerned and did little more than entertaining the curious. There was a Sunday school teacher who taught a small group of children that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. After a while, he asked a little boy who was disturbing his friend what is a parable? He replied, "I think it's a heavy story with an earthy meaning." Not quite!
Anyway, Jesus told lots of stories and parables. And many of his parables-stories started with the same formula, "The kingdom of heaven is like..." As you can see in the Bible, some were quite lengthy and detailed and others remarkably brief and straight to the point. I would like to share two and both are short and unambiguously pointed!
"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." [Matthew 13: 44-46]
Taking us back to the scene where king Richard is, stranded without a horse in the middle of a battle, the kingdom of England was worth no more than a horse. But to the two men in Jesus' parables, the kingdom of heaven, rather the kingdom of God, was worth everything.
The value we place on something will determine the degree of passion we show for that thing. As we see from the first story, something of limited value is readily made negotiable, and once that happens, it becomes quickly expendable under the right circumstances. While on the other hand, from the two short stories we can understand that something of infinite worth is deeply desired and tenaciously held on to through thick and thin.
The reason why Jesus told those two stories, was because he expects people to see the possession of the kingdom as of such worth that it becomes all-important to them. And that they pursue it with a passion.
Now, I like this. After all has been said about the kingdom of God, that leads us to the very obvious question-what is it about the kingdom that makes it so valuable that people pursue it with a passion?
Let me take us to Colossians 1:11-14 "joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in which we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Yes! That's why God is making it a BIG DEAL!
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
- T Walling