WEEKLY MAGAZINE (Should A Christian kneel to propose?)

How can a King kneel before his Queen?

It’s absurd, right?

A couple of months ago, a gentleman approached my mother to ask for my

 hand. He brought precious items. These items pleased my mother, and

 because he pleased my mother, I started paying attention to him.

One day, he offended me, and I withdrew. When he finally saw me, he fell at

 my feet and started asking for my grace. I was astonished and quickly joined

 him on the floor. He being a reputable man of honor, I pleaded with him to

 stand up.

He asked, “Have you forgiven me?”

I responded, “Yes.”

“So you are no longer upset?”

I said, “I’m still upset, but I’ve forgiven you. Please stand up.”

Then he said, “Until you are no longer upset, I wouldn’t stand up.”

Then I said, “Please just stand up...”

Then he said, “Until you forgive me, I wouldn’t stand up.”

Then I said, “I forgive you, and I’m no longer angry.”

Then we both stood up, and he said something that stuck. He said,

"A king may stand tall before the world, but in the presence of his queen, he

 softens—and willingly bows to her."

Well, he only apologized but wasn’t repentant, so when he did the same thing

 the third time, I made sure he never set his eyes on me, so I wouldn’t be

 cajoled by his humility.

A King is a King! Why must he ever bend the knee!?

Matthew 23:11–12 AMP

“[11] But the greatest among you will be your servant. [12] Whoever exalts

 himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be raised to

 honor.”

The greatest Lord of all, “Jesus Christ,” knelt down to wash His disciples’ 

feet. Then He said,

“As I have loved you, so you must love one another. Continue in My love.”

What is the love of Christ like?

It is a love that endures. (Hebrews 12:2)

It is a love that gives. (John 15:7)

It is a love that is sacrificial. (John 15:12–13)

The world conquers by siege, but Christ conquers with love and vulnerability.

The man steps in to lead, but for him to be greater, he has to come down to

 the level of the woman he wants to lead, like Christ stripped Himself of

 power and came down as a human.

He has to be humble, and the woman would reflect his humility. The greater

 one must serve. It’s a law in the Spirit.

Then, he doesn’t despise the shame his humility brings, because he’s out to

 conquer with love and not force. He endures rejection, and he’s vulnerable

 with his heart. This can be very annoying and painful. Even the Lord Jesus

 found it painfully annoying; hence, He dealt with people occasionally. He

 flogged, He verbally rebuked, but in the late hours of the night, He’d fall on

 His knees for those same people and pray for them.

Any man who proves leadership by force isn’t following the pattern of Christ,

 who is his Head; hence, he’d be humbled. And in his being humbled, he’d try

 to humble others.

The issue is that a lot of humans are control freaks. They feel the need to

 control others, and that is demonic—Luciferian, destructive.

Anyone who aggressively seeks control over others is unknowingly out to

 destroy souls.

The Lord doesn’t demand control; He wants your heart. He wants your love.

 He wants your attention.

The Lord doesn’t enforce dictatorship. He gives everyone free will. When

 Christians demonstrate this Luciferian agenda for control, they sabotage the

 divine order of healthy relationships, which is exemplary leadership.

God came down to fellowship with man, so a man’s ego has to come down to

 fellowship with the woman.

Christ initiated love; we reciprocate.

A man initiates, a woman reciprocates.

He initiates force, she reciprocates force with stubbornness.

God initiated force and power with the children of Israel; they reciprocated

 rebellion, abandonment, and rejection.

They said, “We want a king! A king who’d lead us to battle, just like the other

 nations!”

God told Samuel, “It isn’t you they rejected; it’s Me.” He gave them what they

 wanted. And when what they wanted didn’t work out, He gave them a

 replacement. But He did not give up.

Finally, He remembered Abraham’s demonstration of love. Then He said, “I’d

 slay My Son for these people...” And did His sacrifice work?

Have we accepted Him now?

So God initiates love; we reciprocate love, sacrifice, self-denial, and reckless

 service.

Because a man is greater than the woman he chooses, he submits to her by

 giving her his name, his home, his body, his heart, and his commitment. She

 submits to him, vice versa.

Ephesians 5:17, 21–28 MSG

[17] Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the

 Master wants.

[21] Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another. [22–24]

 Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support

 for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to

 His church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits

 to Christ as He exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their

 husbands. [25–28] Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as

 Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love

 makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything He does and

 says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk,

 radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives.

 They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in

 marriage.”

And He further illuminates...

Ephesians 5:29–33 MSG

"[29–33] No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it.

 That’s how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of His body. And this

 is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two,

 they become “one flesh.” This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to

 understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church.

 And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife,

 loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband."

A man and a woman must submit to each other. He has to drop the high-

mindedness of dominating. She is not a city to be subdued. She is a helper.

As the Holy Spirit is to Christ, so is the woman.

The Holy Spirit is the wisdom of Christ; the woman is the wisdom of the man.

He must honor her in order to allow her wisdom to shine.

The Lord didn’t necessarily say man is superior and the woman is inferior.

 The Bible says that the man is the head—and the Greek word is “Kephale,”

 head as in “source.”

Your neck and arms are not inferior. Without them, the head would starve

 and rot, and ugly maggots would have their feast.

If a man doesn’t give the Holy Spirit room and honor, the Holy Spirit cannot

 fulfill His ministry in that man’s life.

In the same way, if the man cannot give room and honor to a woman, she

 cannot fulfill her ministry of being a helper.

The Hebrew word for helper is “Ezer,” as in “ally,” as in “rescuer.”

The woman comes as a strong ally, not to reintroduce purpose but as a

 replicate. She comes as a better half, and two become one. She doesn’t come

 with tanks of resources; she comes with herself. She comes as the resource,

 all by herself.

She’s like a powerhouse—a mobile transformer, an infinite power bank.

It is the man’s responsibility to use the manual and dig out all her resources.

Her potential isn’t for her; it’s for him. She’s just the wielder; he’s the

 benefactor.

But in order for these two to agree, they have to submit to each other.

There are two types of male partners:

I. The destroyer.

II. The nurturer.

A man who destroys is the man who believes he must break a woman in

 order to lead her. When he has set her in ruins and he needs an ally, who

 would he fall back on... friends?

The homes that stand the test of time are the homes where the man is

 submissive and acknowledges his wife.

Any slight question...

“Wait, let me ask my wife.”

“Go and ask my wife.”

“My wife and I will get back to you.”

That’s the nurturer. That’s partnership.

“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be

 that we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified.” Romans 8:17 (KJV)

We are not underdogs of Christ. We are reigning with Him, seated not at His

 feet, not at His right hand, not at His left hand, but in Him.

Where are you?

Don't know about you, but I'm seated with Christ in heavenly places!

The Lord did not make Christ lesser, but he submitted. He was God yet man.

The devil who was made lesser rebelled. 

Now, Christ has made us rule as joint heirs: not as servants, but as sons. Not as

 outlaws, but as begotten sons of God. 

This same Lord who reigns King over all and the worlds to come knelt down

 to wash the feet of His disciples.

So it’s okay for a man to kneel to propose. He’s introducing humility and

 tender love. And he ought to love her with the greatest love, which is laying

 down his life for her—surrendering his love, faithfulness, submitting his

 pride and reason of self, laying it all down as Christ laid it all down for us.

It isn’t compulsory for him to kneel, but if he has a problem with kneeling,

 then he’s a man who would likely bask in infidelity because he hasn’t

 submitted and committed.

He’s a man who hasn’t submitted or bruised his ego.

He’s a man who would constantly objectify women, and a true Queen would

 never settle for less.

A man who intimidates his wife would be constantly spited. Such women

 persevere until the man is old and bedridden; then they show him different

 shades of the colors of hell.

“As I’ve washed your feet, so you ought to wash each other’s feet.”

The head of every man said, “Love as I have loved you. I laid down My life for you.”

If he’s commanded to lay down his life, why does he find it hard to kneel and

 propose?

It’s not rocket science!