15 And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.
Oh my gosh!
This is almost unbelievable. That any man or woman— but especially a king— would humble himself to this degree. Who would exercise so much faith in a God he doesn’t know, as taught by a man he doesn’t know, who is from a people who are his enemy. It’s truly amazing. And that he would give up all the wealth of the world, and everything it can buy, to have the peace and joy the gospel brings.
And here we are. We HAVE what the king desired. But do we desire it as much? Are we willing to give up all that we possess in order to have the wicked spirit rooted out of our breast? To put off the natural man? To have true joy and happiness?
Are we willing to give up whatever things of this world are holding us back? The distractions of entertainment? TV? Internet? The foods we love? Let alone our addictions to drugs and pornography and so many other things of this world.
This wonderful man was willing to give up EVERYTHING. And he did! He gave his whole heart and soul to God. Did he have to give up his kingdom? No. But was he willing? Yes. And in the end, he had to give it up anyway when he left mortality to be just another spirit in prison or parade, which in his case we are confident was paradise. Nonetheless, he was no longer a king. No longer controlled multitudes of people or property. But he was a king! A King and a Priest unto the Most High God!
What a wonderful example he was to all of us, of what we must be willing to give up in order to get all things. All things of eternal and lasting value.
But how did this happen? What prompted this huge desire for the joy that surpasses understanding that he had not yet received?
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