|
The word noble is one of those words we rarely hear anymore. Since it gets so little use, few people really know what it means. Before we go deeper, let's look to good old Mirriam-Webster's dictionary for some clarity...
"To be noble is to have or demonstrate personal qualities that people admire such as honesty, generosity, and courage; belonging to nobility."
Oftentimes when we think of the word noble, or nobility, we think of people like England's Royal Family. Although their nobility is not in question, sometimes their noble actions (or lack thereof) is. Of course, to be noble is not something that is reserved just for Kings and Queens, or Princes and Princesses. Oftentimes, animals such as horses can be noble, too. Speaking of noble horses, I've sure been blessed to own a lot of good horses over the years. And I've used a lot of words to describe each one of them - words like smart, sweet, personable, talented, well-bred, and so on. Of course, I've also used a few other words to describe a couple of stubborn, hard-headed and cantankerous horses along the way, too.
But I can honestly say, of all the horses I've been blessed to share my life with, I've only owned one horse that I would describe as truly noble. That noble horse is named Samson.
From the first time I laid eyes on Samson, I "chose" him to be mine. Of course, his owner wasn't too thrilled, and declared he wasn't for sale, nor would he ever be. A string of miracles, and a few years later, I purchased Samson and brought him home. You can read all about The Samson Testimony by clicking on our Archive Button and scrolling down to the title,
The God Whispers (5-2-2014). Suffice to say, right from the start, I had a strong connection with Samson - the kind of connection that cannot be put into words without sounding like a crazy, love-sick girl with her first horse. Nope, Samson wasn't my first horse, but he felt like my first. See what I mean? There I go sounding like that crazy, love-sick girl. But that's what he does to me. And yes, just like some of the other horses I've owned, Samson is smart, sweet, personable, talented, and even well-bred. But that's not what sets him apart from all the others. There has always been something different about this horse - something that goes beyond nice horsenality traits, or even beyond good breeding. He is my special possession. Why? He always chooses to walk beside me, and be my noble companion.
In a large pasture and at liberty, a horse will often follow his herd instinct and leave his Master in the dust in order to be with the other horses. In this picture, Samson has made the noble choice to walk beside me.
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light."
(1 Peter 2: 9, NIV)
Have you ever thought about what it means to be noble? Whenever I think of noble people, I think of Jesus Christ as a perfect example. The Bible tells us that Jesus went about doing good (Acts 10: 38). Jesus certainly met the dictionary definition of noble by being honest, generous, and courageous, but He also went far beyond that. He was loving, kind, forgiving, compassionate, and merciful. Not only was Jesus noble in His actions, but He was a descendant of nobility. Scripture tells us about the earthly heritage of Jesus which includes royals like King David, and Solomon, and it even tells us about some not-so-royal characters dangling from His family tree (Luke 3: 23 - 38). But the real thing that made Jesus noble was His relationship to God. You see, Jesus Christ was God's only begotten Son. That means that Jesus was true nobility. Having said that, are you ready for some fantastic news?
The Bible says that when you become born-again, you become an heir of God and a co-heir with Christ (Romans 8: 17)! Simply put, that means that no matter whose earthly blood is coursing it's way through your veins, and no matter what your earthly genetic DNA says (good, bad, or ugly), you are now an adopted heir with Christ! That means that not only are you a chosen people, but you are God's special possession. In other words, just like Jesus, you are true nobility! Let's go further. As a member of nobility, you have a great and awesome calling to be noble in every situation. As a noble, you are expected to represent your family well. You are to be honest, generous, courageous, as well as loving, kind, forgiving, compassionate, and merciful. But there's more...
You have been called to walk in partnership with the Creator of the Universe. Try and wrap your mind around that for a moment! It's not easy. That which is perfectly understood by our heart is, nevertheless, absolutely mind-boggling when we think about it. And yet, that is our calling - to walk beside God in perfect partnership. True partnership with God is a narrow trail of faith that few will consider, and only those who have been destined to high nobility will take. Those of us who take the trail of faith will not be disappointed. And one day, at the end of that trail, God will gather His children in His arms and at last, we will hear the words that we've all longed to hear,
"Welcome home, my Noble Companions."
| 
