A Prince whose heart is after the King

It was in a recent conversation with a dear friend, Ps. Mike that sparked these very thoughts and writings.You do see that he's the one giving me work to do. He have me do all this studying and digging about this person, Mephibosheth. You must remember him well :D
Here's a brief compilation of what we have talked and what i have studied:-
I believe that we have not really live that very life that God has planned for us.
We are actually settling for something way lesser and are contented with it. This should not be the way to live.

It's just like Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth is Jonathan's son
(2 Sam 4:4).
I find it interesting that his name is meant as "dispeller of shame". He's actually the one that is meant to drive away all shame. He forgot the meaning of his name and he lived a life not knowing his actual worth and value till the King came.(this I'm not sure so i would leave it to the Greek and Hebrew scholar, Ps. Mike to deal with this :)
He saw himself as a shameful servant (2 Sam 4:6,8) but it was the King that restored him back and set him on the path to live life as a prince as intended, dispelling all shame.

In Your eyes, when we settle for less, we are in the same state as Mephibosheth. Our actual place is with You at Your very table. (2 Sam 9: 7) In the eyes of the world, we feel we have what we need, achieve what we want and are contented/successful. We feel this is what life is all about. But then it's in Your eyes, in Your very eyes, You see how far we fall short from what You have prepared for us. There's such a vast difference in the very life that You have prepared for us with what we choose to settle with. In Your eyes, we are living in a shameful state. Forgetting the very lineage that we came from and how we should be carrying ourselves. How we forget easily because we condition or conformed by the world that we live in.

Like Mephiboseth, he saw his own condition till he was conformed by it that he forgot that he carried the kingly lineage within him. He actually was quite content with where he is and was prepared to live like that. This changed when he was summoned to have an encounter with the King! That changed his destiny! We are meant to be with the King at His table. That's why, it's not right for us to be waiting for crumbs at the table when our seats are empty at the King's table.

All Mephibosheth needed was just an encounter with King and all was changed. He began to start living the life that he was meant to. It was the King, himself that knew Mephibosheth carried the royal lineage in him right from the beginning. The King, restored and brought him back to his original purpose and place.

I know that Mephibosheth encounter with the King is real. This encounter has him set his heart for the King only and not the posessions. Mephibosheth was seated as a prince but he was a prince whose heart is for the King. Even when the King was away, Mephibosheth expressed his longing for the return of the King safely.
2 Sam 19:24 "Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the King left until he returned safely."

*Mephibosheth after the encounter began to rise above the very limitation he had. He may be limited in the physical but because of the very encounter with the King, he rose to go beyond as all he wanted to be was with the King. Where the King goes, he wants to go too.
2 Sam 19: 26 "He said, "My lord the king, since i your servant am lame, I said, "I will have my donkey saddled and will ride on it, so i can go with the king." But Ziba my servant betrayed me."

*Many times, we know we have had the encounter with Him, our hearts long for Him and want to rise to be with Him. But we fall short is because the enemy would deceive us into thinking that this is unnecessary because of our present condition. What is our condition? Our condition where we begin to conform to our present situation as we feel that to meet our own needs/conditions/our inconvenience are more important therefore we can't rise to be with the King. We think that by offering Him our services by doing ministry, attending church, allowing our children to serve Him, pay our tithes and etc would be sufficient. (2 Sam 16:1-2)

*The enemy is just like Ziba has set out to deceived us into thinking all these is sufficient and that the King would understand our conditions and would be pleased. This is how he robbed us from our very inheritance that the King has for us. Just like what Ziba did.(2 Sam 16: 4)

*It's not that the doing is wrong, we still need to do but we must begin to to know what the King is looking for. He is looking at our heart. What is the real motivation in our doing? Is it because our encounter with Him that cause us to rise and be driven with such passion for Him or are we looking at our convenience.

*We must begin to rise above our limitations! Rise to be with the King. Even when at battle, He is asking for Mephibosheth! (2 Sam 16:3) The very encounter we have with the King must cause us to rise and break very limitations and boundaries to be with Him. We must rise to tell Him that we are here for You! At all times , the King has rise again and again to tell us He is with us because we are dwelling in His palace, well protected at His very refuge but when He's out in battlefield, where are His princes......

*We must rise above every of our imitation and be with Him even when it's inconvenient to us, we must be there with Him especially at the battlefield. As our presence is important to Him! This reminds me of what papa JD said during the preparation for Revival Conference Now. Papa was saying that all of us must be there even if it's going to be inconvenient for us, we must still rise to be there cause our presence would make a difference. How true! Papa as a father needed all his sons to be with him as he is out in the battlefield as it would give him much added strength and courage. It's not that You're not there but he as a father, it brings him such strength and rest from within him to know that true sons are there with him. Sons whose heart is for him.

*Just like the King, it's not that he did not know how to fight the battle with His armies. Besides with Mephibosheth in such condition how could he fight. The king knew of his condition well but yet He was asking for Mephibosheth. The King wanted to see if Mephibosheth could push himself to rise above his very physical limitation. He wanted to see where is his heart.

That's why our encounter with the King would cause us to begin to rise above our inconvenience/limitations to assure Him that our heart is for Him and that we are there for Him in the palace and out in the battlefield.

This encounter, Mephibosheth had with the King has caused him to see what is more precious and valuable. Mephibosheth was willing to give up life and the fields as he knew there was nothing more valuable and worth than just to have the King arrived home safely.
2 Sam 19:27-30. Mephibosheth could have said many things to justify himself in receiving his portion but yet he consider all these as nothing to having the King, himself.

Very interesting is that now, Mephibosheth say the King has arrived home safely. Earlier on he longed for the King's returned but now Mephibosheth knows he is standing before the King. He is there ready to welcome the King.
2 Sam 19:30 "Mephibosheth said to the king, "Let him take everything, now that my lord and king has arrived home safely."

Similarly we are meant to live as princes since we are the sons of the King of Kings. But we must all have our own encounter with the King. So that our hearts and nature are changed, as one that's for Him only. Live the life as a prince as how the King has set for us and rising to assure Him that we are here only for Him.

Hmm....I want to end this post with this song "A heart after you". I feel this song is able to match this post's title though it may not fully reflect the post and how i really feel but the words, "a heart after you" is true and it's from my heart to You.

*Just added extra notes