Is Christ the Lord Over Your Life?

A Naik king by name Chokkalinga Naiker rules over Tiruchirapalli in the earlier part of the eighteenth century. There was a religious and devout poet who served in the king’s court. His name was Thayumanavar. The king died suddenly in 1731, and his wife Meenakshi became the queen.

Thayumanavar was an attractive and handsome young man. He served as the poet in the court of the queen. The queen liked the poet very much and wanted to marry him. One day she called the poet and expressed her desire to marry him, and make him the King of Tiruchirapalli.

Thayumanavar was a very religious man and he had committed himself to serve God as a court poet. He considered it as his lifetime commitment. So he could not sleep that night. He decided to stick on to his decision and so very early in the next day morning, he fled to Ramanathapuram to save his life. At that time he wrote the poem:

My Lord who searched and found me!

How can I go after gold, woman or kingdom.

The sacrifice of Thayumanavar is really a challenge to all believers. He considered gold, kingdom and woman as nothing when compared to his god, who searched and found him. Can anyone sacrifice life for God, like this poet? The Bible gives the example of three young men who sacrificed precious things for following the Lord.

1. Joseph: When Joseph was compelled to commit sin by the Egyptian woman, he ran away from the place. He happily went to prison rather than to live in sin in the palace. Gen 39:1-20.
2. Moses: When Moses grew up, he refused to be called as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and chose affliction with the people of God rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, forsook Egypt and fled to Midian. Heb 11:24-27.
3. Paul: When Paul met God, he did not confer with flesh and blood but went to Arabia Gal 1:16, 17. He counted all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. He suffered the loss of all things and counted them as rubbish to gain Christ. Phil 3:7, 8.