Well, here I go again with a lesson in history, but it’s always amazing to me how much we can learn by studying those who came before us. That said, today, I want to talk about Henry VIII, who was the King of England in the 1500’s. His first marriage was to a Catholic woman named Catherine of Aragon, and she was from Spain. As time went on, she was unable to bear him a son, and since having a male heir was the only way to ensure that his royal lineage would outlive him, he wanted the marriage annulled. He was certain that if he wed another woman, he would finally get his baby boy; the only problem was that in the Catholic Church, divorce was not an option. Not to be deterred, this stubborn monarch decided that he would break away from Catholicism and start the Church of England, over which he appointed himself the supreme head. Ultimately, this permitted him to divorce and remarry, so he ended up having six wives. And while you would think this might have afforded him an abundance of male heirs, just one lived past infancy, only to die when he was a teenager. So what’s the lesson in this story for us? I believe it’s twofold — first of all, taking matters into our own hands doesn’t guarantee we’ll get what we want, and second, even when we act selfishly, God still brings good from it.

My friend, if the Lord can use the sins of a ruthless king to start a church that has shared the Gospel message with millions, how much more can He use your life and earnest devotion to Him? Even if you’ve been stubborn and insisted on having your own way, He is not finished making a difference through you. When you turn to Him in humility and ask Him to ascend the throne of your heart, He will make your wrongs right and cause your story to impact countless generations for the sake of His Kingdom!