The Knight and the Fair Maiden

This story was written and dedicated to my blushing bride. 

"The Knight and the Fair Maiden"

          Once there was a Knight who was in love with a beautiful young Maiden.  He would do anything for her; she was the love of his life.  They were set to wed on a beautiful summer day.  The day finally came when they were to be together for the rest of their life and become one, live happily ever after, grow old together. 

          He was standing at the alter watching his love dressed in white come down the aisle, veil covering her beautiful face.  He could still see her soft brown eyes that he had gazed into so many times before, they captivated him, made him feel like he were in heaven, a grassy meadow at the foot of a snow-capped mountain, soft breeze blowing the wonderful fragrance of his love through the air.  It was intoxicating to him; she had won his heart, mind, soul, and body.  He was hers for all eternity. 

          All this was running through his mind as he watched her walk toward him.

          There was a war going on in their country.  There were evil forces at work trying to bring an end to their simple way of life.  As an honorable man, a man of pride for their way of life, he swore to defend and fight for that freedom.  The war was spreading; it had til that day stayed far away from them.  He was so consumed with his love for her he never saw the danger that was coming for them.

          As he was standing there watching her walk toward him, A Dragon, monstrous in size and might was on its way to change everything.  It flew with speed faster than could be imagined straight for their glorious day.  And just as everyone who had come to behold their love grow from fairytale to reality began to stand, The Dragon swooped down and took her away from him.  It was so fast he first thought it was a dream.  He was left standing there emotionless wondering how this could have happened. 

          The Dragon was an agent of the war, sent to take all that was precious to the brave knights, and corrupt whatever he took, so if it were to get away from him and return back it would forever be changed from something precious into something evil.  His mission was to make all the knights lose heart, give up, and feel hopeless.  This way the constructors of this evil war would finally win.  Then as the Dragon flew away with his love, black clouds began to role in spewing lightning and rain. 

          It is said by the people gathered there, that heaven wept and grew angry at what had happened that day.

          There he was left, his love stolen from him, his everything, his all-in-all ripped from him.  On that day a part of him died, no one knows how he was able to live on.  The fact was, the Dragon underestimated their love.  The Dragon’s evil and devious plan to steal what was precious to the knights had, up to that point, worked flawlessly. 

          The part of him that was thought to have died, in fact, sparked a fire, a holy fire, with one purpose:  to fuel him to do the unthinkable, the incomprehensible; he would start on a journey to the Dragon’s layer. 

          No one had ever had the strength to undertake such a mission.  But the Dragon had taken his life, his love.  People could not believe that a love like theirs could exist, tried to talk him out of his quest.  He just pushed on unwaveringly.  He loaded down his stallion with food, shield, sword, and the book that had brought them to the place where their love had become what it was, unbreakable.  This book had all that was needed for a man and a woman to become what the Knight and Maiden had become, people just didn’t use it.  That book, when used, could transform a man and a woman into pillars that a home can stand on especially during these dark times.  So it was what he would take with him for guidance and direction. 

            He set out on his journey.  The word of his plans had traveled like wild fire up to the gates of the enemy; they were making planes to set out do destroy him.  They had sent an army to entrap, dissuade, and torment him on his journey.  The journey would be long, so he had spent little time saying goodbye to his family who begged him not to go.  They would only slow him down.  He mounted his stallion and set off on his journey.

          The journey started off toward the Mountains of despair, they were immense, rough, and unforgiving.  It was the first hurdle that the brave Knight had to go through to save his love. 

          On that mountain is where the enemy was staging its first offensive against the brave Knight. 

          He was coming up the path when the enemy sprang its ambush.  All kinds of unholy creatures fell upon him.  He struggled to free himself.  He withdrew his sword and went to battle, fighting back his foes.  The battle lasted for hours, but he was given strength by his love for his Maiden, and by God.  He drove back the hoard.  Many of them fell to his sword, and the rest ran back to their master to tell of their defeat.

          This great victory, however would warn the enemy and Dragon of his location and strength.

          He found a river running through the valley of cool spring water.  He made camp there to rest and wash the stains of battle off in the river.  After a few days he packed up his camp and headed off to the enemy’s stronghold.

          His journey was long and lonely, it took nearly a year of exhausting difficult travel til he made his way to the gates of the enemy.  He planned his attack.  He knew he would have to move fast or the Dragon would take his love further away from him and his journey would never end.

          When he came over the icy ridge he was amazed at what he saw.  There was a beautiful ivory castle with a village with people living as if they didn’t notice the mammoth black layer of the enemy.  As he came closer to the village he noticed that there were only women there.  He was wondering what this could mean.  Were these women the Dragon’s?  Were they all taken from other knights?  But when we saw them more closely, each looked very similar to his love, some had her eyes, and others had her hair.  They all noticed him and wanted him to sit down and relax, to rest and take a break from his quest.  He was tempted to stop and stay; he had traveled a long way and was very tired.  He had read in the book he took with him about a similar situation.  The man in the story was where he shouldn’t be and lingered in a place that didn’t seem right and he was like a lamb led to slaughter.  That is not how he wanted to die.  If he were to die that way, all he had done would be in vain, and his love would be lost forever.

          So he started to move away from the village, and has he did the women in the village who had been so caring and wanting to take care of his needs, started to become angry, and then one by one they transformed into wretched hags, all deformed by hate.

          They were maidens of the other knights who had perished in their journey.  When the knights gave up their search for them they grew angry.  The Dragon poisoned their heart with his tales of how when he showed himself to their knights they said you can have her and ran away like cowards. 

          Whether or not that is how the knights ended their search for their loves is unknown.  Most never returned, and the others never started.  And then again, some made it to this village, but none ever came back out.  They didn’t have the knowledge that the brave Knight had.  They fell to the temptation to settle for someone who looked like their love but was slaughtered by their hatred. 

          As he left the walls, the villagers couldn’t follow, they were not allowed to leave the walls of the village, or they would die by the Dragon’s curse he put on them to keep his treasure for himself.

          The Knight made camp and prepared for his battle the next day.  Before he slept that night he opened the book that he brought with him.  He read about a similar story about a king who fell in love with a beautiful woman.  He read how they spent their first night together as a husband and a wife.  He took mental notes on how to treat her and love her.  Then he turned to another part of the book and read how he was supposed to treat her as a husband.  The book was full of instructions for him, he wanted to be like the examples he read in the book.  Yet again he turned some pages and read about his bride to be, that part even had a title, “The Virtuous Woman”.  He shed a tear.  This was the one he had been blessed with.  She was everything that was written in those lines.  He could not wait to be in her arms again and take vows affirming to God and all that he loved her and would be everything that the book said he should be to her.

          He prayed and asked God for the strength to defeat his foe.  He came to God humble.  He asked God like a little boy would ask his father.  Long into the night he talked with God.  When he was finished he fell to sleep, dreaming of his Maiden. 

          The next morning he gathered up his camp and set off to the Stronghold of the enemy. 

          The black stronghold was left empty, nothing grew there; there was no sign of life or happiness.  He ventured further; he came to a long staircase, descending what seemed into the center of the Earth.  It became warmer and warmer.  He was sweating when he finally came to a great opening.  There the Dragon lay.  Off in the distance, in a cage of despair, was his love.  As he came into the cavern the Dragon awoke. 

          The Dragon stood up, flared his great wings up and spewed out flames that engulfed the Knight.  The Knight raised his shield at the same time the flames came.  After the blast from the Dragon ended, there he stood shield glowing from the heat.  He called out to the Dragon. 

          He said “I’ve come to take my love, and to kill you.  Your time is up.  You will never take what doesn’t belong to you anymore.”

          The Dragon then spoke to him.  “You have no power over me, I will do what I want.  I’ve dealt with your kind before.  You think you are strong enough to defeat me?  I’ve lived since the beginning of the earth.  I’ve been doing this since the first man and woman were created. You think you, a mere human, can defeat me?”

          The Knight replied.  “The difference between me and the others is I’ve read about you.  I know your story.  I also know that you have already lost, but you are too blind to see it yet.  It will be revealed to you in the end.”

          The Dragon grew angry, rearing up on his hind legs he beat his wings and then slammed down.  The force nearly caved the room in. 

          “You know my story?”  He snapped.  “If that is so then let us end this!”

          As he finished, the Dragon swung his enormous tail at the Knight.  The Knight jumped and rolled back to his feet, just in time to raise his shield in time to block another fiery blast from the Dragon. 

          The Knight closed the distance between them, slicing the Dragon’s side.  The Dragon let out a deafening cry in pain.  The Knight then plunged his sword hilt deep into the Dragon’s chest. 

          The Dragon fell, loosening the structure they were standing in.  He hadn’t much time before the room collapsed.  He dashed up the stairway to his Maiden.  He used his shield to break the lock. 

          She said “I knew you would come for me, I never gave up hope, or on you!”

          “I would go to the ends of the earth for you.”  He said in reply.  “We need to get out before we are buried in here forever.

          They ran out the opening the Dragon had used to use for leaving his chamber.  Down the icy slope they ran as the whole castle collapsed in on itself.

          They stood there and looked back on the sight.  He took his Maiden into his arms and looked into her amazing brown eyes.  What seemed like forever passed before either of them spoke.

          The Knight was the first to speak.  He said “I love you with all my heart.”  His love, too emotional to say anything at that time, just held on to her Knight.

          They mounted his stallion and set off back to their village.  There they would wed. 

          As they arrived into their village the people were amazed at what they saw.  He had done what no other had done, taken back what the Dragon had taken. 

          The days passed as they gathered the people together with all the things needed for their wedding feast. 

           It was a warm day in August when the Knight and Maiden married.  Their families where in attendance to celebrate the joining of their hearts and souls together.  The wedding feast lasted long into the night.  Then the Knight and Maiden said their last goodbyes.  They were off to become one and live happily ever after.  Free from the fear of the Dragon………

                               ******************************

          There was a man searching for lost treasure one day.  When he came upon a village with nothing but women in it, he was baffled by the sight.  He went to one of the women and asked what was going on there.  When, as she started to reply to him a deafening roar came from what looked like a mountain behind the village.  Then, an enormous Dragon flew from the rubble of the fallen castle…….

                               ******************************

          There will never be and end to the Dragon until the One written in the Knight’s book comes back and locks the Dragon away for all eternity. 

          The Dragon still plagues the knights.  Taking what they hold precious to them away.  As for now though, the Dragon leaves the brave Knight alone, biding his time, waiting to strike again………

Why Should We Act Any Different?

Mark 5:1-20     And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.  He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.  And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him.  And crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." For he was saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"  And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many."  And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.  Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, "Send us to the pigs; let us enter them."  So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea. 

The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened.  And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.  And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs.  And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.  As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him.  And he did not permit him but said to him, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."  And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

We, like this demon-possessed man, have been shown mercy from God.  So then why do we think that we are any different?

We cannot necessarily move away from the people that may have encouraged us to walk in a path far from God.  But what better way to glorify Our Savior than to tell all and show all how he has saved us.

It is important to understand that our salvation does not have to be some extreme conversion.  Remember, some of the Gentiles lived “good lives”.  Even so, on their best days, they where still saved form the same Hell!

This does not mean that we should go to all the same places we used to, or that we should hang out with all the same people we used to.  We can talk to those people that used to encourage us down paths that led to destruction the same way Christ did.  He told Matthew the tax collector to follow Him. And shortly after, He sat down to dinner with the tax collectors and sinners. Christ’s desire was to share the Gospel and be the Light in a dark world.

Our light should be one that reflects God’s grace and mercy.  As light bearers, we need not EXPOSE the darkness in someone else’s life, but rather our own life.  This is something that is done naturally.  Take a match, light it in a dark room.  See how it naturally illuminates the darkness?  You don’t need to move it at all; the match just does what God intended it to do.  Now, try to fill the room and EXPOSE as much darkness as you can to the light by WAVING it around and SHOVING it into the darkness.  What happens?  The light goes out and the darkness has come back just the same way it was before. 

We cannot force what God is doing in our lives on others, nor can we force the changes we have made in our lives on them.  If we do, we are like the match trying to light the room by force.

As Christians we cannot surround ourselves with only Christians, but rather we must use The Church for what God intended it for!  Not gossiping and social networking, but rather for the saints to be refreshed and equipped, to be strengthened so that we can continue our sanctification.  We need to be in God’s Word to expose ourselves to Truth so that we can change as He calls us to change.  The purpose for Scripture and preaching is not to get facts and Scripture references to use on others, but to help us with the changes God desires to bring about in us.

People will see us changed and ask us:  Why?

We can show them.  Not try to save them, but simply to expose them to the same Savior that saved us.  If someone wants to meet our Savior then we can leave them to talk to God alone.  Then, we can follow up with them by inviting them to Fellowship, to be refreshed and equipped, and invite them to our house for dinner, to pray for them, and offer encouragement.

We are all the same, sinners going to Hell.  BUT CHRISTl!!!