Kingdom Now
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11
There is a worship song that talks about a time when everyone will realize the sovereignty of God. It says that even given that truth, the best life is lived by those who know God now. I think of the story of the vineyard workers. It illustrates the fact that it is never too late to seek God. Losing a friend who seemingly did not know God my husband and I have prayed that the truth of that verse would carry him home. So, if I can get to the kingdom at the absolute last minute why worry about loving and serving God now? Is there any truth in the statement that life is better lived with God in it? Too many people have told me that they don’t want a relationship with God because then they couldn’t enjoy the pleasures of this life. By that they mean they couldn’t live for themselves honoring whatever paltry thing they have chosen as a god. My favorite is the “Sunday is my day for myself, to sleep in, read the paper, you know” line. I tend like most Christians I know, to try to focus them on the eternal issues but the truth is a life devoted to God is a much better life than one that is not.
The kingdom of God is in our futures the second we truly put ourselves at the feet of Jesus, accepting his gift of salvation and offering him the meager gift of our inadequate little selves. In that same instant when we choose a relationship with Jesus, things begin to change. The kingdom of heaven is in our future and in our now. The power that raised Jesus from the grave is at our disposal for healing, health, joy, peace, providence and endurance. Our time here may be long or it may be short. One of us may live a life of ease while another experiences more strife. Still God remains the same and meets each of us at the exact point of our need.
Salvation is available to us right up until the very last second and possibly beyond what we see as the last second but why wait? Accepting salvation does not mean I cannot have, think, be, or do something. It means I will want to have, be, think and do the things that please the heart of God. As my relationship with him grows my desire will become more about pleasing him and less about pleasing myself. It is the more of you, less of me nature of a life given to God that should make a Christian stand out in a crowd.
As the Light of Christ replaces the darkness of the world, as each ugly selfish desire is removed and replaced by the desire to serve our lives become more joyfilled and less harried. Gone is the rush to attain what I want because I know my Father will answer the desire of my heart in the best possible way.
The kingdom of God, the vast kingdom of perfection, joy, peace, the place where weeping and sorrow is still out there somewhere in my future but the foretaste of that kingdom is a part of every day that I remember whose I am and live accordingly.
Can you wait until the last minute to accept God? Yes. Should you wait? No. When someone asks you why they should be in a hurry to make God a part of their life now ask them if they want more peace or more stress in their lives. There is a saying I have seen on t-shirts and bumper stickers that is corny and trite but oddly enough true,
“Know God know peace.
No God, no peace.”
Enjoy the little bits of the kingdom of God that are available to us today and invite your friends to do the same.
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11
There is a worship song that talks about a time when everyone will realize the sovereignty of God. It says that even given that truth, the best life is lived by those who know God now. I think of the story of the vineyard workers. It illustrates the fact that it is never too late to seek God. Losing a friend who seemingly did not know God my husband and I have prayed that the truth of that verse would carry him home. So, if I can get to the kingdom at the absolute last minute why worry about loving and serving God now? Is there any truth in the statement that life is better lived with God in it? Too many people have told me that they don’t want a relationship with God because then they couldn’t enjoy the pleasures of this life. By that they mean they couldn’t live for themselves honoring whatever paltry thing they have chosen as a god. My favorite is the “Sunday is my day for myself, to sleep in, read the paper, you know” line. I tend like most Christians I know, to try to focus them on the eternal issues but the truth is a life devoted to God is a much better life than one that is not.
The kingdom of God is in our futures the second we truly put ourselves at the feet of Jesus, accepting his gift of salvation and offering him the meager gift of our inadequate little selves. In that same instant when we choose a relationship with Jesus, things begin to change. The kingdom of heaven is in our future and in our now. The power that raised Jesus from the grave is at our disposal for healing, health, joy, peace, providence and endurance. Our time here may be long or it may be short. One of us may live a life of ease while another experiences more strife. Still God remains the same and meets each of us at the exact point of our need.
Salvation is available to us right up until the very last second and possibly beyond what we see as the last second but why wait? Accepting salvation does not mean I cannot have, think, be, or do something. It means I will want to have, be, think and do the things that please the heart of God. As my relationship with him grows my desire will become more about pleasing him and less about pleasing myself. It is the more of you, less of me nature of a life given to God that should make a Christian stand out in a crowd.
As the Light of Christ replaces the darkness of the world, as each ugly selfish desire is removed and replaced by the desire to serve our lives become more joyfilled and less harried. Gone is the rush to attain what I want because I know my Father will answer the desire of my heart in the best possible way.
The kingdom of God, the vast kingdom of perfection, joy, peace, the place where weeping and sorrow is still out there somewhere in my future but the foretaste of that kingdom is a part of every day that I remember whose I am and live accordingly.
Can you wait until the last minute to accept God? Yes. Should you wait? No. When someone asks you why they should be in a hurry to make God a part of their life now ask them if they want more peace or more stress in their lives. There is a saying I have seen on t-shirts and bumper stickers that is corny and trite but oddly enough true,
“Know God know peace.
No God, no peace.”
Enjoy the little bits of the kingdom of God that are available to us today and invite your friends to do the same.
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