We've come to the end of this series, but we haven't come to the end of seeking God's kingdom. I've learned a lot from writing this series and looking at Scripture and what it says about the kingdom of God. Here are a few things I'm taking away from this series:
It's amazing how when we begin to seek God's kingdom and learn more about it, it seems to pop up everywhere. As I've been writing about God's kingdom, I've listened to songs that talk about God as King, I've heard sermons in which His Lordship is mentioned, and I've been reminded of how God brought a rebel like me into His kingdom to be His child. Glimpses of His kingdom are everywhere, and we learn more about God's kingdom and lordship while reading His word. As we continue in our quest to seek His kingdom, my prayer is that you would find glimpses of God's kingdom and His lordship in your daily life and that you would desire to live your life more and more under the lordship of the King. With the end of this 31 day series, I want to leave you with this... “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) May we repent and believe in the gospel and may we seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness. This post is part of a 31 day series called Seeking the Kingdom. You can view the rest of the posts from the series here. Reader Participation: What did you think of this series? Was it helpful for you in seeking God's Kingdom? What did you learn? What would you have liked to learn more about? I love reader participation and feedback, so feel free to send some love and drop a line!
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And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:9-13) If we believe in Christ, we have been delivered from the domain of darkness and delivered into a kingdom of light, the kingdom of Jesus Christ. My prayer for you is that you would be a part of this kingdom, that you would be reconciled to the ultimate King through Jesus Christ. This kingdom is a kingdom that is far greater than any kingdom in the world, because our King is greater than any earthly king. He is a good and kind King. He is the most perfect and loving King. He is a King that protects His people and makes everything work out for good for those that love him (Romans 8:28). He is a King that gave up his life willingly for those that are rebels to His reign. He is a King that loves His enemies. He is a King that created all things, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). This King is sovereign over a kingdom of light, and He welcomes you to join His eternal kingdom. This post is part of a 31 day series called Seeking the Kingdom.
You can view the rest of the posts from the series here. A King is not without allies and enemies. In the case of the King of the universe, God's enemies are His own rebellious creation. The truly beautiful thing about God's character is that He loves those that set their hearts against him. God loves His enemies, even though He is their maker, and they rebel against Him. Apart from Jesus Christ, we are all at enmity with God and against Him. Paul's letter to the Romans has a lot to say in this regard: For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:6-11) Sin is an active rebellion against God. When we sin, we set ourselves against God and His call for our obedience. However, God shows his love for is own enemies in that while we were still sinners and enemies, Christ died for us. The enemies of God are those that do not want to submit to His Lordship and obey Him. At some point in life, we are all enemies of God because of our sin, but Jesus reconciles us to God. When we believe in Jesus Christ and his completed work on the cross for rebels and sinners, God's enemies become His friends, servants, and children. This post is part of a 31 day series called Seeking the Kingdom.
You can view the rest of the posts from the series here. There are a number of blogs and websites that have articles and blog posts that relate to the kingdom of God. For today, I wanted to share with you some posts from The Gospel Coalition, a helpful resource site for Christians. Grab a cup of coffee or tea, settle down into a comfy space, and enjoy these finds. The Kingdom Comes Not Through Maneuvers But By Repentance Thinking About the Kingdom 3 Choices in How We Respond To God's Kingdom Agenda Kingdom Opportunities Mean Kingdom Adversaries Is Your Church a Kingdom Colony or a Country Club? This post is part of a 31 day series called Seeking the Kingdom.
You can view the rest of the posts from the series here. I've grown accustomed to the comforting quiet of our little apartment as my husband and I fall into bed at night. After a long day, a warm bed is a welcoming friend. We read a prayer from The Valley of Vision together, and then settle down for a night's rest. As the lamp is turned off, my mind turns on, and I realize that apart from praying with Brandon, I did not talk to Jesus a lot throughout the day. As I drift to sleep, I'm reminded of Jesus' grace and take time to talk with him about the day. When I think about the majority of my days, I don't often take the time to be mindful of the fact that I am a servant of the King. When I first followed Christ as a college freshman, Jesus became the King of my life and my heart. It was no longer about me or what I wanted. It was about what my Savior wanted. But I often live as if I'm the king of my own life. My sinful heart desires to take the throne of my heart back, but the Lord then graciously does something that reminds me that my soul wants something different. In fact, my soul feels the most at peace and content when I humbly submit to Jesus' lordship over my heart and life. In a sinful and broken world, we are all rebels of the King. We daily commit treason in our hearts when we try to be our own masters and kings. But the beauty of the good news of Jesus Christ is that the King gave his life for the rebels of the kingdom, so that they could become heirs and serve the King. I am a rebel of the King. I spend most of my days trying to live like my own master and king, and then I am reminded of what the true King has done for me. He gave up his life for a rebel like me, so that I could become an heir and serve him. Earthly kings would not give up his life for rebels, but that is not the case with God. As I drift to sleep at night, I am reminded of this fact. As I confess and repent, I am reminded of Jesus' forgiveness of a rebel like me, and it makes me want to serve the King that loves me when I rebel against Him. This post is part of a 31 day series called Seeking the Kingdom.
You can view the rest of the posts from the series here. A big theme of this 31 day series is that God's kingdom is more about His kingship and reign than a realm. As such, we've been focusing on how God is the King of this world, and what this entails. As I've been sharing what I've been learning, I also want to share with you what others are learning. Here are some more posts from Desiring God that fall in line with this series... We Need a Real King Happiness Honors the King The King We Needed, But Never Wanted The King of Every Subject - Even Math You Obey the One You Fear This post is part of a 31 day series called Seeking the Kingdom.
You can view the rest of the posts from the series here. The leaves are falling, the season is changing, and soon bright colors will give way to gray, white, and long winter nights. Without fail, the end of fall ushers in one of my favorite times of year, the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year". Two months from today, I will wake up to one of my favorite days, Christmas morning. It's a day of joy for me, rejoicing over the birth of the Savior and spending time celebrating with my family and friends. My heart feels joyful just thinking about it. Every Christmas, I see advertisements for a performance of Hadel's Messiah, an oratorio that has been performed for the past three hundred years. When I was in choir in high school, a tradition was to complete our holiday concert with the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Messiah. I'm sure many of you have heard this song before... Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! The kingdom of this world Is become the kingdom of our Lord, And of His Christ, and of His Christ; And He shall reign for ever and ever, For ever and ever, forever and ever, King of kings, and Lord of lords, King of kings, and Lord of lords, And Lord of lords, And He shall reign, And He shall reign forever and ever, King of kings, forever and ever, And Lord of lords, Hallelujah! Hallelujah! And He shall reign forever and ever, King of kings! and Lord of lords! And He shall reign forever and ever, King of kings! and Lord of lords! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! I say this song with my choir four years in a row, and I still still the "hallelujah" parts when I want to flex my soprano range. But it wasn't until Jesus called me to follow Him that I understood the implications of this song. It wasn't until this morning while praying through what to write for today's post that I realized how much this song fits into the focus on this series. The "Hallelujah Chorus" is a celebration of God's kingship over this world. It's a declaration that He is indeed the King of kings and Lord of lords and that He shall reign forever. He is preeminent and above all, and that is worthy of celebrating and praising Him. I love celebrating the birth of our Savior at Christmastime, but Jesus isn't just the Savior of the world, he's also Lord and King. At Christmas, we shouldn't just celebrate the fact that the Savior was born but that our King was born as flesh incarnate as well. As I'm more mindful of Jesus being the King of my life, songs like the "Hallelujah Chorus" remind me of the truth of God's Kingship and His kingdom. This post is part of a 31 day series called Seeking the Kingdom.
You can view the rest of the posts from the series here. One of my favorite movies growing up was Titanic. The sweeping scores, the beautiful scenes, and the cinematic replication of the ship and its inhabitants - what is there not to enjoy from this fictional retelling of the Titanic's maiden and last voyage? One of the memorable scenes from this film is a moment in which the main character, Jack, and impoverished artist makes his way to the front of the ship with his friend. They go the very front of the ship on the main deck, Jack stands on the railings and declares, "I'm king of the world!" It's an iconic moment for the film, because two hours later, this man is no longer on top of the world. We hear a line like "I'm king of the world," and it seems pretty harmless. However, this is a line I declare in my heart almost everyday, especially when I'm feeling particularly proud or things are going my way. Like, the main character of Titanic, I'm brought low by circumstances not long after, and my tune changes. I am not king of the world. This line is actually an act of rebellion against God. I'm not king of the world. I can't even control whether a day will be an encouraging day or a hard day. But I often believe a lie in my heart that I'm the king of the world, and that I can control things. As we're learning about God and how He is the true King of the world, I'm encouraged and comforted when things seem out my control and dominion. It's because they are out of my control. However, if God is King and Sovereign over this world, I can trust that everything, my good days and hard days are under his control. In these moments, I'm reminded of a passage from the book of Acts: The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us. (Acts 17:24-27) God made the world and everything in it and He is the Lord and King of heaven and earth. When things are going well or life is hard, I want the cry of my heart to be, "God's king of the world!" and find comfort in that truth. This post is part of a 31 day series called Seeking the Kingdom.
You can view the rest of the posts from the series here. I'm several days behind on keeping up with this thirty one day series, but I'm not too concerned about it. It is a joy writing this series, but my mind needs time to process what I'm learning about God's kingdom in His word and then translating that into posts. For now, here is an article that I stumbled upon that shows how Jesus is connected to God's kingdom. 10 Connections Between Jesus and the Kingdom of God We've talked about a number of these, but here are the ten connections mentioned:
Visit the link above to read more about these ten connections. This post is part of a 31 day series called Seeking the Kingdom.
You can view the rest of the posts from the series here. When I think about the kingdom of God, I don't often think of it being a treasure, but the more I learn about God and His character, the more I see how God's kingdom is the greatest treasure, and a treasure worth more than everything in this life. For the past few days we've been we've been looking at a parable from Matthew 13. Jesus said, The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (Matthew 13:44) The kingdom of heaven is synonymous with the kingdom of God, and we've looked at how the Bible talks about the kingdom of God as more about God's reign than His realm. With this in mind, God's rule and reign is a treasure that is worth it. If it costs us everything in this life, then the cost is worth it. Why is it worth it though? This is a question that I've asked myself when I go through trials or when life feels particularly difficult. In the midst of difficulty, I am reminded of what John Piper says in his sermon The Kingdom of Heaven Is a Treasure The worth of having God ruling over you and, for you, over everything else. It’s not hard to see why that is so valuable. If the omnipotent, all-wise God is ruling over all things for your joy, everything must be working for your good, no matter how painful. And in the end God will triumph over all evil and all pain. So this kingdom is a treasure. The worth is in being in a relationship with the God of the universe, of having him as a King, a Father, and a friend, of Him caring for us and welcoming us into His kingdom. The best part is that God offers His kingdom to us freely, like a father giving a toy freely to his child. It might require that we give up everything else in this world to receive it, but it is worth it! Ultimately, the only reason that we can be a part of God's Kingdom is because of the sacrifice of Christ. He went to the cross willingly so that rebels could become reconciled with the King and become citizens and heirs of the kingdom. Jesus' sacrifice alone so that we could be a part of the kingdom makes it worth receiving. Seeing the kingdom of God as a treasure changes the way that we view this world and our lives. If the kingdom of God is a treasure that is worth giving up everything to obtain, then that should change the way that we live our lives. In my own life, remembering the value of the kingdom of God and that it's worth helps me hold the material things with loose hands. There have been times when God has provided a gift card or money and then brought another person's need to my attention. Because I have a treasure far greater than this world, I can joyfully give the things I have been given away. Because I have a treasure far greater than this world, it is a joy to sell my possessions to support missionaries or those in need. Because I have a treasure far greater than what this world offers, the enticements of the world whether material possession or sin no longer look so enticing. God's kingdom is a treasure that is truly worth more than anything in this world, because we ultimately get to be under the Kingship of God, who is a better King than the rulers and authorities of this world. He is the better treasure, and loving and serving Him is worth more than anything this world has to offer. This post is part of a 31 day series called Seeking the Kingdom.
You can view the rest of the posts from the series here. |
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