If you could create your own kingdom...
…it would probably look similar to that of many others.
What would you do if you had a million dollars? If you were the president for a day? If you had three wishes?
Our humanity thrives on the possibility of these questions. In some ways they become a kind of hope, a what if, that keeps us going and keeps us dreaming beyond the circumstances we are currently in.
And if God one day handed you a key and said, this is to your kingdom, make it whatever you would like it to be. What would you do?
This isn’t a bad question to ask, but we must search the motivations of our answers and not just what our answers look and feel like on the surface.
Inevitably we would desire on some level to have more than what we currently have. Whether it’s money or stability or relationships or direction in life or influence, these are all desires that can have a kingdom purpose.
But each of these desires reveal a concern with following, with surrender, with submission to God’s path and plan for our lives. There is no judgement from me. Even as I write this I am reminded of the prayers I’ve prayed over the years, of situations to change quickly and in a direction that in some way benefitted or comforted me.
I am not saying that we should never receive any benefit to our lives. Of course our Father wants to bless us and give us good gifts, things that cause us to smile and enjoy His creation around and within us. However, He also recognizes that this world is full of idols that go unnoticed and the last thing that he wants to give us is an idol.
Which of your fathers, if your son asks for a fish, gives him a snake instead? (Luke 11:11 NIV)
A snake twists and does not move in a straight way. It represents deception. Our Father will not give us a deception, even when we beg for it. Many of us have moved ahead and taken a hold of snakes, claiming that God gave them to us, only to be led astray in our hearts from the direction that He wanted to lead us.
The wrestling match for each one of us is within ourselves. Paul refers to it as this wrestling match within himself between doing what he doesn’t want to do and not doing what he wishes he would do. Our flesh and our spirit are at war, and the answer is not to find some happy middle ground where they can be friends.
Much of our modern Christian counseling has taken this approach and it has led many astray from the simplicity of the gospel. The truth is that you will remain in your bondage on that path of compromise.
You may have a thousand voices telling you that you are doing a good thing in awakening your flesh to all of its feelings, and yet, in the end, there is only One voice that determines what is good and what is not, and He has already spoken.
He did not say build your own kingdom, He did not say seek comfort and good feelings. He didn’t even say that we should write our own story.
He simply said, Follow Me!
He said, 'Seek first the Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you'
What He's trying to get us to understand is that if we will follow Him, then He will bring the healing, He will bring the restoration, He will bring the provision and the protection. All that we need is found when we are abiding in Him. It may not be the way that we would prefer or the timing that would be comfortable to our flesh, but make no mistake it is the only path for the Abundant Life!
And on this path you will receive the greatest gift of all, the Love of a Father.
The question is will you listen to what He has said and choose to walk on the path of living it out?
Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Matt. 10:38-39
One key to knowing if you are following Jesus is the principle of Patient Endurance. I’ll talk more about this at another time, but it is an essential part of knowing what path we are on. If we are willing to wait in discomfort for the rescue of THE KING, then we will prove our dependence upon and trust of Him. And in the way of trust is where you find true Love.
Ask Jesus this week, what areas you need to practice Patient Endurance, and then ask Him to help you to practice it!
About 12 years ago I had the joy of recording a song called, ‘Silence’ with my Grandfather, Cass Santos. Cass was a man who loved the Lord and gave His life to serve others as a pastor. The excerpt at the beginning is from Oswald Chambers, ‘My utmost for His Highest’, read by Cass. Music and the song following by his grandson.
As we think about waiting on God, let this be a reminder that His silence IS The Opportunity and The Invitation to so much more.