Those who have accepted the Lord, Jesus Christ as their Saviour through repentance and surrendering their lives to Him, are part of the Kingdom of God. When we are part of God's kingdom, we want to know more about our King. We are concerned with the welfare of other citizens of God's kingdom.
People have a united identity within a kingdom. People that are of the earthly kingdom are united in following their king, Satan, whether they will acknowledge it or not. People that are part of the Kingdom of God are united in following the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!!
To use David Bercot's illustration, if we as American citizens, go to another country, we will be aware of what is going on in the other country, but our main concern is for our own country. I was in Canada as a child and I remember watching the news in the motel room. The news media kept talking about Canadian news. I didn't as much care about what was happening in Canada as I did about what was happening in America. I wanted to hear about what was happening in my home country or how some news coming out of Canada had any effect on America.
That is how it is. I have some idea of what is going on in this earthly kingdom, but I am much more concerned about what is happening in the Kingdom of God and how things in the earthly kingdom are affecting the Kingdom of God.
Just as the hymnwriter wrote, this world is not my home.
This world is not my home, I'm just a passing thru.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue;
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door,
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.
I need to look upward and be concerned about what my King thinks more than anyone else. How does my King see this issue? What would my King want me to be involved in? What activities allure me away from full devotion to Him? What He desires from me is of my utmost concern. What others say to me and about me are washed by what my King says.
Practically speaking, this may manifest itself in political involvement or lack thereof, how much (if any) news we listen to, or not participating in worldly amusements. Each person needs to ask the Lord if there are things that they are doing, or not doing, that is keeping them from a fuller devotion to Him. Does the activity have eternal value?
Honestly, this is why we don't own a television. Looking back, my husband and I are amazed at the lure and temptation of the earthly kingdom that so quickly flashed across the screen and we are now shocked when we are in a room where a television is on. Even though it was a process before we were ready to get it out of our home, we have never regretted it since.
The more we learn to focus on our citizenship of the Heavenly Kingdom, the less we care about what is happening in the earthly kingdom.
Refrain of "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus":
Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow faintly dim
In the light of His mercy and grace.
Words and Music by Helen H. Lemmel1922
Matt 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
No comments:
Post a Comment