Week 3 | Day 3 | Your Kingdom, Lord; Not Mine

Command:

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

Read:

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens…When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet… Psalm 8:1, 3-6 (NIV)

Reflect:

Several years ago, I was blessed to discover the work of theologian Dallas Willard. He wrote a lot about being a student of the ways of Jesus, and becoming an active participant in the work God is already doing in the world around me. One of Willard’s upside-down teachings that has profoundly impacted the way I engage the world is the idea that God divinely intended for humanity to co-reign with him here on earth. 

What an astounding thought that God made us rulers over his creation! When God created humanity, he blessed them saying “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over…everything that has life” (Genesis 1:28, NLT). While this might have been God’s divine intent, my natural inclination is to rule my own little sphere by my own will instead of surrendering to his. That’s when God’s intent for my life, and the life of others through me, goes haywire! Instead of bringing the goodness of heaven to people around me, I selfishly rule my queendom mostly for my benefit. 

Not so with Jesus. He is the ultimate example of faithful obedience to God’s will for the world. He instinctively knew that God’s plan, though it would lead to an excruciating death, was perfect and good. When Jesus prayed “Not my will be done, but yours” before he was arrested, tortured, and crucified, God’s ultimate purpose of reconciling the world back to him was fulfilled. In teaching us to pray “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” Jesus invites us to surrender our kingdoms to God. And yet at the same time he invites us to rule with him, by his power, by his will. It is through our obedience to God’s perfect will that his kingdom is made manifest in our world.  

React:

What part of your kingdom do you still need to surrender to God?

Pray:

Jesus, thank you for inviting us to join you in the work that you are already doing. May we get a glimpse of heaven here on earth as we follow your will.