e-votional
a message to encourage and uplift from College Heights Baptist Church
Wednesday February 25, 2009
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“Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name. 10 ’Your kingdom come. – Matthew 6:9-10
Kingdom. The word speaks of immensity and size. Shakespeare wrote of Richard III declaring, “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse.” Kingdom. It sounds so regal. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. You can just hear the trumpets blowing. Kingdom. It’s a big deal.
We don’t speak of kingdoms much anymore. We live in a republic. We’re a democracy. No kings. No kingdoms. Jesus on the other hand did speak of a kingdom. The word “kingdom” appears over 300 times in the Bible. Jesus used it roughly on a third of those occasions. The kingdom He speaks of, however, is not the kind of kingdom you and I might think. Nor was it the type of kingdom the people of His day were looking for.
They were looking for a great leader who would come and rescue them. They wanted a mighty king who would throw off the shackles of Rome, and re-establish Israel to her greatness. They wanted a kingdom that could be seen on a map. One measured in acres, and marked by boundaries. Jesus, on the other hand, offered something different. He spoke of the kingdom as being the rule of God in the lives of men and women. He spoke of a kingdom that was measured in hearts, not acres. His kingdom did offer freedom. Not freedom from Rome; but freedom from sin and condemnation, fear and anxiety, despair and hopelessness.
Now, while the Kingdom of God does refer to the reign of Christ in the hearts of men and women, it also points to a literal, physical kingdom that Jesus will usher in when He returns. One day He will return to deal with all of those who would align themselves against Him. He will rule in peace and prosperity for a thousand years. We may not know when, but we can be confident that this will take place.
When we pray and ask for God’s Kingdom to come, we are basically asking God to keep His promise. We can trust Him to do just that. He will keep His word, and come into our lives if we ask Him (Romans 10:13). He hears and works in our prayers (Matthew 7:7-8). He is always with us (Matthew 28:20). He helps us deal with the anxieties of this life as we seek His kingdom first (Matthew 6:25-33). His rule is complete. His promise is sure. His Kingdom come. In our hearts and in this world.
Reign and rule. Kingdom and king. Present and future. Jesus will indeed come again. He will keep His word. Until that day, we seek the Kingdom in our hearts. We live out the kingly rule of Christ in our lives. Long live the King!
Pastor Darrell
