LIVING IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD – It is not about you or me.

LIVING IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD: It is not about you – or me.

I have heard preacher after preacher say that “It is not about you. It is about Jesus.” I agreed then, and I agree now…sort of, that is. (What I mean is I want to agree with Jesus and I mean to agree with Jesus, but when it comes down to sacrificing my comfort, my rights, my little space on this earth and yes, my life, I become conflicted. I find it becomes a struggle within my mind.

But the truth is that it really is not about me and my comfort, my rights or the survival of my physical body  – or yours – nor any of the things of this natural world.

And, yes, I know that the Apostle Paul warned that this kind of thing may happen when he confessed: “I do not do the things I wish to do, but I do the very things I detest. Wretched man that I am. Who will save me from this body of death?” (see Romans 7:21-25)

Of course, God cares about our earthly and physical needs. He provides what you and I will eat or what we will drink, and for our bodies, that is, as to what you will put on. But, life is more than food, and clothing. Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. (see Matthew 6:25-33)

But God’s primary purpose was not to come to feed and clothe us, He came to seek and save the lost – to buy us back from the curse of sin and death. He came to rescue us and give us a home with Him, for all eternity.

There are times that we are tempted and seduced to follow our own desires – the desires of our flesh, as the Bible calls it. We may even begin to think that it is perfectly normal to want the better things of life, possessions, some degree of wealth and status. And there are many instances that God grants these things to His dedicated followers. But this life is not about us and what we want. It is about God and what He wants for us. Anything else we might think can be a form of idolatry.

Jesus asks why we call Him Lord when we do not do what He says? Let’s be clear.  Jesus says that His own, that is His disciples, His sheep, know His voice and they follow Him. They do His bidding and not their own desires. He warns that if we continue doing things our own way for our own purposes, He will tell us to depart from Him because He does not know us!

It is not about us. It is about Him. It is about His purpose and His plan for this world and for us as His followers. And if you and I want to experience the peace, the power and the spiritual prosperity He offers, then we must forsake the things of this world and live to walk in His ways, in His Spirit.

Listen to how the Apostle Peter describes how it is about God: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Again, in Ephesians, the Apostle Paul reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

The answer to Paul’s question, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” is this: Thanks be to God for my deliverance through Jesus Christ our Lord, because even though I find that I serve my human nature, my worldliness, and my sinful capacity, through the law of sin with my flesh, on the other hand with I serve the law of God my mind.  And I praise God that “there is no condemnation whatsoever, (despite this seeming contradiction), for those who are in Christ Jesus.” And praise God that the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. (see Romans 8).

So, let’s set our mind on the things above. Let’s set our mind on the things of the Spirit of God. Let’s think on, dwell on, meditate on and practice whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, pure, lovely, and whatever is commendable. If there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, think about these things, and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard our hearts and minds.

So, what is the point of all of this? IT IS NOT ABOUT US. IT IS ABOUT GOD, HIS PLAN, HIS PURPOSE AND HIS WAYS. It is not about what we want. It is about what God wants for us. And if you and I want to experience the peace, the power and the spiritual prosperity He offers, then we must seek first the Kingdom of God. We must forsake the things of this world and live to walk in His ways, in His Spirit.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young