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“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33
There really are only two kingdoms. There is the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of Satan, our enemy. There is no middle ground.
The kingdom of God is a kingdom of light and love and forgiveness and acceptance.
The Kingdom of Satan is the kingdom of darkness and hate and anger and doubt.
Within each of us there is a battle as to which kingdom we will follow. Our passions and emotions scream at us to take care of ourselves and fight for our own rights through our own power. Those are the voices of the kingdom of the enemy.
God‘s kingdom is completely different. To the human mind God’s kingdom makes no sense. While the enemy screams at us that we need to take care of ourselves, God’s Kingdom quietly tells us we need to give up ourselves and trust God.
It doesn’t seem logical, but the more I give up, the more I gain. With God’s kingdom less is more because when we give ourselves entirely over to him he needs our emotional and spiritual needs. When we find that contentment, the physical becomes less important and the spiritual becomes our passion.
When we align our lives with God’s word, our desires will follow. So don’t listen to the voices to tell you your destiny is your responsibility. Give God your destiny and he will give you a peace that passes all understanding
“From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me. Let all Israel repeat this: From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me, but they have never defeated me. My back is covered with cuts, as if a farmer had plowed long furrows. But the Lord is good; he has cut me free from the ropes of the ungodly.” Psalms 129:1-4
Sometimes it seems like the whole world is against you and you can’t catch a break. You try to make a difference and you’re misunderstood. You live as best you can for Jesus only to be ridiculed. You may have even been thrown under the bus a few times by those you trusted.
You read the Bible. You pray. You do the very best you can to make a difference in other peoples lives and it seems like they don’t listen and they don’t care. In fact, sometimes they turn on you and call you all kinds of names or even attack you.
I wonder if that’s how the Psalmist felt when he wrote these verses. He bore the scars of an entire life of attack, pain and rejection. He didn’t play the victim card. He was a victim! I wonder if that’s not how Paul felt when he said we are beaten down, we are persecuted but we will prevail.
As a Jesus follower, life can be a a good news/bad news situation. Life will be full of a lot of disappointments. Life will be full of a lot of pain. We will be attacked for preaching the message of Godliness to the godless.
But as believers in Jesus we have this to look forward to. Ultimate victory is ours through Jesus. So hang in there. Don’t be discouraged. It may seem dark now but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that light is Jesus.
The psalmist ends these verses with a promise to hang onto in the upcoming darkness of hatred.
“But the Lord is good; he has cut me free from the ropes of the ungodly.”
“When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Psalms 94:19
Sometimes when we are challenged with something, difficult we move forward cautiously. There may become a time when we get to the point of no return. We doubt our ability to succeed and worry feeds our heart.
I see doubt and worry like driving into a tunnel. It can be dark and scary, you may question whether or not you’ll make it. And then you see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then you know you can make it to the end.
Jesus is like that light at the end of the tunnel. We may worry about the future. We may fear what is in the shadows. We may question our ability or the motives of others. We may even begin to doubt Gods presence.
But when we look to Jesus we find the comfort we need to move forward. When he was on earth, Jesus constantly reminded us that he would be with us always. He promised us a comforter in the Holy Spirit who empower us through the difficult times.
In the dark shadows of a tunnel, focus on the light at the end. He’ll see you through. He won’t take the darkness away, but he will assure you that you will make it through.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 