Published by admin on 22 Mar 2013 at 01:33 pm
WHOSE KINGDOM ARE YOU BUILDING?
What was on your mind this morning when you woke up; can you recall those thoughts? Whatever was on your mind first thing most likely set your priorities for the day. I’m not talking about the normal stuff like turning off the alarm clock and getting dressed; but rather, ”What’s on the agenda today, and how do I accomplish that?” If you’re like most people, you’re doing what you need to do to make a living. But there’s a deeper, more urgent agenda just under the surface. Whether you realize it or not, you are a kingdom builder; the question is merely “whose kingdom” are you building?
There are three distinct kingdoms we will look at here: God’s Kingdom, Satan’s kingdom, and your kingdom. Most people are about building their own kingdom when you get right down to it: grow up, get a job, a car, a home, get married, pursue a career, raise a family, the “normal stuff” you see around you every day. And there’s nothing wrong with having those things whatsoever. But what you use for “building materials” will determine what kind of kingdom you will end up being a part of. Let’s have a look at the possibilities.
Jesus discussed the issues we all consider in Matthew 6:24-34:
Mat 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Mat 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Mat 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Mat 6:27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
Mat 6:28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
Mat 6:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Mat 6:30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Mat 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Mat 6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
You see, God knows the issues you face in life, He isn’t against you having a good and enjoyable life, in fact, it’s His desire you have a GOOD life, for Jesus said in John 10:10, The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. The thing you have to realize is this: the storms of life WILL come, but depending on the foundation you build upon determines whether your kingdom weathers the storm or not.
Pay close attention to what Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, you CANNOT serve two masters, I don’t care how good you are at multi-tasking, it just can’t be done. You cannot serve both God and man’s way of doing things, for they are opposed to one another. God knows you need certain things: food, water, clothing, shelter, and to those needs WE add a new car or two, a few homes, lots of money, fame, lots of friends, fine possessions, the latest electronic goodies, phones, computers, perhaps a boat or two, maybe an airplane. Which brings me to my point, whose kingdom are we building, anyway? Hmmm?
Go back and really look at verses 25 through 32 again. God KNOWS your needs and He wants those needs to be met, but did you miss the important part? He doesn’t want YOU striving to meet those needs, He wants you to seek HIM and His way of doing things FIRST AND FOREMOST, and then, HE will add those things unto you. It does not say “those things will be taken from you”. Most often we think OUR efforts are what bring us good things in life, but the scriptures above show us that when we seek God, and HIS way of doing things first, it will be God blessing us. Does that mean for you to just sit home in your recliner and study your Bible all day and not work? NO! Don’t get in the ditch with this. Ask God for His instructions for your life, and then do what He says! God knows where the job is where you will not only prosper, but it will a job you will be best suited for, and you will like doing it, too. I remember my work doing furniture repair for many years as a “second job”. I looked forward each day to doing that work. For the first few years I did it mostly for free, just because I loved doing it. Can you imagine having a job you love so much you would do it for free, and then actually getting paid for it? THAT is the ideal job. It paid well, I used talents the LORD gave me from childhood, and I never got tired of doing it. Never did I wake up dreading going to work. Only when the LORD called me away from it to do full-time ministry did I leave it. The point is God can and will lead you to your most fulfilling career if you will seek Him first.
God has created each of us with a unique personality. I said “unique”, in that there isn’t anyone else just like you. You have God-given talents, and whether or not you are presently using them is beside the point. In your effort to build “your kingdom”, you may be working in a dead-end job that you hate, because you think that’s your only option. And that’s the recipe for suffering destruction from the “other kingdom”, Satan’s kingdom. Let me explain.
In an effort to get ahead in a stalled or nearly stalled economy, the devil may be luring you into the trap of “compromise”. And you’re not alone. Most everyone who is trying to build “their kingdom” is faced with the same temptations you are. Your job may present opportunities to lie or cheat, or steal or give less than your best effort, or actually require you to do things you know are not right, but you feel you must do them in order to stay employed. Let me tell you if that is the case, you are NOT building God’s Kingdom, but Satan’s kingdom. And sooner or later, when you’re in a position like that, you will end up losing even that which you think you have. Many have gone down that sad road, thinking it was the way forward, but in reality it was the way to ruin.
As Jesus said in Matthew 6:26, Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Have you ever seen a bird pacing back and forth on a tree limb, fretting about where their next worm or bug will come from? I haven’t. Somehow they just know they will be taken care of, and they are, too. It’s so easy to get trapped into the thought, “If we are going to eat, I have to make it happen”. Been there, done that.
Only after considering whose kingdom I was working to build, did I realize that it was “my kingdom” and considered the consequences of continuing that course. Though there were material goods to show for my efforts, true joy was not the overall product, therefore I could honestly say I was still not living the “good life”, though everyone else might disagree with that.
When faced with terminal cancer in 1993, there wasn’t much hope left in me of “life more abundantly”. Yet, God still had a good plan for me, HIS plan, and all I had to do was change which kingdom I would build. Though still a “Kingdom Builder”, my labors are for HIS Kingdom now, not mine, and yet, “my” little kingdom just keeps getting better and better every day. When I wake up in the morning, my first thoughts are, “What do you want me to do today, LORD?” Do you know what? That shows me I’ve really changed! And you can too! Tell the devil to take a hike and go to work for God’s Kingdom: a REAL Kingdom that will never end. You’ll be SO glad you did. Yes, you really can cast all your cares over on Jesus and never have another worry in your life. REALLY! Do it now, what are you waiting for, and engraved invitation? OK then, here it is, Matthew 11:28-30,
Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Are you “YE”? Yep, I thought so.)
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
There’s room in God’s Kingdom for builders: He has the right job for YOU!
Lorie Leahy on 22 Mar 2013 at 8:15 pm #
Thank-you Jerry! I just visited a web site to fill in missed information on an application before I read this. I am feeling a bit discouraged because I do not have the degree they ask for. I know the Lord will provide for tomorrow and am thanking him for the blessings of meeting my needs he has given me today. Thank-you for the reminder. Lorie