Memory Verse
Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is in your midst."
Luke 17: 20-21 (NIV)
Reflection
Jesus could not have stated it more clearly. The "when" of the kingdom of God was "now". Yes, it is an eternal kingdom, but one that has its starting point when one truly makes Jesus king of their life and when one is willing to give up everything they have to experience such a kingdom.
Are we there yet? I fear we're not.
This has been a summer of much travel for me. In the past 2-3 months, I have been in South Africa, Zambia, Uganda, Sri Lanka, and Peru. Perhaps as a result of spending so much of this time among the materially poor, I have returned particularly sensitive to how little time, thought, and effort we really give to extending more of the kingdom of heaven to the materially poor. Let's face it - most of us live our lives without giving them much thought. We spend our money and resources relatively foolishly and self-centeredly relative to the one we claim to honor as King and how concerned He is for the poor.
What if we were much more intentional to live our lives in a more disciplined way such that we had our basic needs met but were able to be much more generous in extending more of the kingdom of heaven to the materially poor NOW?! What if we joyfully chose to live simply (e.g., eat out much less, not insist on the latest gadget, etc.) so that materially poor parents could generate their own income and send their children to school, or to the clinic, or to a well with clean water? Saving $25 or $250 may seem small to us, but that could be huge to some living on $2 or less per day. Are we willing to step away from the NOW of our consumption-based culture to the NOW of the kingdom of heaven on earth?
If we did, perhaps our Master would find us like the ones to whom He gave five bags of gold, and we returned ten; or the ones to whom He gave two bags of gold, and we returned four. Or, will He find us like the ones to whom He gave one bag of gold, and that's all we could return, because we focused primarily on ourselves?
The best way to experience more of the kingdom NOW is to extend more of that kingdom NOW to others. Then the kingdom of God will truly be in our midst.
Are we there yet? I fear we're not.
This has been a summer of much travel for me. In the past 2-3 months, I have been in South Africa, Zambia, Uganda, Sri Lanka, and Peru. Perhaps as a result of spending so much of this time among the materially poor, I have returned particularly sensitive to how little time, thought, and effort we really give to extending more of the kingdom of heaven to the materially poor. Let's face it - most of us live our lives without giving them much thought. We spend our money and resources relatively foolishly and self-centeredly relative to the one we claim to honor as King and how concerned He is for the poor.
What if we were much more intentional to live our lives in a more disciplined way such that we had our basic needs met but were able to be much more generous in extending more of the kingdom of heaven to the materially poor NOW?! What if we joyfully chose to live simply (e.g., eat out much less, not insist on the latest gadget, etc.) so that materially poor parents could generate their own income and send their children to school, or to the clinic, or to a well with clean water? Saving $25 or $250 may seem small to us, but that could be huge to some living on $2 or less per day. Are we willing to step away from the NOW of our consumption-based culture to the NOW of the kingdom of heaven on earth?
If we did, perhaps our Master would find us like the ones to whom He gave five bags of gold, and we returned ten; or the ones to whom He gave two bags of gold, and we returned four. Or, will He find us like the ones to whom He gave one bag of gold, and that's all we could return, because we focused primarily on ourselves?
The best way to experience more of the kingdom NOW is to extend more of that kingdom NOW to others. Then the kingdom of God will truly be in our midst.
Questions to Consider
1. If Jesus were assessing how faithful you have been in extending the kingdom of heaven to others, would you be the one to whom He gave five, two, or one bag(s) of gold?
2. What can you do to be more intentional in joyfully adopting a more simple lifestyle so that you can be the one through whom God extends more of His Kingdom NOW to the materially poor?
Action Steps for the Week
1. Choose at least one step you will take to be more intentional and disciplined in your life in how you spend your time or money to allow you to extend more of the kingdom to the materially poor now.
2. Find some means - a Bible verse, a picture, etc. - that you will post in a prominent place to remind you regularly about God's concern for extending the kingdom of heaven to the materially poor now so that it won't be so easy to become self-absorbed and forget them.
No comments:
Post a Comment