Live Before You Die - day 11

God's purposes are like a freight train that cannot be stopped, and the most dangerous place in the world to stand is in the way of those purposes because they will not slow down to avoid running over you. If you doubt this, just ask Pharaoh, who refused to let the children of Israel go in the Book of Exodus.  God has absolutely no chance of losing.  We are the only ones who stand to lose when we fail to obey.

We have been placed in this world for a purpose:  to propel God's kingdom forward.  This is more than a preference or privilege; it is a divine responsibility and duty for which we will be held eternally accountable. Propelling God's kingdom forward is not a side issue - it is the reason you were saved, it's the reason you were born.

A voice says, “Cry!”

And I said, “What shall I cry?”

All flesh is grass,

and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.

 The grass withers, the flower fades

when the breath of the Lord blows on it;

surely the people are grass.

Isaiah 40:6-7

 

Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,

and are accounted as the dust on the scales;

behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.

40:15, 17

 

Movie stars, world leaders, and business tycoons all think they are very important, and nightly news reports would have us believe the world revolves around these people and their influence, power, and wealth.  But from God's perspective it is all nothingness and futility.  All of their wars, struggles, and efforts to rise to the top of the ladder are all worthless.  When all is said and done, what is the purpose of everything we do?

 

All the goods we acquire soon rot, precious moments are forgotten, and money evaporates as the dew.  The world keeps spinning and changing as people and kingdoms come and go.  But when we are seeking first the kingdom of God, it means we have made God's kingdom the priority in our lives.  Put God's kingdom first, and not only will you find ultimate purpose and meaning in life, but also even the small things will also take on significance.

 

Careers, life partners, finances, location, and education should never be our chief focus.  All of these things will be sorted out and added to us as we keep the kingdom of God as our primary concern.  As we seek God's will for our lives, we can be sure that it will never move us in a direction that is contrary to God's kingdom purposes.  Jesus says that if we seek the kingdom first, all these things will be added to us.  If you will set your sights on His kingdom and make that your priority, as you move toward it you will automatically come across everything else you need!

 

Many people think the kingdom of God is an ethereal and irrelevant topic, and they prefer to be "down to earth."  They have decided to first concentrate on putting food on the table and paying the bills.  This seems to be the responsible and practical thing to do.

 

But what Jesus taught is quite the opposite.  Jesus said, "Don't worry about what you will eat or what you will wear.  Your Father in heaven knows you need these things, and He will take care of you.  Instead seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you." (See Matthew 6:25-33.) Put the kingdom of God first, and everything else will be taken care of - physical, mental, and emotional needs included.  When we put anything ahead of Christ and His kingdom in our lives, not only will we miss God's kingdom, but we will also miss all the other treasures as well. 

 

We do not seek the kingdom however because we love its benefits - we seek the kingdom because we love its King!  When our love for the King becomes our paramount incentive, then and only then do we have things in the right order.  If we are driven by a philosophy or an ideology, a desire to make the world a better place or to see a new order established, then our ambition falls into the same category as communism, Marxism, socialism, and all the other "-isms."  Seeking the kingdom of God is in a category all by itself because it stems from a fountain deeper than any motive in this world - divine, supernatural love for the King.  This love is the foundation and the driving force behind the kingdom that will endure long after all others have crumbled to dust.

 

 

Daniel Kolenda, Live before you die

Live Before You Die - day 10

In the Lord's Prayer Jesus prayed, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt 6:10).

Every one of God's holy prophets since the beginning of the world has spoken about the restoration of all things.  Those prophecies will be fulfilled, the prayer of Jesus will be answered, and God's kingdom will come.  This is what we long for.  This is what we pray for.  This is what we work for - for God's kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven!  Regardless of what we do as an occupation, we all share a singular calling and mission in this life: to build God's kingdom on earth.

The building of God's kingdom on earth is not just something we should keep in the back of our minds and try to contribute toward whenever an opportunity presents itself.  Seeing God's kingdom come on earth must be our main ambition.  In fact, Jesus said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:33, emphasis added).

I see this scenario play out before my eyes every day in the West.  Our comforts and conveniences have often made us complacent and indifferent to a dying world.  We are often afraid to do anything that might disturb our cozy, pampered lives.

The gospel is not an optional topic of conversation best left out of the workplace. It is God who gave you your job, and He gave it to you for a reason.  God is calling you into the ministry - even if He positions you in a "secular" occupation.  Your calling is to propel God's kingdom forward in whatever sphere you find yourself.

The money in our bank accounts is not ours - it all belongs to God to begin with.  He is not only the source of all our provision, but He is also the One who has given us the ability to create wealth.  God hasn't blessed us so we can consume those resources on our own lusts and pleasures; He has blessed us so we can be a blessing.

If God has entrusted you with money, you must realize that you are not the terminus; you are a channel through which those resources should flow.  Yes, when water flows through a pipe, the pipe also gets wet!  When God's blessings flow through you, you are also blessed personally, but never make the mistake of thinking you are blessed because you are so special or wonderful, intelligent or talented.  As Mordecai said to Esther, "Don't flatter yourself!"

He's blessed you for a purpose, and your fulfilling that purpose is not a side issue - it's the reason you have those blessings in the first place!  If you won't do what God has called you to do, He will find someone else who will do it with joy!

Daniel Kolenda, Live before you die

For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)