People
believe they are not “of” the world as the scriptures say....but what makes
them believe that?
The
difference may “seem” obvious. “Sinful” people live in the kingdom
of this world and the “good” Christians live in The Kingdom of God. But
the reality is EVERYONE naturally lives out from in the kingdom of this
world. We think our good behaviour and kind acts, even praying and going
to church is a sure sign that we are walking in the “Kingdom of God”.
Religion
makes people believe the lie that God wants “our” “best life now” and if
something goes wrong with that picture, they turn to God to “fix it”, or
believe that God is somehow going to give them something even better. We
want God to turn our “bad” situation into something good. But still, at
the cord....it is “our” will and “our” life we want God to fix and make
better. After all, God loves us and we believe in Him and love Him, why
wouldn’t He do good for us, isn’t that what His plan is? And in the
end, no matter how “good” our intentions are, life still revolves around “us”
and not God. We don’t even realize what we have really been asking
God for. We are asking God to “fix” the “kingdom of this world” (that He
has condemned) so our lives can be better, but we had no idea, nor did we know
what the true Kingdom Of God is.
Those
that are in the world’s kingdom, live according to their own natural desires
that we are born with. Preconceived ideas of what our needs are and how things
“should” be is a natural thing to us. It doesn’t matter what our desires
are, it could be to “live the American dream” or have some other even more
“noble” ideas of what a “good” life is. But in the end, it is still “our”
idea and in the process of perusing these goals or just living our lives, we
have opened ourselves up to a life that is naturally living by the course of
this “natural” world and its “whims” where “things happen”. So
called “good” things and “bad” things happen there…. In response, in one
way or another, we will try to have things work out the way we believe they
should. We have our ideas of what is “right” and “wrong”. But, this
is what is called walking according to the “course of this world”...the kingdom
of this world. It is living according to the “Tree of the knowledge of
Good and Evil”. It is self-ruled and not God ruled life which
defines the difference between the two Kingdoms.
People
want to believe that God is in “control” of it all, when in reality, “we” have
continued to control our own lives and do what seems right to us, but we want
God to step in when we need Him. Many times people even blame God
for the things that go on in this world. It is not that God doesn’t
maintain control, but that “control” is according to HIS purposes. It is
simple, if we want our will, we don’t want God’s, and He allows things to
happen as a result of what we have set in motion by living from what seems right
in our own eyes. This may be an overly simplification of what the Kingdom
of the World is, but it shows enough to see what the opposite is...what the
Kingdom of God looks like.
When we
have entered into The Kingdom of God, His rule is now over us... We have
been bought with a price; we are no longer our own (period). We no longer
have “rights” to do want was “natural” to us, to make or do the things “we”
think are right, but only to be led by the Spirit. We now get our
life from “above”, we live in the Kingdom of God where He rules.
These
two Kingdoms seem to still be part of our daily reality to some extent or
another, I believe that is why it is said, we are in the world, but not part of
it, but we have to choose daily to pick up our cross & die daily to our own
kingdom and actively choose to live in the Kingdom of God...obeying Him.
Seeing
the reality of the Kingdom of God within you changes you forever, you will have
a desire for His Kingdom’s rule above all else. It will bring righteous,
peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. But the cares of the world will
try to draw us out of that reality and back into the realm of the temporal, so
we must be aware and watchful. When we are living in His “rule”
(walking in the spirit) and walking in all the light He has given us, He is
sovereign over every aspect of our lives and not left to the “whims” of the
world. Everything in His Kingdom is done for HIS purposes, and
whatever that looks like is ok and good with us. We don’t even have to
understand His dealings, we just KNOW that He is Good, not according to what
the world would see as good, but what is TRULY good. We just want
HIM.
There is
nothing this world can offer that can compare to Living in the Kingdom of
God. I have tasted and have seen that it is good beyond words, let us be
willing to give up all to follow Him in His Kingdom.
