More Kingdom Thoughts
I've been having more thoughts on this kingdom business. You know, the funny thing is, once you start thinking about a subject, it seems that it starts popping up all the time in the most unlikely places. It's like God is saying to me, "Are you ready to get down to business? Are you finally seeking My kingdom? It isn't as hidden as it appears. Just open your eyes."
If we look again at Matthew 6, we are reminded that Christ's directive to seek first God's kingdom came after a discussion on provision for our basic needs. But now I want to look at the verses just prior to that.
Verses 15-24 tell us not to store up for ourselves treasures on earth, but rather treasures in heaven. That is, our treasury is not Ft. Knox, or some Swiss bank account, or the storeroom of some dictator's palace. Our treasury is located in the kingdom of God.
Paul writes to the Ephesians that there are other realms than the one we see. He tells us in 6:11-12 that:
"Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
There is a world we live in, the world we see. But as Philip Yancey says, every once in a while we hear rumors of another world. This world is the kingdom of God.
There are some things about the movie "The Matrix" that I really like (and no, it's not the overwhelming violence). In some ways, it has a decidedly Christian message to it. Neo is part of a world that he thinks is real. It's not until he's transported out of it, that he comes to realize that nothing at all in the world he called home is real. It is worse than unreal; it sucks the life out of man. Literally.
Derek, my son, just finished a book that is on my to-read list. It is a little known C.S. Lewis book, the one Lewis himself considered his best work. It is called "Till We Have Faces," and it is the re-telling of the Cupid and Psyche story from Greek mythology. The interesting thing is when the main character, Orual, tries to "rescue" her sister Psyche from the place she has been "kidnapped" to. Psyche sees a beautiful kingdom where she is living; Orual sees only a forest. At the end of the story we find out though, that it is Psyche's kingdom that is real after all.
The kingdom of God is in the heavenly realm. But it is not a man-made kingdom. And for that reason, it is not confined to the heavenly realm. It reaches down and touches earth. Sometimes it is gloriously apparent to all. Other times, only a chosen few get a glimpse. But for those of us who strive to walk with God, the kingdom becomes more vivid all the time.
If we look again at Matthew 6, we are reminded that Christ's directive to seek first God's kingdom came after a discussion on provision for our basic needs. But now I want to look at the verses just prior to that.
Verses 15-24 tell us not to store up for ourselves treasures on earth, but rather treasures in heaven. That is, our treasury is not Ft. Knox, or some Swiss bank account, or the storeroom of some dictator's palace. Our treasury is located in the kingdom of God.
Paul writes to the Ephesians that there are other realms than the one we see. He tells us in 6:11-12 that:
"Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
There is a world we live in, the world we see. But as Philip Yancey says, every once in a while we hear rumors of another world. This world is the kingdom of God.
There are some things about the movie "The Matrix" that I really like (and no, it's not the overwhelming violence). In some ways, it has a decidedly Christian message to it. Neo is part of a world that he thinks is real. It's not until he's transported out of it, that he comes to realize that nothing at all in the world he called home is real. It is worse than unreal; it sucks the life out of man. Literally.
Derek, my son, just finished a book that is on my to-read list. It is a little known C.S. Lewis book, the one Lewis himself considered his best work. It is called "Till We Have Faces," and it is the re-telling of the Cupid and Psyche story from Greek mythology. The interesting thing is when the main character, Orual, tries to "rescue" her sister Psyche from the place she has been "kidnapped" to. Psyche sees a beautiful kingdom where she is living; Orual sees only a forest. At the end of the story we find out though, that it is Psyche's kingdom that is real after all.
The kingdom of God is in the heavenly realm. But it is not a man-made kingdom. And for that reason, it is not confined to the heavenly realm. It reaches down and touches earth. Sometimes it is gloriously apparent to all. Other times, only a chosen few get a glimpse. But for those of us who strive to walk with God, the kingdom becomes more vivid all the time.
posted by Kaye @ 7:56 AM
2 Comments:
At 10:58 AM,
Wayne said…
Thanks for the thoughts. The same idea of which "home" is "real" is found in Lewis' The Silver Chair (Narnia). The Witch tries to enchant the children that there is no sun, and no Aslan - that a lamp is real but not the sun; a cat is real but not the lion. So satan does with us - that sun is real but not the Son; that the shadow is real, but not the Substance.
At 6:06 AM,
Kaye said…
I'm reading the Chronicles again with my kids. For the third time. We're half way through Prince Caspian right now.
It is a daily struggle, I think, to keep in mind that we are not living in the shadowland, and to keep our eyes on Substance.
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