Thinking about the Kingdom on a daily basis is something that I really struggle with. I pray and talk to God frequently and do my daily readings, but if my faith is in a great hope that is coming shouldn’t I put more of a focus on thinking daily about what the Kingdom will be like? Everyone needs to have their own Kingdom vision. “Where there is no vision the people perish” (Prov 29:18). Each vision will be unique for each individual; there are some who are looking forward to being reunited with loved ones who have fallen asleep, or those who look forward to receiving a new body that will be raised imperishable. Yet our common uniting focus should be how Christ will be the King of the world and sin will be no longer. The ultimate promise of God being all in all will be finally fulfilled.
Paul desperately tries to convey with all his might to the Corinthians that if Christ was not raised then our hope is worthless and a lie. His tone and fervency confirm his enthusiasm for the future resurrection. “If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized?” (1Cor 15:29). The entire ethos of Paul’s speech is that our hope is a certainty and we need to constantly remind ourselves of the need to “press towards the mark of the high calling in Christ our Lord” (Phil 3:14). The time and energy that goes into the menial things of this life should not come in between or outweigh our priority of focusing on the Kingdom. When things in life go contrary to what we had hoped (which they often do), we can stand still and think about the comfort of our faith. This indeed is a real, sure, and true realization that Christ is coming back to establish His Kingdom, and it is the gift and pleasure of God to give it to us.
Rather than getting frustrated and dwelling on the present troubles that the world presents, I try to think of how the world will be transformed, rejuvenated, and reformed at the coming of Christ. No longer will pollution and grey skies be seen all around us; they will be replaced by a new world that will be so glorious we won’t even remember the old one. “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind” (Isa 65:17). Themes of coming towards God’s light are prevalent throughout Scripture. My mood is significantly changed by the simple addition of natural sunshine in my day. Isaiah tells us that “the sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory” (Isa 60:19). What a comfort to think that I won’t have to rely on the sun to brighten my mood because the Lord will be my everlasting light!
We are given ample Scriptural examples of how we must conduct ourselves in order to train ourselves for the Kingdom. Psa 146 is an excellent picture of how trust in princes is fleeting, and in them there is no salvation. This psalm shows us the things that God does: executing justice for the oppressed, giving food to the hungry, setting the prisoners free, protecting strangers, supporting the fatherless and widows. In the Kingdom, this work — God’s work — will be our work as well. Are we preparing ourselves for that work now by doing what we can to bring comfort to the suffering, and security to the marginalized? When we engaged in this work — God’s work — we do not only have an impact on those that we serve directly: Jesus reminds us that “even as you did to the least of these my brethren, you did it unto me” (Matt 25:40). Are our actions helping us or hindering us from coming closer to the kingdom of God? When deciding on our mode of actions we should be thinking of the consequences, and whether or not they have a positive effect on molding our character to become more like Christ. The lives we are living now are merely a training ground for the lives that we will live when Christ returns. When training for a marathon, one does a lot of running as preparation for the event. It wouldn’t make sense to dedicate all your training time to building upper body strength if the event that you are competing in requires you to rely on your legs. Likewise, if we are training for an immortal life of service and glorifying God, it is by doing those very things that we can best prepare ourselves.
One of the simplest ways I have found to be helpful in reminding myself of the impending reality of the Kingdom of God is by saying it out loud. I thank Bro. Bob Lloyd for getting me to talk to myself: “I want to be in the Kingdom of God more than anything else in the world!” Hearing those few words out loud makes me realise that the Kingdom is coming, and it is real, and I want to be there. This concept is also present in the way that Jesus taught his disciples to pray: “thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. For thine is the Kingdom, the power, and glory forever” (Matt 6:10,13). That should be at the forefront of every prayer we give. The crux of our faith is the future, and how we act now affects us in the long term. I take refuge in knowing that my God made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them will keep His promise of sending His son to become the king of the world.
Another thing to think of is how we will be taken to the Kingdom. An angel who will look like any normal human will say “it is time, come follow me and I will show you to Christ”. Have we gone over what that moment will be like in our minds? Will our response be “yes, here I am ready and willing” or “just a second let me get my things in order, I’m not quite ready”? Matt 24:31 tells us “and he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other”. Visualizing this event in our minds will prepare us for when the actual event takes place. The band Mercy Me sums up the potential first impression we could have while meeting Christ in their song ‘I Can Only Imagine.’ “Will I stand in your presence?/to my knees will I fall?/will I sing hallelujah?/will I be able to speak at all?” If we merely have a vague and cloudy idea of what meeting Christ will be like, it won’t do anything to make our vision a sure affirmation. It is a valuable exercise to really meditate upon Jesus’ coming return. Imagine what your first words will be like when the trumpet blows and the angel is there to guide you to Zion.
Little things will help us to fully realize what lies before us and help us on our walk towards the Kingdom. It is God’s gift and His pleasure to give us the Kingdom of Heaven. “Surely I am coming soon,” (Rev 22:20), as Jesus assures us. So as I go about my day I try to think about the Kingdom and what it means to take on the saving name of Jesus Christ. Each day we grow and can further improve ourselves in preparation for that coming day. Even so come Lord Jesus.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One