I love the word “kingdom.” I think it sounds cool. It speaks of dynasty, empires, kingly rulers and warriors. As a man, I’ve discovered that the kingdom of God must be fought for, won, and then protected with vigilant rule. The casting call in my marriage would have me be the knight, my wife the beautiful maiden under my protection, and our family as its own kingdom clan, a strategic piece in its contribution to the entire global expression of the kingdom of God.
Every family is called to be a strategic piece, contributing to the global expression of the kingdom of God. Click To TweetSuccinctly defined, the kingdom of God is his kingship, rule, and authority. The Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all. Psalm 103:19 God reigns; God rules; He is the sovereign over all.
The promise of provision for my life is a guarantee that if I “seek first his kingdom”, I will be granted all I need to live this life. Jesus tells me, Do not be anxious about tomorrow. Mt. 6:33-34 When I pray Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, I am making my declaration, “Your kingdom first Lord. Manifest your kingly power in me.”
While the kingdom refers to God’s rulership, it also refers in Scripture to the “realm” of God’s rule. As a husband and wife both seek God’s rule first and foremost, the kingdom (realm) of their marriage enjoys peace and is an effectual witness to living a life surrendered. The kingdom of God in me + the kingdom of God in my wife = the kingdom of God in our marriage.
The kingdom of God in me + the kingdom of God in my wife = the kingdom of God in our marriage. Click To TweetThe kingdom of God is also an inner spiritual blessing. “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Rom.14:17 The kingdom is a living, breathing, dynamic interior realm that we enter into.
Then there is the future inheritance of the kingdom. “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.” 1 Cor. 15:50-52 Being in the kingdom NOW ensures that I will be in the kingdom THEN. Jesus instilled this incentive into his followers.
The future kingdom age is the engine that powers our endurance in this present kingdom experience.
Jesus said, Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. Mk. 10:30
Hope has no limits when anchored in this promise of Christ.