This is a post from Joel Cormie's blog. Joel is a brilliant thinker who has the talent of fusing deep intellectual thoughts with beauty. I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do.
We live to cast anchors into the relentless river of life hoping to attain a name for ourselves. In that effort we destroy ourselves, each other and our planet. God’s dominion mandate is not a domination mandate, yet that is how we treat it. Authoritarianism mingles with environmental degradation like a married couple. Like those in Babel, we attempt salvation through economic gains. From feudalism to Marxism human wickedness and greed will always prevail as long as we are sinners. We try to ignore our condition; we are like the man who stands in front of a mirror trying to ignore his own reflection. Ravi Zacharias commented on mans ignorance,
“He is attempting to build civilizations when he doesn’t know what it means to be civilized, he is trying to be the philosopher when he does not know who the master philosophizer is, he’s portraying his artistic perceptions when he does not know the master artist, he moralizes on life but he does not know the moral law giver, and this same man tries to build his utopias and bring about his dreams and his optimism only to find time and time again they come crashing in disaster as once again he his making havoc of all of his ambitions.”
Ravi is talking about you and I; we all do this, we try to bring God’s kingdom on earth without God and his truth. I don’t think it can be done. I think God’s kingdom will only come when He brings it. What do you think?
Leave a comment! Read more of Joel's posts at joelcormie.blogspot.com and follow him on twitter @joelcormie
3 comments:
I have to disagree here. I absolutely believe we can see God's kingdom here and now. Jesus invited all of mankind to enter into the kingdom in the present, right now. Romans 12:2 puts it like this:
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
We are called to live in a better reality, to actively participate in fulfilling the perfect will of God, to be a part of building His kingdom. I think this is why Jesus is often found saying "The kingdom of God IS like..." instead of "The kingdom of God WILL BE like."
We see this kingdom at work all the time. Every ounce of selfless love, every act of generosity, every mouth fed, every need met, every injustice set right, every expression of joy points to the kingdom God has established and welcomed us all in to.
Yes, I agree, without knowing God all of our efforts to build our own kingdoms will fail because our wills are not perfect, but don't be fooled into thinking that we have to wait to enter the perfect kingdom of God. On the cross Jesus said "It IS finished!" Victory has been claimed over all of the kingdoms of this world, whether policitcal, religious or personal. The kingdom of God was established and we have been given the undeserved honor of calling ourselves citizens of that kingdom.
One day Christ will return to complete the kingdom He is building, and on that day we know that EVERY tongue will confess He is Lord. Praise God for that! But recognize and accept the grace that God has given us. Remember the words of Romans 5:8
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
While we WERE sinners. We aren't considered sinners anymore...
Galatians 4:7 says:
"So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. "
Heirs to the kingdom of God. No longer sinners. Good enough in the eyes of God.
Welcome to the kingdom.
I think this is a conversation of semantics. Although we are living in the kingdom, to many of us try to advance that kingdom without any consideration to God.
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