Most Gracious King, You tell me in Your Word that Your coming marked the point in time where the Kingdom of God came down to earth. In another place You explained that “the Kingdom” was not meat nor drink, but righteous, peace and joy. This clarifies for me the fact “the Kingdom” is not an external, physical place but is an internal, spiritual space for believers to dwell. The first step in building “the Kingdom” is the establishment of a firm, solid foundation. That involves turning to You admitting my sins, asking for forgiveness, and committing to follow Your lead. In doing this, I have the assurance that You are near because I have built a solid foundation for “the Kingdom” within my heart. “The Kingdom” is a reference to Your presence reigning in my life. As I grow in my knowledge of You, the secrets of “the Kingdom” will become evident and I will be able to use them to expand it.
“The Kingdom” is built through the thoughts and actions produced in my life each day. They form the materials that build and expand “the Kingdom” within me and eventually extend to others. The building process involves such things as … giving when others take … loving when others hate … helping when others neglect … acting righteously when others do evil … remaining patient when being persecuted, etc. Living this way builds character in me and helps me shine Your light into the darkness. If I practice the truths You teach in Your Word, I know I will become more like You and further “the Kingdom”. Righteous behavior on my part helps build “the Kingdom” both within and without. By living the life You called me to live allows me to collect the materials I need to fulfill my role in building and expanding Your Kingdom. My life must be an example of life within “the Kingdom”.
The Apostle Mathew captured many of Your parables which further explain “the Kingdom.” The parable of the man sowing good seed that grew up with weeds tells me that I must live in the unjust and evil world and know that the justice within “the Kingdom” will deal with it in the end. The parable about the mustard seed tells me that even though “the Kingdom” starts out small, over time it will grow to be something bigger and have benefits. The story of the man selling everything to be able to purchase a priceless pearl tells me that I must be willing to give up anything that impedes my spiritual growth. The parable of the yeast explains to me that even though I am a minor part in a bigger whole I have the ability, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to do bigger things. Today I am in a better place to understand my role in building Your Kingdom. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Romans 14:17-18 For “the Kingdom” of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteous, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ is pleasing to God and approved by man.