New Thoughts (01/31/10-02/01/10)
With these verses we arrive at the core of what Jesus is saying. It would be fair to say that we likewise arrive at the core message of His entire ministry: Seek His kingdom. That’s the whole of Christianity in three easy words. Seek His kingdom. Of course, as Matthew makes express, we cannot seek His kingdom apart from seeking His righteousness. They are of a piece, inseparable. To seek His kingdom is to seek His righteousness, for His righteousness is the essence of heavenly citizenship.
Matthew also adds that we are to seek His kingdom first. That, however, suggests to the suggestible mind that we can do that bit and then go back to seeking everything else again. Such is certainly not the case. There is certainly a sense in which we are being called to make His kingdom the most important of our pursuits, but I think we have to go beyond that. I dare not leave the door open for any other pursuit. The NLT says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else.” That’s not bad. But, add to this the Weymouth translation of Luke’s version: “make His Kingdom the object of your pursuit.” See, this is what I like of Luke’s wording. There’s no first this and then that. There’s no mostly this but then a bit of that. It’s exclusive, as it ought to be. If His Kingdom is the object of my pursuit, then my eyes will see nothing else, my thoughts will be on nothing else.
This does not mean that I must eschew all creaturely comforts. It does not suggest that having material possessions in this life is somehow evil. It most certainly presents a particular challenge for those who would seek the kingdom of God, but it is not insurmountable for those whom God has chosen. No, it’s not the having of stuff that runs counter to kingdom seeking. It’s the seeking of stuff. It’s the devotion to stuff. It’s that we almost invariably wind up raising up our stuff as an idol, worshiping our wealth instead of our God.
So, this comes as a strong corrective: Seek His Kingdom. It’s not a first thing. It’s an only thing. Understand that as we seek His kingdom, He is seeing to all that other stuff. He may not give us all we want, but if He does not, it is surely a good thing that He does not. He is seeing to our needs. He is seeing to it that we are provided with the best provision for our development. If we are of a mindset that can have the fineries of life without being distracted from the kingdom, He may well shower us with these things. If we can be trusted with little, He shall entrust much to us. But, if we are weak of flesh, weak of spirit, He will temper our provision to our capacity. He will not tempt us beyond what we are able to resist. He will not provide for us in such a way as becomes poison to our souls.
This, after all, is the whole answer to our problem of anxiousness. We are anxious because we keep falling back into concern over stuff. Even if it’s necessary stuff, basic food and shelter, we become anxious because we forget God. We become anxious when we forget God. If we have not forgotten Him and Who He is, we have no cause for anxiety. We know He’s got us covered, and we can get on with life. There is, to be sure, another aspect of our anxiousness, which we find alluded to in Luke’s coverage of this message, but I’ll get to that in its place. The answer to that anxiousness remains the same, however: Remember God. Seek His Kingdom.
In light of this, I find myself thinking about the first words of that model prayer Jesus taught in a different way. “When you pray,” He said, “pray thusly: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come’” (Lk 11:2). Now, let me think for a moment on what those words of prayer convey. First, He is Father. He is your Father. He is my Father. He is not some remote and detached intelligence with no particular attachment to me. I am family in His sight. That’s a marvelous thing to remain aware of! God is family! He’s Dad! You know, we often talk of how family has to love us, particularly Mom and Dad. Well, if it’s true for our human parents, how much more our heavenly? If He has gladly chosen as His good pleasure to adopt us as children of His own household, has of His own free will chosen to be known as our Dad, He pretty much has to love us, doesn’t He? That love is not in question, nor ever shall be.
Then, we arrive at, “hallowed be Thy name.” Well, honestly, that doesn’t mean much to the modern ear, because we don’t really have a sound concept of what that hallowed business is all about. We may hear reference to the hallowed halls of the old college, or some such. This, to be sure, reduces the power of the word. But, it doesn’t do much for the halls. Let us, then, look upon it in more current terms: “Utterly holy be Thy name.” We’re starting to regain something with that, if we have the least sense of holiness. Perfectly pure. Absolutely righteous. Spotless. Not the least whiff of evil to be found. But, let’s be clear: We are not asking that this be so in God. This is not a case of, “Oh, let it be true that You are perfectly holy.” I suppose one might try and read this as seeking that the rest of the world around us would recognize that He is. But, I am inclined to think we must keep it far more personal. We must read this as a reminder to ourselves. Yo! My soul, remember this: Father is utterly holy!
How would our typical prayers be different if we were to be reminded of this before we got rolling? You are my Father, Who loves me always, what joy! But, You are perfectly, utterly holy! You are beyond the touch of evil, and will not tolerate it in Your presence. You will hear of no injustice from Your children. You will not accept any bending of justice in their requests. Those who would be Your sons must be sons indeed, reflecting that which You are. If this is the case, how dare we pray those childish prayers of, “Give me this and that,” or, “I know I haven’t done my part, but bring this to pass anyway.” Oh, there is certainly a great deal to be said for prayers of, “protect me from myself,” for we are surely our own worst enemies. But, this is not the way prayer is meant to be.
Look at the next bit of prayer that is offered up. “Thy kingdom come.” Again, if we have been listening to Jesus at all, we must surely recognize that His kingdom has already come. It is already here and now. As with the preceding bit, this is not so much request as acknowledgement. Thy kingdom is come, and may it be fully established. May it be so, first and foremost, in me. If You are holy and Your kingdom is here and now in and about me, then make of me a loyal citizen! Teach me, Daddy, to be as You would have me to be. Lead me into the place of obedience to Your perfect will, as a true citizen of Your kingdom. That is the sum of prayer. Everything else is superfluous.
The next clause in that prayer brings us back to the present discussion: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Again, we don’t need to ask Him for this. He knows what we need, and He has seen to it long since. It is we who need reminding of the fact. He has already provided. What are you whining about? Don’t be anxious! Yet, we practically specialize in anxiety! If we see that today is taken care of, we’re already off looking to tomorrow. Well, God, what about that? You know, the food could run out. The refrigerator might fail overnight, or we could have another power outage. What’s going to become of our food then? Oh, my! And if there’s no power, there’s no coffee! What am I supposed to do about that? What if the economy tanks? What if my employer goes out of business? You know, I’m not such a young man anymore. Finding a new job won’t be easy. And, then there’s our daughter with her newborn. What does she know of dealing with babies? She’s going to need our help, and she’s so far away. We’re supposed to go down next week, but what if it snows? Can’t be driving in that stuff. What’s she going to do? And our youngest: off to missions in a week and she’s fighting a cold. She can’t fly like that! It’d be misery! Never mind her spiritual condition. Is she even fit to be doing this missionary stuff? What if she comes back with a plague of devils upon her? Worry, worry, worry.
And, the answer Jesus brings is simply this: Don’t be anxious for tomorrow. Now, He states it as, “tomorrow will care for itself,” but the deeper reality is God has that day as fully under control as today, and even yesterday. He has never once failed to see to the needs of the day, nor ever shall. What does worrying accomplish?
Some would argue that all our worrying actually adds to the trouble of the day. There is that movement within the Church that supposes our spoken words are truly that powerful that they take a part in shaping the reality around us. I hate to tell you, but that is pure new age poison! It has no basis in reality and no basis in Scripture. The worst those words are doing is shaping your perceptions, dimming your hope. That is evil enough. Truly, we can no more speak added troubles into tomorrow than we can worry an extra week onto our lifespan. We can no more create our own reality than we can create our own hair. It just doesn’t work that way.
When Jesus says, “There is no need to add to the troubles each day brings,” as the Good News Translation has it, He is not suggesting that we are capable of actually doing so – certainly not by the mere power of thought and word. He is, however, bringing to our attention that we are making them greater in our own thinking. We are, as the adage says, making mountains out of molehills. We all know from experience that our apprehensions in regard to the unknown before us are ever and always way out of scale from the reality that we discover when that unknown has been met and made known. The job interview always seems dangerous when it’s over the horizon, but it will likely prove perfectly comfortable and positive when we have been and done it.
This is the sole power of all our anxiousness, folks! We can amplify the imagined dangers of the unknown. We can wear ourselves out in advance for all our worry. But, we cannot accomplish any least bit of good for all our careful thoughts. We cannot modify the outcome for the better by worrying about it. Leave tomorrow for tomorrow. That’s not a matter of failing to plan. It’s an acknowledgement that a far superior Planner has already looked at tomorrow and done what was needed. Oh, we shall continue to be good stewards, for He is a Good Steward. We shall continue to do as we should when it comes to setting aside for tomorrow, but we shall not be so terribly focused on hording away. We shall be easy in our planning, rest easy in our provision. If He has given us our bread for today, it is enough. We can rest in knowing He will do so again tomorrow. If today He had given us enough for tomorrow as well, so be it. We shan’t waste it, and we shan’t gobble it all down today. But, if He has not, that’s okay, too. He will, and in this we can be content.
We are sheep of His flock, and need not be concerned. He is the Good Shepherd, and He will most assuredly guide us to good pasture and clear, placid waters tomorrow, just as He has done today. If there are dangers, He will guard. If we stray, He will gather. If we follow, seeking Him and His kingdom, all well be seen to.
With that, let me turn briefly to a passage from Peter’s writings, which I have paraphrased thusly: “Shepherd the flock of God with oversight, not compulsion, as God wills it to be. Don’t labor for sordid profits, but with an eagerness for righteousness. Don’t lord it over those who are in your charge, but be an example for them” (1Pe 5:2-3). This is, of course, the instruction he gives to his ministers and leaders. But, what marvelous advice for any manager! Shepherd with oversight, not compulsion. Lead not by coercion but by example. That is truly an instruction to live by! If we would grow in the esteem of both God and man, this is the way. Be an example. That’s leadership. Coercion is the habit of the weak, the resort of the incapable. Use oversight, not compulsion.
My! You know, this applies beautifully to parenting as well. And that may be where I really need to hear it today, even if my daughter is approaching that age the state declares as majority. How easy it is as a parent to fall into a habit of coercion. Do as I say or else. Failure to obey will meet sternest consequences. And, how those consequences must escalate when this is our only tool! But, look at the message here: Oversight, not coercion. Let them make decisions. Let them learn to steer their own course. They’ve got to, else they’ll never grow up. Just bring gentle correction. Point out the mistakes. Demonstrate a better way. You know, that’s the other terrible part of parenting: By example. If we are forever saying, “live this way,” but we’re busy living that way, they will never hear a word we say. It’s all well and good to proclaim how we’re the adult and we don’t have to; it’s my house and I’ve already done my time, thanks. I’ll do it my-y-y-y way. But, all this teaches is arrogance. Why are we surprised when the child thus taught decides at an early age that they, too, will do it their own way. The heck with you, Dad! As far as I’m concerned, I’ve done my time, too, so I’ll take your queue and do what I want.
After all, nobody wants to miss out. Just look at the fun all my friends are having. What’s different about them, that they get to do what I can’t? Oh, I see. You’re always pushing God and their parents don’t. Well, I know what I’m a-going to do. See ya! Oh, where did they learn such attitudes? How is it that our fine example hasn’t rubbed off? Sadly, the whole problem is that our example has rubbed off. We have taught them by example how little we think of our own advice about sacrifice and sanctification. We, too, need to hear the advice of Jesus and take it to heart. “Don’t be afraid of missing out.” The Message offers that translation for Luke 12:32, but must clearly have Matthew 6:34 in sight simultaneously, as it should.
Don’t be afraid of missing out because of this kingdom focus. Whatever you may have to pass on today, there’s a veritable kingdom awaiting you tomorrow! It’s going to be worth it! I had mentioned this second cause of anxiousness in us, and this is it. We are anxious because we don’t wish to discover that at the end of our days we’ve missed life for no good reason. This is what leads us to envy others. We see the ones with no thought for God and they seem to be doing pretty well for themselves. We see the wicked prosper and it’s almost unavoidable that we should begin to question the benefits of being good. I do all that is right, and this is what I get in return? What’s the point?
But, the answer is here: There’s a kingdom waiting for you. They may prosper for the brief window of this life, but their eternity will not be so pleasant. For you, the case is quite the opposite. In this life, yes, there will be persecutions. You can count on it. It won’t be all persecutions, but you can be sure to have your share of them. But, the worst they can do to you doesn’t change the outcome. There’s a kingdom waiting for you. Indeed, the worst you can do to you doesn’t change the outcome, and we are surely our won worst enemies for the most part, particularly in trying to maintain a kingdom focus.
We are so quickly distracted from what we ought to be seeking. We are so quickly returned to looking at life as the worst pagan sees it. We are drawn back to the rat race, and fully prepared to trade in our heritage for a bit of creature comfort today. But, God. You see, Jesus isn’t telling us that in doing as He calls us to do we will have earned our place in heaven. Look at what it says there in Luke 12:32: Your Father (there’s that reminder again, He’s family.) has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. OK. That’s a bit stiff in modern tongue. Let me say it this way. God is please to give us the kingdom. He’s already decided on the matter, and He’s not going to change His mind. He’s not so fickle as we are. You see, the gift of the kingdom is not set out something we might, if we labor hard enough and consistently enough, achieve by our efforts. It’s something already bequeathed. It’s a gift. God is pleased to give it to us. It is no more payment for a job well done than the gifts we might receive on our birthday. What have we done to earn a birthday present? Nothing! The sum of our effort has consisted in surviving, and even that is not something we can chalk up to our own efforts. If God were to turn His attention aside for the briefest of moments, survival would not be our story.
Understand, then, that the kingdom of God is not a reward. It is a promise. It is an inheritance. Think about that. The inheritance one receives has little to do with accomplishment. There is no question of having earned that windfall. It is, as it was called in days of old, a birthright. What has one done by being born? What hand has one had in being born? None! There’s nothing of merit in having received the birthright. It’s not given on pains of good behavior. It’s a right. Period. For good or for ill, it’s yours by right. This kingdom of heaven, then, is in the same category for us. It is our inheritance. In the rebirth that Jesus has procured for the saints, this inheritance has been made our birthright. It is sealed over to us, held in an irrevocable trust until we have attained to our maturity in spirit and in righteousness.
That kingdom awaits. Whatever may be our lot in life, whatever we may have to forego as sons of the Most High God, it will never compare with what is in store. It is hard for us to hold to this fact, but fact it remains. It remains true, and it is the very bedrock of our contentment. God has provided. He has provided for all our yesterdays, and He has provided for all our future days. He has given us an inheritance of far greater worth than all the treasures of the earth, and He has done so of His own accord. He has not rewarded us as we deserve, but as He is pleased to do.
Is there any parent out there that cannot understand that motivation in our Father in heaven? Is it so incomprehensible that He would do for His children even when they’re such constant screw-ups? No. In Him, we have hopefully learned to love as we ought, particularly when it comes to our own offspring. Sure, and there’s a time for discipline, plenty of times. But, there’s also a time for unconditional love. There’s also a time for unsolicited and undeserved blessing. As you have received, so ought you to give.
Lord, I look at the measure laid out in this study, and I find myself wanting. I am wanting in expressing that very unconditional love of late, to my shame. I am wanting, desperately wanting, in kingdom focus. Somewhere along the course of the last year or so, the sacrifice has taken on greater weight than the service. I have been doing, but where is the joy of it? I have been going through the motions without any real connection with the activity. Indeed, I need not tell You, for You know perfectly well, but I shall say it for my own benefit: I have been so terribly resentful. I have grown tired of my heart breaking with each request to do. Somehow, Jesus, it has never quite occurred to me that You might feel the same way as You hear the bulk of our prayers. Always asking for the wrong things, always looking for You to do something besides what You would choose.
But, I must have an eye to my own case, Lord, and not let this deflect to others. I am like this, for all I know better. I am like this for all that I would choose to be better. I have become lazy in my faith, and for this above all I must ask Your forgiveness.
God, it is a marvelous thing to be so aware that my future is wholly in Your hands. It is a relief beyond all relief to know that You have done the work, You have finished the work, and my inheritance in Your kingdom is a settled and irrevocable matter. Yet, it is such a danger, too. How easy it is for me to make light of my sins when I know it’s all about You. But, that’s so wrong! And, this I also know and know well. Yet, the flesh is so persistent in finding loopholes in Your government. Father, forgive me. Father, change me. Restore the fire of passion for You in my heart, lest I grow so cold as to fall.
In this new year, Holy Spirit, grant me wisdom in assessing what I am doing. Grant me the wisdom to know the things You have called me to do, and to be about them. Grant me the grace to set down those things to which only men have called me, even if those who have called cannot understand. Stoke the fires!
God! I am so tired of setting such a poor example. Daily, I resolve to be a better witness for You, and daily I fall flat. Daily, I fall back into a place of not holding to the sense of You in my life. Yet, You are real, and You are really there. Help me, Lord, to tune back in. Help me, Lord, to remain mindful of Your presence, to continue seeking You out throughout the day. Bring me to that place of seeking Your kingdom, not only first and foremost, but exclusively, letting everything else go.
