New Morning Mercies #24

Your little kingdom of one cannot compete with the glory of the kingdom of God, which is yours by grace and grace alone.

One of the sweetest, most encouraging things that Jesus said to his followers is recorded in Luke 12:32: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” You and I are kingdom oriented. We are always in pursuit of and in service to some kind of kingdom. We are either living in allegiance to the King of kings, celebrating our welcome into his kingdom of glory and grace, or we are anointing ourselves as kings and working to set up our own little kingdoms of one.

Here is what is important for us to understand. God didn’t give us his grace in order to make our little claustrophobic kingdoms of one work, but to invite us to a much, much better kingdom. We think we know what is best for us, but we don’t. We think we are able to rule our own lives, but we aren’t. We set our hearts on things that we think will make us happy, but they won’t. We think that we can defend ourselves against temptation, but by ourselves we can’t. Every human being is in need of a king. All human beings need the rescue, forgiveness, justice, mercy, refuge, and protection that they are unable to give themselves.

The beauty of the work of Christ is not only that in his life, death, and resurrection we are offered forgiveness forever, but that with it we are welcomed into the kingdom of the universe’s most powerful and only perfect king. He blesses us with what no human kingdom can ever give. He showers us with forgiveness, reconciliation, peace, and hope. He protects us when we don’t have the sense to protect ourselves. He rules over all the moments that seem to us to be out of control. He sets up his kingdom in our hearts, rescuing us from all the other things that would rule us. And he patiently teaches us that we weren’t created to live as kings, anxiously working to set up our own little kingdoms. He teaches us what it means to rest in his kingship and to live for his glory. And he encourages us with the truth that his kingdom will never, ever end.

Are you loading kingly burdens on your shoulders today, trying to build what you cannot build and forgetting what God has already built for you? Or are you resting in the peace that it is the good pleasure of your Lord to give you his kingdom?

For further study and encouragement: Matthew 6:19–24