Whose kingdom are you building?

Everyday we labor. Our labor is building a kingdom. Everyday we journey. Our journey takes us toward a destination. Even in our idleness we are laboring and journeying. Even our lack of activity be it positive or negative is the act of laying one stone on another, or putting one foot in front of the other. In the heart of man, our feet are always moving and our hands are always busy. So, the question begs to be answered. Whose kingdom are you building?

In the bible (Gen 11:4) the people decided to build a city with a tower to make a name for themselves. There are two kingdoms; the kingdom of God and the kingdom of man. Each of us everyday is laboring to build one or the other. Everyday we journey toward one or the other. One leads to separation from God for all eternity. One leads to life with God for all eternity. The difference between the two is the orientation of your heart. Your heart will determine which kingdom you are building and journeying toward.

In the bible (John 5) Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath. In one respect, you could see that this is a good thing. A man, who was unable to walk, can now do so. But the religious leaders of that day railed against Jesus because he healed the man on the Sabbath. They believed that God expected them to do nothing on the Sabbath and that in doing nothing they were holding true to His commands. One event, two perspectives. One perspective is kingdom of God, the other is the kingdom of man. Can you guess which is which? The only thing that differs is the attitude of the heart of each party. The heart of Jesus was to restore someone to physical wholeness. The religious leaders were only seeing their narrow understanding of one of God’s commandments while turning a deaf ear to the full council of God and the needs of others. I dare say that we cannot totally sum up God even with the words we have in the Holy Bible and this is especially true of only one of His commandments. Jesus came to open our eyes and broaden our perspectives. To get us to see the whole message of God and know and understand to the best of our ability who God is and what He wants from each of us.

The message is simple. God wants you to step out of yourselves and see what the kingdom of man has to offer. Then, look at what the kingdom of God has to offer and make your choice. Joshua in the bible (Joshua 24) called his people to choose this day whom they would serve. He stepped up and announced that he and his house would serve the Lord. Examine your heart. Examine your labor. Examine your journey. The bible says (Matt 7:13-14) that narrow is the gate that leads to the kingdom of God and few are those who find it. To “find” something is an act of deliberate effort. You will not find the gate by accident. If you are not going through the narrow gate, by default, you are going through the wide gate that leads to eternal separation from God.

Everyday we labor. Everyday we journey. Every act of kindness or selfishness puts another stone on top of the stone before. Every act of courage for the oppressed, hungry, naked and sick puts one foot in front of the other. Every act of dishonesty, callousness, hate and selfishness puts us closer to our destination. We have a choice. We choose which kingdom we are building every day, every hour, every moment. Whose kingdom are you building?