We’ve been talking the importance of the Kingdom and why Jesus wants us to fervently pray for it to come before praying for anything else. We saw that one reason is that it is because it was the central issue in Jesus’ ministry on earth. Another reason is because it is the only thing that will last forever. These are other reasons as well.
The Kingdom of God is the only possible explanation why some people live the way they do. Those living out God’s will in their lives are different from the rest of the world. We live for something beyond this life, something more than what is easiest and most pleasurable in this moment (Luke 18:29-30). Kingdom values challenge earthly values. To those not following them, people living by Kingdom principles seem unusual and strange. We forgive those who don’t deserve it or ask for it. We turn the other cheek instead of retaliating and getting revenge. Our morals keep us from many of the things the world considers ‘fun.’ Honesty is more important than seeing what we can get away with. We freely share our time and possessions with those who cannot pay us back. We put people before things. We are different. Why? Because we live by Kingdom truth.
Why are so many Christians in so many places willing to give up all to follow Jesus, even their own lives? How can we explain such crazy behavior? Only be knowing that it is Kingdom behavior, putting God’s will before our own and living for His truth instead of our comfort. Understanding the Kingdom is the only way to understand why committed Christians live as they do.
Also, living for God’s Kingdom gives meaning and purpose to life. It shows us where history is going. Others often see no point to history. Life becomes a big joke with no meaning or purpose. Mankind just keeps making the same mistakes, going on endless cycles of nothingness. We are random happenings of chance that evolved into more complex beings, but that’s all we are. The problem with this having this kind of a view of mankind and our movement through history is that we will have this perspective of our individual lives. There is no ultimate meaning or purpose, it’s all a joke, it happens then it’s over – that’s all there is. But when we look at life from God’s viewpoint we see He has a plan and purpose from creation to when He returns. History is His-story. God created us with a purpose in mind, to spend eternity with Him in heaven, enjoying, worshipping and serving Him. That is His grand plan, and that’s another reason praying for His Kingdom to come is so important because then His purpose will reach its ultimate climax – sin gone and perfection on earth forever.
That’s what the Kingdom is all about – God’s perfect will being done on earth as it is in heaven. It’s what God’s people of all ages have been praying for and waiting for. One day it will come. Pray it would come soon in the world, and immediately in your own life.
by Rev. Dr. Jerry Schmoyer, Christian Training Organization