As we’ve been praying about and exploring our 2023 church theme of Kingdom Parenting, I sensed the Lord offering me a gentle reminder. Rather than zeroing in on what it means to become Kingdom Parents, I needed to remember to shift my focus back to the Kingdom of God.
In Matthew 6, Jesus instructed and equipped the people to pray to “Our Father”. That same Father in Heaven to whom we have been taught to pray to, is the same Father who knows our needs.
And so, as Jesus taught the crowds how to pray, he also taught them not to be anxious. Instead of getting lost in the day-to-day details of what we are going to eat or drink or wear, we ought to “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness,” then all of those other things will be taken care of and given to us.
As he did with so many other topics and life situations, Jesus flipped the script and showed us a new way forward; a way that calls us to seek the Kingdom of Our Father before we seek out solutions to our own physical needs.
Later on, in Matthew 13, Jesus provided some more examples of what the Kingdom of Heaven is like…
- Like weeds that grow among the wheat until the time of the harvest
- Like a mustard seed which is the smallest seed of all and yet when it’s grown it is larger than all of the other plants and becomes a tree for the birds to rest in
- Like leaven, or yeast, that a woman mixes into flour; so that it can be worked through all of the dough
- Like treasure in a field that a man finds, sells all he owns in order to buy that field with the treasure
- Like a pearl of great worth which also leads the merchant of fine pearls to sell all he has in order to buy that one, stunning pearl
- Like a net that was thrown into the sea bringing in loads of fish that get sorted through later on the shore
Sometimes, even as we are seeking first the Kingdom of God, we end up discovering even more questions! Sometimes rather than answers or solutions, we uncover mysteries that reach further and deeper than we’d ever imagined.
And that is okay!
I’m becoming more convinced that it’s actually part of the design and purpose of the Kingdom.
Why else would the Kingdom of Heaven be described as something that is “here and not yet”?
God didn’t accidentally send Jesus to share parables and stories instead of an exact formula. Our Father in heaven, decided instead to show us more about the Kingdom of Heaven through relationship… this is why we’ve been instructed to it first and foremost.
This Kingdom of Heaven, in all of its mystery, was introduced to the people in Matthew 5 as belonging to the Poor in Spirit.
Being part of the Kingdom of Heaven does not mean that everything is going to run smoothly and perfectly for you. Being a participant in the Kingdom of Heaven does not mean that you’ll get all the answers you’re looking for…
What you will receive, is the person of Jesus: the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and the Prince of Peace.
What you will discover, is that although life will continue to carry on in its painful and broken way, God will be continually working in the midst of it all, showing you the Kingdom way of Life…
God is working the yeast into the dough and preparing something bigger and better for you to feast on later.
God is allowing weeds to grow in the midst of the good crop because God will know what to do with the weeds and wheat at the time of the harvest!
And so, Lifespring, let’s faithfully choose to be on the lookout for the ways the Kingdom of God is being revealed in our current circumstances.
Let’s press in and seek first the way of righteousness and truly trust the Lord to provide us our daily bread; to believe that we are brought in and held together in the person of Christ.