Last week we wrote about what it means to be childlike when it comes to discovering God. This week we’ll focus on what it means to receive God’s Kingdom. To begin with, we need to know what the Bible means when it refers to the Kingdom of God.
A kingdom assumes a king or sovereign. That king in this case is God’s son, Jesus, the Messiah. We therefore understand this Kingdom as:
1. Jesus’s reign on earth and in heaven
2. Blessings and advantages that we derive from living under Jesus’s reign, in particular, the ever-present comforter known as the Holy Spirit
3. The subjects of His kingdom known as the Church
The Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Rome described it this way:
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 14:17
When we pray and seek the Kingdom of God, we are also praying for the rule and reign of the Kingdom of God in our lives. This begins with acknowledging that we are sinners and as such we are eternally separated from God. We further acknowledge that on the cross Jesus died on our behalf to pay the penalty for our sin. Accepting this substitute death for our own, we are receiving the Kingdom of God. We become part of the present and future reign of Jesus–in our hearts and minds now, and forever with Jesus at the end of time. That’s why Jesus, himself, implored us to:
“seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33
To learn more, visit our post: How Can I Become a Christian?