“After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3, NIV84)
Just how important is the message of the kingdom of God? Well, let’s recognize here that Jesus continued to discuss the topic even after His death and resurrection. During the 40 days that He remained on the earth, prior to His ascension, the message of the kingdom of God was still the top priority. Why? Because it is the only priority. The knowledge of the kingdom of God is what we are supposed to train our hearts and minds to see and discern with. Jesus wanted to make sure that everything the disciples said and did once He ascended to Heaven was for, and about, the kingdom of heaven.
What about today? Do we share the perspective Jesus was training His disciples to have? Do we live out our daily lives from a kingdom of Heaven perspective? If not, we ought to. The reality is that at the end of the day only one kingdom will remain, and that is God’s kingdom. We have to train our minds and hearts to see and discern things from a kingdom of Heaven perspective. We need to make sure that we are not getting so caught up in the worldly kingdom that we begin to become “of” it, instead of just “in” it.
May our thoughts and discussions be seasoned with a healthy kingdom of God perspective.
Peace!
Pastor Tom
www.firmlyrooted.church