The Kingdom of God.

A few weeks ago we had the reading from 1 Samuel where the people of Israel wanted a king like other nations.

Previously Israel had been ruled by Judges who were instructed by God Himself.

God says to Samuel, "'they have rejected me from being king over them.'"  1 Samuel 8:7 (NRSV)

This throws a whole new light on the Lord's Prayer where Jesus says, "'Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'"  Matthew 6:10 (NRSV)

Was Jesus proposing a return to the rule of God?

It is interesting that the early Christian martyrs were mostly executed for refusing to bow down to Caesar.

They insisted that Jesus was their king.

So what does it mean to accept God as king over you?

It means accepting the ways of God which are the ways of mercy and compassion.

And rejecting the ways of the world which are materialistic, self-serving, egotistical, ruthless, cold, hard, and violent.

It means that every decision we make is informed by the Love of God through prayer and devotion.
 
This is what it means to build the Kingdom of God on earth.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

Photo Credit: Doug Kline Flickr via Compfight cc
(The image has been slightly modified.)