Promised Kingdom

Could you walk away from your friends, your career, your faith if it went against God’s will? That’s a serious question that people all around the world throughout the centuries have had to ask. Jesus said in Matthew 16:26-27, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done.”

Sin has a way of looking so sweet, so enticing, so easy and comfortable that it causes many to chase after it. In fact, John tells us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world— the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)

The challenge is to recognize God’s way as superior to anything else offered to us. Is that easy? Not usually, but very worth it. Jesus told His disciples that His kingdom was prepared for people that know how to stay focused on the eternal (AKA–remain faithful). That kingdom is a beautiful promise that was made long ago, but we are still waiting for the full picture to be seen.

People like Noah and Moses faithfully prepared for and followed the pathway that would lead to God’s kingdom. We even see stories from the past that foreshadow the final coming of God’s kingdom–like the Exodus, or even Lot leaving Sodom. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4).

We’re told in Luke 17:32, “Remember Lot’s wife.” She had trouble leaving her past. In fact, her past consumed her, and she didn’t make it through the fiery trial her family faced. What about you? Are you facing a trial that seems too big to turn down, too hard to walk away? Find comfort in these words from 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”