“For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder…

Of the increase of his government and peace

there shall be no end…” (Isaiah 9:6a, 7a)

What kind of government did Jesus shoulder when he came? Certainly not the type many expected.

The Son and the Father and the Spirit have an eternal kingdom of perfect harmony, beauty, justice, and abundance. Love is law there. Not a law followed grudgingly, but joyfully, because it is sheer delight to share in the communion it makes possible. This realm where God’s way is done is the “kingdom of God.” It is from everlasting to everlasting.

What changed with the birth of Jesus was God’s gift of a way in. To those who receive Christ as king, he gives the power to become powerless — to give up supreme rulership of our own little kingdoms and become like children. Children of the King, happy to follow in the Father’s footsteps and ready to trust him with our lives.

But the more established our own kingdoms are, the harder they are to relinquish. Henri Nouwen asks, “Do I want to break away from my deep-rooted rebellion against God and surrender myself so absolutely to God’s love that a new person can emerge?” Not everyone does.

Consider King Herod, who held onto his sliver of kingdom by sucking up to Caesar and lashing out at rivals. He slaughtered Bethlehem’s children to preserve his power and prestige.

That’s an extreme example. Perhaps we can relate more to another character in the Gospels, the rich young “ruler.” He had built a life on a certain concept of success. And he followed God up to a point. But stake his future wellbeing on Jesus? That was too costly.

Each of us must grapple with the government Jesus ushered in. Most of us want God to set things right in the world so that we can flourish. But there can’t be any setting things right unless we let him set us right. Let him root out false sources of comfort, self-esteem, and deliverance. Give him authority to rule over our decisions, to revise our likes and dislikes, to form within us a loving disposition toward all people. Give him free reign to remake us completely so that we can have what Richard Foster calls a “new order of life.”

The journey from the kingdom of self-rule to the kingdom of God might sound too far and too difficult. But if we are willing to receive him, Jesus will meet us and lead us all the way.

Consider the Magi, wise men of a princely status in their country. Open to greatness beyond their own and willing to sacrifice time, money, and energy to move in God’s direction, they followed a divinely illuminated path to the humble home of Jesus. They rejoiced to find the young king and welcomed his rule with gifts and worship. Their allegiance to him was total, even in the face of Herod’s threats.

May our hearts, Lord, choose you as ruler. Because truly, at the end of it all, you are the one in charge, and you have all the power, and all the glory, too — and we really don’t want it any other way.

LET’S DIVE IN...

CURATED BY GRACE POUCH

Three devotions from Renovaré’s From the Inside Out Journal focus on how we can follow Jesus deeper into the kingdom of God.

Listen to Dallas Willard teach about seeking the kingdom of God in this recording from 2010: “Your Kingdom and God’s Kingdom.”

N.T. Wright examines the “deeply uncomfortable dual citizenship” of those reborn as children of the king.

Political participation can support or compete with allegiance to Jesus, and allegiance to Jesus forms us for fruitful civic engagement. This interplay between personal formation and public life will be the topic of the January 23, 2024 Renovaré webinar Renovating Our Politics, hosted by Carolyn Arends with guests Michael Wear and Katelyn Scheiss.

In a provocative 1855 sermon, Rev. C.H. Spurgeon asks, My brother, have you submitted to the sway of Jesus? Is He ruler in your heart or is He not?

Turn your attention to Christ’s glory with the help of Ishah Broad’s reflections in “How ‘Star of Bethlehem’ Leads Me to Christ.”

Grace Pouch
Content Manager

Kingdoms

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