As we enter into this New Year it is very easy to start formulating plans to help bring about God’s kingdom. However we will never be able to succeed at this because the Kingdom of God – His role and reign – is not something we can create.
Instead it is that which we are called to demonstrate in our lives and in the life of the church and community, even though we cannot bring it about in our own strength. Yet nor do we have to.
Psalm 23 – He guides me in paths of righteousness.
I remember reading a newspaper article about a young man who collapsed at a disco. On examining the man, a medic found him to be wearing fifteen T-shirts, which had caused him to overheat. The young man had put on layers and layers of clothing to achieve look that made him feel better about himself. Ultimately it was this thinking that brought about his suffering, and embarrassment.
“The LORD will bless His people with peace.”
Psalm 29:11
Restoring broken relationships.
Many years ago my wife and I bought a Tiffany print for £50, (a large outlay for students!). The picture was full of vibrant colours, as you looked out onto a landscape through a medieval window, and I would often find myself drawn to the picture. Many years later I went online to look at how much another print would cost. In looking at a picture of the one I already owned I came to realise that, over the years, I had not noticed how much it had faded – or that the colours now bore little similarity to the original. I now knew the difference and could not restore my picture. Eventually I took it down, and then threw it out. Many of us feel that our lives lack lustre and write ourselves off – yet we have a Father who can restore even the most damaged of lives.
Matthew 6.
When Ann and I moved to London to take up our first pastorate, the Christian organisation we worked with rented a small two-bedroom flat for us in an alley that was invariably used as a toilet by people coming out of the local pub. Yet it was very much the home that our heavenly Father provided for us.
Eighteen months later a local Christian from another fellowship visited our church on two consecutive Sundays. He approached the organisation supporting us, and offered them his house at £50,000 below market value. We moved into that house ten months later.
Imagine looking at a stage and seeing a lone saxophonist playing some notes; the notes are few in number and seem somewhat disjointed. Then a violinist arrives, and the sound of the violin blends in with the sound from the saxophonist. Over the next forty-five minutes more people arrive with different instruments, and you hear the ebb and flow, the highs and lows of an amazing Orchestra playing beautiful sounding compositions.
Wisdom is about knowing how things work together. For example, it’s knowing that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Genesis 1:27-8, Psalm 139:14), and acting accordingly. It is about seeing God as He is (Prov 9:10), and ultimately knowing Him as our Father (Ps 68:5, Matt 6:6, Eph 2:18).