Christian Counseling Service -- Devotions

Constructing the Kingdom

Sunday, April 24, 2005

Psalm 33:4-11
For the word of the Lord is right and true;
     he is faithful in all he does.
The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
     the earth is full of his unfailing love.
By the word of the Lord were the heavens made,
     their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
     he puts the deep into storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord;
     let all the people of the world revere him.

The plans of the Lord stand firm forever.

1 Peter 2:4-5
As you come to Jesus, the living Stone - rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him - you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

John 14:1-3
Jesus says,
     "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

In her talk at a small group leaders' conference we attended this weekend, Melissa Sandel talked about Jesus' passion for what he called the "kingdom." Rescuing that word from Christianese, she said the kingdom comes whenever "heaven touches earth."

Melissa shared many examples of the "ministry of reconciliation," when people allow God to use them in constructing his kingdom here. As I listened to story after story I felt God's inexorable rhythm, setting stone upon stone, building us up, filling us with hope, taking us home.

God has been and will always be about creation. He made the heavens and the earth. He makes us into a "holy priesthood" and builds his kingdom on earth through us. He is preparing a place for us to be with him.

In a sense this takes what we call "time." But just as truly it is accomplished and always has been. "The plans of the Lord stand firm forever." I am waiting, unable to see clearly except a step or two in front of me. But God is not waiting. He sees it all. And he has seen fit to let me know a bit of what he sees.

Do I believe my own eyes as He gives me sight for just a moment? Or do I close them too quickly because I'm too busy sweating the small stuff? Worrying about the next stitch in the tapestry of my life. Afraid I might get ripped off, afraid I'm missing something, so tempted to take over and turn away from God who made me. He was right here but where's he gone? Has he maybe gone on vacation? Does he love me really? Maybe I just made up that moment I thought he was with me.

God gives me time to live in. My little seed sprouts and I am born, I grow, I become mature and bear fruit, spread new seeds, and in time my body dies and falls away. This is certainly inexorable too. But this deadly rhythm brings me to my knees, tempts me toward despair, taunts me with meaninglessness, pushes me to work harder, sleep less and crave success.

I learn slowly (glacially) to measure my faith by the way I wait, the way I pray, the way I look only to God and not to success or failure. Never to success or failure.

The glimpses God gives me of His time, His kingdom, and His plan are all I have to show me the way through the dark, wrinkled maze of my own experience.

I wasn't present at the dawn of time. God was.

I don't see clearly. God sees.

I don't know what is coming. God knows.

The plans of the Lord stand firm forever.

Peter calls us "living stones," Lord, for you to shape and straighten and use. Let me spill over and shout with joy and gladness as I feel your hands around me and then wait for them to come again. You ... make ... me.

Devotions Archive

Constructing the Kingdom

Sunday, April 24, 2005