ODJ: the kingdom of things
May 7, 2010
So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God (v.10).
READ: Revelation 21:1-22
Since 1993, sales of luxury cars in my country— Australia—have doubled. Since the 1950s, Australian homes have doubled in size, yet the average family has decreased by a third. We’ve been on a pilgrimage to the “kingdom of things.” But, on arrival, we haven’t found fulfillment. Thirty percent of us take some form of mood-enhancing substance (like drugs, alcohol, sleeping tablets, or antidepressants) to get through the day.
I’m grateful that there’s another kingdom to which we can make our pilgrimage. The apostle John saw it as a gleaming city descending from heaven (Revelation 21:2); a place where humanity’s deepest longings are fulfilled in relationship with God (v.3); a place where wounds are healed and tears forever cease (v.4); a place of radiant beauty (vv.11,18-21) that reflects the beauty of its Creator (4:3).
Eight hundred years earlier, the prophet Isaiah also saw this kingdom. A place where the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame leap, and the mute sing for joy (Isaiah 35:5-6); a place where weapons become farm implements, (2:4), where justice is brought to His people (65:21-23), and where the deserts will blossom (35:1).
Then a Man from Galilee appeared on the scene who made blind folks see and lame men leap; who said “the kingdom of God has arrived,” as He healed and cleansed and delivered (Matthew 12:28).
Luxury cars will rust, and the “kingdom of things” will collapse. Jesus told us to seek the kingdom of God instead (Matthew 6:33) and to pray and work for its reality on earth (Matthew 6:9-13).
Will we invest in that kingdom and resist the temptations of the “kingdom of things”? —Sheridan Voysey
In what ways are you pursuing the wrong “kingdom”—seeking affluence, possessions, and wealth for yourself? How should the values of God’s kingdom guide your dreams, career choice, and lifestyle today?
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