Trading One Kingdom for Another

This past weekend I was visiting with a wonderful friend who shared her story with me and in the process, she explained that her decision to become a believer was not simple.  She knew instinctively that she was deciding on much more than a "ticket to heaven".  She knew deep inside her spirit that this decision was about stepping away from one kingdom to embrace another.  She knew that this was a life altering decision that could not be taken lightly.  Consequently she searched for multiple months before making that commitment.  Once the commitment was made, she knew there was no turning back.  I was humbled by the profound wisdom in the few sentences she had spoken to me.  I thought back to my own decision and even though I knew that the circumstances were very different, I still had to stop and think about the factors that brought me to my commitment and the events that transpired after that.  I wonder how many of us at the moment of commitment truly embraced the simple truth my friend expressed.  Did we understand that we were forever trading one kingdom for another?

Sadly there is a great myth in the church today that promotes the belief that once saved you are always saved and it doe not matter what you do or say or think after that initial decision.  I have studied the Word many times looking for the truth about this very belief and I have come to the conclusion that this is a very gray area in which only the Lord knows someone's heart.  I personally believe that there are actions I can take or fail to take that will jeopardize where and how I spend eternity.  There are too many verses throughout scripture that talk about enduring to the end and not losing our way for me to believe that losing eternity is a possibility.  I know that many people will disagree with me and that is fine.  None of us will know the absolute truth until we are with the absolute God Almighty.  For me the risk is too high to not continue to strive to walk in His will and not mine.

Let's consider the simple aspect of the two kingdoms that exist currently in this world.  The kingdom of heaven exists within each of us who as accepted Jesus as our Savior and God will continue to work with us to do His will on earth the same as it is in heaven.  His will on earth in us is the kingdom of heaven working within and through us.  On the other hand we know who was banished from heaven and is playing havoc with those living on the earth.  He has limited power - only that which is given to him by individuals.  Jesus took the keys of authority from him after His crucifixion.  Yet thousands, if not millions of people everyday turn over their personal individual power to him believing that he truly has that power.  Sadly this just fuels his belief that he can win.  The end is written; he loses.  In the meantime though there is a significant segment of our population that is caught in his power struggles.

Jesus said in Revelation 3:15-16 "I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth!  It is impossible to sit on the fence when it comes to a commitment to the Lord.  Either you are with Him or you or not.  That classic phrase, you can't have your cake and eat it too would have fit very well right here.  Luke 14:26 If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters -- yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. What does it mean to love Him more than your own life? Isn't that what committing to follow Jesus means?  What kind of sacrifices have been required of you since becoming a believer?  What decisions have you had to make that clearly delineated to which kingdom you belonged? 1 John 2:15 Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you.

Once again, as I review my life events I cannot say with conviction that I was as knowledgeable about the distinction between the two kingdoms as my friend was.  At times, I can openly say I was pretty confused.  My emotions were a wreck, my life had become a wreck and I was definitely a wandering lamb.  My dear heavenly father must have shook His loving head at me and wondered when would I ever get my act together.   The amazing aspect of His love for me (and you) though is that He never gave up on me (and still doesn't).  I made some pretty stupid decisions throughout my life- some before I accepted Him and some after.  I was not trained in the Word nor in how to study the Word.  Yet Holy Spirit still spoke truth into my life and guided me through the morass of my life.  1 Corinthians 2:6 Yet when I am among mature Christians, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world, and not the kind that appeals to the rulers of this world, who are being brought to nothing.  At times, I thought I was speaking truth yet I now know that it was the distorted interpretation I had been fed.  No matter who the instrument is speaking the distortions, the source is the enemy.  The more confused he can keep us, the less likely we are to intimately know our Lord. If we don't know Him, how can we follow Him?

I want to live a life in which I make a deliberate choice each and every day to follow my Lord.  I want to dive in deep past the murky waters of the kingdom of this earth and come to the fresh unpolluted depths of God's love for me.   I have made a decision to trade the kingdom of the earth for the kingdom of heaven and not just so that I can walk through the gates of heaven.  No I want so much more than to walk through the threshold and then stand there at the entrance for all of eternity.  Romans 12:2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. Transformation begins now and continues every day.  Transformation brings heaven to earth, God's will to be done in my life.  1 John 5:4 For every child of God defeats this evil world by trusting Christ to give the victory. The victory is indeed the Lord's and we get to enjoy the victory of each daily battle when we stay focused on Him and His will for our lives.

So the choice is ours.  Do we trade one kingdom for another - permanently?  Or do we vacillate  between the two ignorantly believing that will get us the results that we want?  What are the results for which you are directing your life?  Are you lukewarm or are you on fire pursuing Him and His will for your life passionately?  I know my answer and I know that I cannot answer for anyone else.  But the choice and the distinction is clear for me.  I choose my Lord, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  No matter how dismal this earthly life becomes, it is in appearances only.  I know the joy that I have discovered in choosing Him and choosing His kingdom.  Nothing can come close to what He has given to me, no earthly treasure can compare to His Shalom.  Thank you, Lord!!!  Thank you, Jesus, for making this choice possible for me!