The Blessings of God’s Kingdom
Jesus put it simply:
“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
– Matthew 6:9-10
The Kingdom would accomplish the Father’s will on earth in the same way as it is being done in heaven, but what is God’s will?
“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
– John 6:40
“He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”
- Ephesians 1:5
“This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
– 1 Timothy 2:3-4
The will of the Father is that all men come to know that they are His children – the sacred secret of our adoption! The Kingdom of God on earth develops men and women into spiritual faith-sons of the Father and fosters their desire to serve their fellow man as brothers and sisters. It creates a united family of mankind from the small beginnings of Jesus and his apostles:
“He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
– Matthew 13:31-33
We are a confused planet of diverse opinions, adverse interests, false hopes, ignorant plans, and misplaced loyalties. The Kingdom of God can and will unite all mankind in a loving brotherhood that honors the Father, yet encourages the manifestation of our uniqueness and the expression of our free will.
It is by means of the Kingdom of God that mankind finds its true identity and destiny. And when that occurs, so many of our manifold problems will dissipate as we focus on getting a hold of the real life – life in the heavens.
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
– 1 Timothy 6:17-19
Finally, the Kingdom of God is the means by which God reconciles all things to Himself, until even the sleep of death is nor more.
“Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.”
– 1 Corinthians 15:24-28
After all is said and done, we must remember that the Kingdom of God is not ours. It is not given to man to change it to our own liking or to conform it to our limited finite understanding. We are just its ambassadors. We are to preach it exactly as Jesus taught it, to the best of our ability.
