We just finished the International G12 Conference in Bogotá, Colombia, and the theme for all our conferences this year is “Your Kingdom Come”. That’s a really powerful theme. It’s a great statement that Jesus Himself uttered in prayer to God in the Lord’s Prayer. But all throughout the conference, I found myself challenging my own understanding of this statement. Do I really understand it, or has it become some sort of Christian jargon that I throw around flippantly?
I came to this simple conclusion. In order for God’s kingdom to be here on earth as it is in heaven, then God must be king. And I don’t mean this metaphorically or just spiritually. I mean it literally and practically. See, God’s kingdom coming isn’t just about some emotional or atmospheric change that we feel around us. It is also something real and tangible. The question then is, is God’s kingship something real and tangible in our lives?
When we live in an earthly kingdom, the king is revered and obeyed. The people within the kingdom are referred to as the king’s subjects, and all the land belongs to the king. If that’s the standard for an earthly kingdom, then shouldn’t a heavenly kingdom have a higher standard? Yet sometimes we don’t honour God as king. We treat Him like any other person whom we talk to when we feel like, and avoid when we don’t. We don’t take His word seriously, and we even value our own opinions over His.
I’m sure we can go on listing more and more things, but the point I’m making here is this. We all want God’s kingdom to come, but it’s not just something we pray for or sing about. It’s something that’s got to be lived out every single moment of our lives. We can throw this statement around as much as we want, but until we start treating God as our king, then there really isn’t any weight to it.
So, this familiar statement interestingly has really given me plenty to think about and I do hope that the same goes for you. My prayer for all of us here in FCBC is to live lives that truly honour God as our king. God bless you.
- Deputy Senior Pastor Daniel Khong