Whose Kingdom?
by David Cross
In the first book of Samuel we read that God had wanted to be the King over His chosen people, directing them through His appointed judges, men and women gifted to discern His plans and purposes. But the people demanded a human king to fit with the ways of the world around them (1 Samuel 8:5-7).
In fact the natural desire of all of us is to establish human kingdoms, realms of human control, preferably with ourselves on the throne! When troubled by the wounding of life, the idea of being in control of a personal kingdom, directing our own destiny and manipulating every relationship, can seem very attractive. The subconscious prayer of many of us might be summed up by ‘my kingdom come, my will be done!’
Jesus has now come, not least, to re-establish what God has always intended, a kingdom centred in heaven but extending to everyone on earth willing to give up personal kingship in favour of the King of kings, the Son of God, Jesus Himself. This divine kingdom operates in a radically different way from how the world has chosen to live. In the kingdom of heaven all human activity is God-centred and not self-centred, it is founded on truth and grace rather than fear and condemnation, it promotes peace through the confession of sin rather than conflict through the claiming of rights, and it will exist for eternity.
To fully participate in this kingdom, we need to acknowledge King Jesus as having all authority in heaven and on earth, give up the promotion of our personal kingdom of ungodly control over our own lives and those around us, and allow God to direct us through Holy Spirit gifting, released to the whole Body of Christ on earth. Pilate could not understand when Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world,” (Luke 18:36), but we have the Holy Spirit to reveal the extraordinary nature of this divine government which is completely restoring the destiny of mankind. What an adventure!
Prayer: Father, I choose to proclaim afresh today, Your kingdom come and Your will be done, and I choose to dissolve my self-created kingdom. Amen.
David Cross David is part of the Executive Leadership of Ellel Ministries, with particular responsibility for the Ellel centres in Western Europe. He is married to Denise and they have three grown up children and eight grandchildren. David has been a civil engineer and ski-touring instructor in the Highlands of Scotland. He is passionate about the teaching and practice of the healing and deliverance ministry of Jesus and has written several books: Soul Ties, Trapped by Control, God’s Covering, The Dangers of Alternative Ways to Healing(co-authored with John Berry), an A to Z Guide to the Healing Ministry, What`s Wrong with Human Rights? and, most recently, God`s Way out of Depression. You can follow a daily thought from David on Twitter: @dmcross62
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