January 22, 2009
DAY 05
Posted by KI Contributor
Scripture: Matthew 22:37-40; Romans 8:28-30
Transformation: The Goal of the Kingdom
What does God ultimately desire from humanity? When we talk about extending God’s kingdom, what is the ultimate goal? Jesus answered, it is to love – to cherish God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind, and for us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Passionate love for God. Radical love for all our neighbors. At the center of the Gospel message is reconciliation from broken relationships – with God and with fellow men and women.
Transformation in all our relationships is the test of growing in our character. Therefore, one cannot grow as a believer alone. Transformation of character happens in community, in relationship with other human beings. The Scripture makes it very clear that I cannot claim to love God while there is hate in my heart against my brother (1 John 2:11; 4:20). What’s more, Jesus taught us to love our enemies.
If the “Good News” that Christians preach focuses merely on getting a ticket to “utopia,” performance-oriented worship rituals, and getting heady with Biblical knowledge, then we have lost the real meaning of the “Good News” which transforms every relationship, beginning with God first and those closest to us – our spouse, our parents, our children. How encouraging it has been to witness new believers be transformed in the way they relate to their family as a result of their new relationship to Jesus! On the other hand, how tragic it has been for the cause of the kingdom when in-fighting, jealousies, pride, unforgivingness, hypocrisy, angry splits, gossip, pointing of the finger have characterized those who claim to follow Jesus.
Father, reign over all our relationships, with You at the Center. As You move us to extend Your kingdom, give us a clearer vision of what Your kingdom’s transformation would look like in a person’s character, a family, a community, a neighborhood, a company, a region, a people, a nation. Where there is a broken relationship in our own lives, strengthen us to pursue reconciliation. May we overcome evil with good, just like Jesus Your Son. Amen.
PRAYER FOCUS: North Korea
As one of the most difficult countries to be a Christian, North Korea has over 25 million in population with an estimated 1.7% of them Christian. Pray for open doors to spread the Gospel; that freedom and joy in Christ will replace the atmosphere of repression and total conformity as well as isolation from the outside world.
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