Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
John 18:36a
The Old Testament is full of stories of kings that spent their entire lives at war, fighting for power, wealth, and influence. They spent their lives building their kingdoms, one after another, many of whom had their kingdom conquered by another. They all had their plans, they all had their goals and their desires, but most of them failed to know God and were unable to see the greater purpose in all of it.
A question the Lord continues to ask me of late is “Whose kingdom are you building? If I take you down this road, are you okay with ALL of it being for Me?” I had believed this was the intention of my heart, but through self-examination and prayer, I saw that I was also hopeful that I would reap some of the benefit for myself. I was not all-in, I was not okay with it being solely for the Lord’s gain and pleasure.
As He carries us through these prosperous times, whose gain will it be? Is your life a pursuit of worldly gain or heavenly treasure? These are questions we must ask ourselves, we MUST examine our hearts and open ourselves fully to the examination of the Lord.
There have been many times I thought my intentions were pure before the Lord, only to have Him reveal to me that they were not. You can’t trust your own heart, because it will lead you astray. You can’t assume that you’re on the right path with the right motives, let the Lord determine whether that’s true or not. You can’t serve two masters, you must be fully devoted to one or another, so choose this day whom you will serve. 95% for God and 5% for you is still split allegiance.
Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and truth, and PUT AWAY the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!
Joshua 24:14 (emphasis mine)
