More Than Sunday: The Kingdom is Valuable
The value of the Kingdom is the premise. It is paramount and utmost. It has become what drives my family. It’s what Erin and I base our marriage, parenting, and schedule on. It’s what we are starting to base our finances on. It hasn’t always been this way. There was a time when we didn’t place enough value on the Kingdom to submit all these areas of life.
In Sunday’s message (11/10), Tres reminded us that where our time, money, and effort go there go our values, and our values are what drive our life and actions. A practical example of value is my love for Alabama football and my distaste for ballet. It would take an act of Congress to get me to pay to go to the ballet, but I’m down for the high cost of going to a football game. We pay for what we value. In the past, I have been willing to do whatever is necessary to play the part of a “good Christian” rather than living out the principles of the Kingdom. My reputation according to what others think held more value to me than God’s way of life. I was willing to “pay” for that reputation by putting more time, effort, and thought into it than learning the ins and outs of His Kingdom.
Has that been you? Have you ever said something is valuable, but your actions said different? I would have said that God’s Kingdom was valuable to me, but my actions didn’t match. So how did I move forward? How can you move towards the Kingdom being more valuable? For me, it started with confession and repentance. My family’s journey to valuing the Kingdom more began with confessing to God and then repenting for living as though His rule and reign were trivial and not worth treating higher than a duty or task.
This next part was hardest for me. I had to learn trust that the work happening was a work of the Holy Spirit and that no amount of work or effort on my part could change what my heart valued. Did I trust the Holy Spirit to execute His work and sanctification in His timing? God wanted me to recognize His work in me and my family and respond as He asked, not run ahead of him as I have in the past. Running ahead of Him was always my way of valuing my efforts above the Spirit’s leading.
I want to challenge you to do a few things:
1) Ask the Father to show you where you are lacking in valuing His Kingdom. God is faithful to answer.
2) Surround yourself with brothers and sisters who will pray with you and whom you can confess to AFTER first taking that confession and repentance to God.
3) Be patient. Sit and rest in the truth that the Holy Spirit will do exactly what He needs to do as He will it in His time.
4) Have hope! Where I once would have forced my family’s participation for a reputation, we have grown and matured. Now our participation is in response to what we find valuable. We are going to gather with the body because we love God’s people. We are going to show up for rehearsal so we can serve the congregation well, again because we love them.
As you pray and seek to value His Kingdom over everything, you will change what you’re doing, but more importantly, your why will change—your heart will transform.
In Sunday’s message (11/10), Tres reminded us that where our time, money, and effort go there go our values, and our values are what drive our life and actions. A practical example of value is my love for Alabama football and my distaste for ballet. It would take an act of Congress to get me to pay to go to the ballet, but I’m down for the high cost of going to a football game. We pay for what we value. In the past, I have been willing to do whatever is necessary to play the part of a “good Christian” rather than living out the principles of the Kingdom. My reputation according to what others think held more value to me than God’s way of life. I was willing to “pay” for that reputation by putting more time, effort, and thought into it than learning the ins and outs of His Kingdom.
Has that been you? Have you ever said something is valuable, but your actions said different? I would have said that God’s Kingdom was valuable to me, but my actions didn’t match. So how did I move forward? How can you move towards the Kingdom being more valuable? For me, it started with confession and repentance. My family’s journey to valuing the Kingdom more began with confessing to God and then repenting for living as though His rule and reign were trivial and not worth treating higher than a duty or task.
This next part was hardest for me. I had to learn trust that the work happening was a work of the Holy Spirit and that no amount of work or effort on my part could change what my heart valued. Did I trust the Holy Spirit to execute His work and sanctification in His timing? God wanted me to recognize His work in me and my family and respond as He asked, not run ahead of him as I have in the past. Running ahead of Him was always my way of valuing my efforts above the Spirit’s leading.
I want to challenge you to do a few things:
1) Ask the Father to show you where you are lacking in valuing His Kingdom. God is faithful to answer.
2) Surround yourself with brothers and sisters who will pray with you and whom you can confess to AFTER first taking that confession and repentance to God.
3) Be patient. Sit and rest in the truth that the Holy Spirit will do exactly what He needs to do as He will it in His time.
4) Have hope! Where I once would have forced my family’s participation for a reputation, we have grown and matured. Now our participation is in response to what we find valuable. We are going to gather with the body because we love God’s people. We are going to show up for rehearsal so we can serve the congregation well, again because we love them.
As you pray and seek to value His Kingdom over everything, you will change what you’re doing, but more importantly, your why will change—your heart will transform.
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2 Comments
So good!
“Running ahead of Him was always my way of valuing my efforts above the Spirit’s leading.” ???