Kingdom Building

Jack (my husband) has started a new series with our youth called, “Building the Kingdom.”  Tonight he asked the question, “Whose kingdom are you building- your’s or God’s?”  Wow.  What a thought provoking and challenging question for my own life!  Jack asked the youth to describe characteristics of a person who was building God’s kingdom versus characteristics of a person building their own kingdom.  Automatically, I thought that the person who is building God’s kingdom would be selfless and would be focused on investing in the lives of others.  After all, that is what Jesus did.  Jesus did the most selfless act when He died on the cross for our sins.  Jesus invested in the life of His disciples by doing life with them.  They walked together, talked together, etc.  

When I look back on my mom’s life, I can’t help but think of the countless lives she invested in.  My mom did not just spend an hour on Sunday mornings teaching 11th and 12th graders, but she spent her whole week praying for them, sending them cards, and letting them know that she cares.  My mom spent her Friday nights hosting our college group, feeding us dessert, and sharing a devotion with us.  When I was in high school, my mom spent her Friday mornings doing the same thing but with my varsity cheerleading squad.  You see, my mom knew which kingdom was most important.  Mom knew that building up her own kingdom would be worthless and have no eternal value (just see what happened in Genesis 11:1-9!).  Mom understood the awesome value of God’s kingdom and wanted everyone, especially students, to understand it as well.  Mom did life with the students God placed under her influence.  Mom invested.  Because Mom took the extra time to build God’s kingdom and invest in others’ lives, I have a stronger walk with Christ and I’m sure many others do to.  

So, my question is- Whose life are you investing in?  Who are you doing life with, encouraging them in their walk with Christ?  Pour your life into someone.  Reciprocate what Jesus did in your life in the life of another person.  The kingdom of God is of too great of value for us to keep it to ourselves.  Yes, because Mom invested in the Kingdom, she probably got a lot less sleep, her house was often noisy, and there were probably multiple drinks spilled all over her nice hardwoods.  Investing in the Kingdom calls for sacrifice, though.  Jesus sacrificed His life, so it doesn’t hurt us to sacrifice a little sleep, a clean house, etc.  Trust me, the impact you make by pouring your life into someone will be eternal, and it will probably wind up blessing you more than you can imagine!  So, invest, do life with someone, reciprocate what Jesus did in you.  Build God’s Kingdom!