Building My Own Kingdom

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
-- Genesis 11:4

When you search the internet for advice on making it as a writer, one of the things that will come up again and again and again is the importance of building your platform. Finding an audience. Making a name for yourself. I can feel the pull of these deeply ingrained values within me--the desire to build my own kingdom.

I have to pause to ask, What does the Bible say about this? It's easy to jump to one side or the other either embracing our culture because it's "common sense" or totally rejecting it because it "clearly contradicts" Scripture. But what does the Bible actually say? Here's a few things I found--feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Do not hide what God has given you

When God approached Moses and told him to go speak to Pharaoh, Moses tried humility. It earned him a healthy rebuke. "Who made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?" (Exo. 4:11).

I put this principle first because all too often when we think of humility, we think of diminishing ourselves and our talents, not realizing that by doing so we are diminishing our Creator. He has given each of us talents for a reason. Not to be buried beneath a veil of false humility, but to be used according to His purpose to further His Kingdom. When God gives you a task, it is not right for you to say no. Rather, acknowledge your dependence on Him to complete the task, and do so with all faithfulness and love. Which brings me to principle #2:

Acknowledge the Creator in all things

Proverbs 3:1-10 is one of my favorite passages about leaning on God and walking in humility. In verse 6 we are told "In all your ways acknowledge Him" followed by the promise "and He will make straight your paths." Give credit where credit is due. Acknowledge the one who created your hands, who taught you wisdom and placed in your heart a song.

Again, in Deuteronomy 8, as God promises blessing, He warns us against arrogantly saying to ourselves that our own hand brought us this prosperity. The truth is that it all comes from God. The command is simple: "And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you" (Deut. 8:10).

Accept everything in God's timing

John tells us that "a person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven" (John 3:27). This is something we must come to terms with--it is not within our power to determine our success. God sets the seasons, both for increase and decrease.

A few verses down, you may recognize the verse "He must increase, but I must decrease." I want to point out that this is not an absolute statement as many have taken it--before this time John's ministry increased. Rather, it is about recognizing that everything has its place in time and we are each only one small part of God's greater plan.

Lift up others

Philippians 2:3-4 instructs us to count others more significant than ourselves. We must realize that this is not a one-man show. We are each like one instrument in an orchestra or one page in a book. If all we do is toot our own horn, the result is nothing but noise (similarly, if we refuse to play at all, the song is left lacking). Watching the Conductor, each of us accents each other in season, together producing one magnificent song.

I love Romans 12 in this. It begins by instructing us not to be conformed to this world, realizing that the culture around us does not define us. Instead we must walk in God's instructions, according to the role assigned to each of us. And then he goes on to instruct us on how to work together as one body--loving one another, outdoing each other in showing honor, contributing to the needs of the saints, being one in spirit when our brother rejoices or when he weeps, living peaceably with all.

Set your eyes on His Kingdom

As mentioned earlier, all of this is for the purpose of furthering His Kingdom. In Matthew 6, Yeshua tells us to store up our treasure in heaven. A little further down, He explains this by telling us not to worry about the things that the world worries about. God will provide. Rather our focus should be on seeking the Kingdom of God.

"Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established." -- Proverbs 16:3

Remember, your Father delights in you

Lest this become a burdensome list of rules, I want to remind you of this simple truth: God loves you. Isaiah 62 compares the Lord's delight in His people to that of a bride and bridegroom--"as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you."

This is not about trying to be super-righteous or becoming a better rule follower. There's pride in that too. This about your relationship with your Father. It's about not letting anything come between you and Him. It's not about putting down yourself, but about lifting up others as our Father has done for us. It's about pursuing our Father's heart as He pursues ours.


"Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." -- Psalms 37:4

Steady On

For those that don't know, I am (attempting) writing a novel. Right now, I'm in the first stages of revision--that long tedious process that (hopefully) takes a mess or words and turns them into something worth reading. It's slow going, but it's steady. I go through about 500-1000 words a day. Of course, this is only a first revision. Many novelists go through seven or eight drafts before they're ready.

As the work week draws to a close, I am looking forward to Shabbat. It's not a whole lot, but I am satisfied with what I accomplished this week. You know, the commandment says not only that you should rest on the seventh day, but to work the other six days. We are building a Kingdom after all.

I read through Nehemiah the other day (well, skimmed...there's a lot of names in that book). I think it's amazing how one ordinary guy had a dream to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem--and he did it. I see our work kinda like that. We are building up a community, a nation. Each of us has a different part to play. With Nehemiah, there were men building the different sections of the wall, guards to protect them from their enemies, priests to teach from the Torah. Together they worked, not just to build a wall, but to become a people again. To rediscover their identity and turn back to God so He could establish them in their own land.

Our roles vary from person to person and often they change through time as well. My question to you is What have you been doing to build the Kingdom this week? What work are you resting from this Sabbath? Leave a comment to share with the rest of us =)

Shabbat Shalom!

Resurrection

We lost a fellow camper this week. Joel Mills. He was lost in a boating accident. Day after day we prayed and prayed. A facebook prayer group was started and the number of people praying steadily climbed. Then his body was recovered from the lake and still we prayed, hoping beyond hope for a miracle. More were added to the group--songs and words of encouragement were posted. Scriptures about resurrection and life. The Mills family went into see Joel, and still we prayed. A memorial service was held yesterday and still we prayed. In defiance of death, the burial site was named "Ezekiel 37 Resting Place." And still we prayed.

Through this tragedy, the community was gathered together as one in prayer and worship. Unified we took our stand for our brother in Messiah. Unified we marched on the gates of hell with faith unwavering. And a resurrection happened--a resurrection in the body of Messiah. A revival started, and we pray that it never stop, that this move of the Spirit will never dwindle.

Because this week we were reminded that this is not our home. This is not where we belong. Our Messiah, our King has gone before us to prepare a place--a place with no more sorrow, no more sickness, no more death. A place where life flows like a river and joy abounds. A place where we will once again all come together to worship our Creator. Both those who remain here today and those who have gone on before us--we will all be united together with Messiah. And then we will be home.

So let us press on day after day looking forward to and hastening the coming of our Redeemer. Let us hold to the Promise, even now declaring the coming of our Great King. The world watches and mocks our faith. And still we pray. We will never back down. We will never be silent. For our God is not dead!

"But YHVH is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation. Thus shall you say to them: "The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens." It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses. Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish. Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; YHVH of hosts is his name."

(Jeremiah 10:10-16 ESV)

The Reasons

I originally wrote this three years ago. I've made a few updates since then, but the central message is still the same. It's not about us. It's about Him.

Why are we following this path of Torah?

Are we doing it so that we will be happy? Are we doing it to earn blessing or earn brownie points with our creator? Are we doing it because it makes us feel good? (Matthew 16:24-25)

Are we doing it to become holy? Do we think it will make us more righteous than everyone else? Are we doing it for salvation? Has it become a legalistic list of do's and don'ts? (Leviticus 20:8, Ezekiel 37:28, Titus 3:5)

Are we doing out of fear? Are we afraid that if we don't, that God won't love us any more? Do we feel like we need to earn His favor? (Romans 5:6-8; 8:15, Psalm 103:8-12)

Are we doing it because our friends are doing it? Is it how we become accepted? Are we doing it because it is the latest fad and makes us stand out? (Matthew 10:35-39, Mark 4:16-17)

Are we doing it out of rebellion? Are we trying to separate ourselves from other Christians (Christians who love God dearly)? Is this just a way of showing our independence—of breaking away from tradition? (Mark 9:50, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Romans 12:18)

Or are we doing it for more? Are we looking to our Father in heaven and saying “I want to love like He does”? Are we doing it so that the light of Yeshua may shine through us to the world? Are we doing it for the sake of His name and His Kingdom? (Ezekiel 20, Ezekiel 36:22, Matthew 5:14-16)

Waking Up

I've decided my last post (Sleepwalking) deserves a bit more explanation. A lot of it has to do with this book I read. So, here is my combo book review / blog post (more blog post than book review...but you should read the book).

The book is called "The Journey of Desire" by John Eldredge. I find I have a hard time describing this book, so I will defer to some of my friends:
http://www.emidrash.net/NewsLetter/February2012.pdf
http://brokenbarsoflight.blogspot.com/2012/01/great-honeymoon-in-sky.html

So, essentially it is about the Kingdom (and, in particular, our desire for the Kingdom). That's the message--what's been weighing on me lately. But, of course, life isn't so simple that you can just read and believe the message and then be good. No, you have to live it too. You can't just know you need to wake up--you have to actually wake up and stay awake. But it's hard because the blanket is warm and the pillow is so comfy...and just five more minutes...

You know...one of the most spectacular photos I have ever taken was when Dad woke us up at 5am on a camping trip. Sunrise is really an amazing show of God's glory. But you gotta wake up to see it.