Reading With the People of God #10 KingdomSample

Focus of the month: (Kingdom)

7 Now, therefore, thus shall you say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people Israel, 8 and I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 9 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall waste them no more, as formerly, 10 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that the LORD will build you a house. 11 When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, 14 but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.’ ”.

- 1 Chronicles 17:7-14

Authority

What does the word ‘Authority’ bring to your mind when you hear it? Have you ever meditated on this word before in any depth? As Christians, we hear the word authority often, but have you truly contemplated what it actually means to you in your walk? In your everyday life? Chances are this word may not be something you've really dove into before. I encourage you to do so now.

I surrendered my heart to Jesus publicly during my baptism in front of my church family in August 2021. The 7 months leading up to obeying this command were not easy. As an adult, I was set in my ways, molded into a worldly view of morality, and raised by the same. I was my own master; I was the author of my fate….but then Jesus. When I met Jesus in late October 2020, everything fell apart. An earthquake hit my self-made foundation like a ton of bricks, and everything changed. Even now, 4 years later, everything is still changing. I am having to relearn everything. The first thing the Holy Spirit brought to my attention to focus on was ‘Authority’. To whom do I answer? To whom do I belong? This shift has come in increments that have helped me understand more about not me but about my Lord and Savior, my God, my Creator.

When we read commands in Scripture of putting off our old selves and not giving our old identity a second thought, who actually gives you the authority to do so? Does it come from you, from your own grit and tenacity? Try harder living?? It is emptying you of who you think you are coming to Jesus and admitting you don't know who you are actually supposed to be and allowing Him to be the governing Authority in your life. Just making this conscious decision is all the mustard seed needed to grow a huge faith.

When we fall from this mindset or choose our own path, we drift and disassociate from His Authority; we open ourselves up to be tormented. God is our Father, and no matter how far we drift, His love never stops, but there comes a point where we are given over to our heart's desire…even if what we desire is ourselves over Him, just like King David weeping upon hearing the news of his wayward son's demise in 2 Samuel. Our Heavenly Father does not wish punishment and death to come to us for being disobedient. He wants none to perish, but we ultimately have the choice. Do we surrender to His Sovereign Authority? Or do we toe the line and give only that which we don't want to have “control” over ourselves?

* Primer contributed by Ardena Hamill, Celebrate Recovery encourager