For almost the entirety of my 47 years, I have lived in a “semesterly” ordered life. Growing up, of course, there was school–Christmas break–school–summer break. As a college student, there was Fall Semester, Christmas break, Spring Semester, Summer break. After graduation, I worked at the university for ten years, while earning my M.A. in Philosophical Theology (which did not take ten years)…still a semesterly life. Then for a brief five year stint, I was a stay-at-home mama (no, I did not merely stay at home) in my pre-homeschooling days. Now, I am entering my eleventh year of homeschooling…Fall semester, Winter Holiday (great book by Arthur Ransome, I recommend you and your kiddos read the whole series), Spring Semester, Summer Holiday…
Summer, a time to be refreshed in so many ways! Time to be bored, which leads to both creativity and productivity. Time to read what you’ve had to put off. Time to play. And all the while, as always, time to steward what God has given you.
What do you have that you did not receive? What must you steward? Are you keeping your lamp trimmed and ready? And how will your summer plans continue to instill in your children the notion of stewardship to which all believers are called?
This summer series will focus on a few concepts from the following verse:
Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by which we may offer to God an acceptable service, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28-29
This verse needs to be etched in your heart. Time to memorize, and let us spend time contemplating all the riches of it! We receive a kingdom! And this kingdom is not plan B in God’s economy, it is what He has planned all along, from before the foundation of the world. Before time, space, matter, or any other creation had begun.
We receive a kingdom
It is a Kingdom of Love, as Jonathan Edwards tells us–and of course, he writes so beautifully of this because of his own contemplation of the Scriptures. (You can read about that in Charity and Its Fruits). This Kingdom is not run by any worldly political ideals. No democracy, no monarchy, no socialism, no nationalism… A Kingdom in which no citizen will ever desire a revolution; a land of perfect beauty and goodness and complacency, in which righteousness dwells. That word “complacency” may not seem to belong–but I use the word in its rich historical context–not the modern smug context. To be complacent used to mean perfectly satisfied and delighted. Only Christ offers us what is perfectly satisfying! In Him, we find what we know we have been made for, and we delight, and look no further; we rest in His fullness; we drink deeply from the Fountainhead of Living Water–“more deep, we’ll drink above!”
Jesus Christ has gone to prepare a place for us, in His Kingdom. He has made a way, He is the Way. In the meantime, as we abide in Him, we are disciples–learning what is pleasing to Him, learning how to please Him in all respects (Colossians 1). Learning the ways of our King, learning His law of Love, keeping our eyes on our Forerunner.
An Unshakable Kingdom
In this world, we are all too familiar with the effects of the Fall. Things wear out, or break, or dissolve. Relationships crumble, or explode. Plans fail. Sin, crouching at your door, overtakes you; and rather than fight you give in. You take your eyes off of your Saviour and begin to sink in doubts, fears, perplexities.
Even with your eyes on your Saviour, circumstances here can be greatly shaken. It is not about you–having faith does not mean your boat will not be rocked in this world. It will. It might even sink. But He is with me come what may; His promises hold true. We must take heart when all around us is tribulation; and we must help one another take heart, encouraging one another day by day (Oh the blessed joy of true fellowship!).
His Kingdom is not of this world, nor of this creation. Our imagination cannot grasp what the ‘laws of nature’ in the next world will be like, but we know that while God allowed for sin in this world, He does not allow for it in the next.
Consider for a moment this unshakable kingdom prepared for us in light of this:
9 but just as it is written,
“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
1 Corinthians 2:9-13
This Kingdom is far beyond our capability to grasp, Scripture gives us hints, but neither our hearts nor our eyes are not ready, while in this fallen world, to take in the full glory of the unshakable kingdom. Would you respond to a vision of this kingdom like the three apostles who could not comprehend what they were seeing as Jesus was transfigured before them?
Yet, what we have been given, all those hints, let us treasure them up in our hearts! Return to those passages, ponder what we have been told, and keep seeking things above, where Christ is, seated on His throne. Read Revelation often, believing that we are truly blessed for keeping those words (Revelation 1:1-3, and if you haven’t yet read it, add Nancy Guthrie’s book Blessed to your summer reading list!)
Stewards of the King
We receive this kingdom, we do not create it, we do not form it, and we certainly do not control it. We are stewards, here in this passing-away-creation; but also of the eternal kingdom–knowing we have been given eternal life, and an unshakable eternal kingdom, we are co-heirs with Christ, heirs and stewards of this kingdom.
Our stewardship and sonship must align. Jesus Christ brings us to the Father (John 14:6) and the Father has transferred us from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of His Beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1); and “according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:5-7).” Our Triune God has indivisibly been working to bring many sons into His kingdom and glory (See Hebrews 2:10 and 1 Thessalonians 2:12).
Here, our stewardship is also marked with anticipating the end of this earth. We are patiently, eagerly waiting, while wanting to be found faithful when He comes back. Notice this does not allow us to treat this earth, temporal and passing away, as though it were no longer our responsibility to care for it. No, rather we make our home here like the exiles made their homes in Babylon, while awaiting their return to the promised land. (Might I also suggest adding The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs to your summer reading list?)
We live here as ambassadors for our true Kingdom. We hold to the customs and culture of our eternal home, we persevere while also groaning “how long, LORD?” Yet this groaning does not lead us to the temptation to laziness, but to renewed strength to endure, to run the race, to live our quiet lives in all godliness and dignity, ever bearing the fruit of an abiding disciple.
John 15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
As you ponder His work, and your own stewardship, remember that all our works as filthy rags apart from Him. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters–but only whether He has made you a new creation! (Galatians 6). And in Him, we can serve, and our work is fruitful and full of joy and purpose. Eternal purpose.
For further meditation: Philippians 3; Matthew 25:1-13; Luke 12.
In July we will ponder gratitude, reverence, and awe; and false either/or scenarios; asking the LORD to refresh us in our notions of each, that we would abide in Him. In August, we will look at what Scripture teaches concerning Our God, the Consuming Fire, to whom we render this “acceptable service.” My prayer is that this series will exalt our God, and fan to flame that spark in our souls, so as to burn with His love, His knowledge, His strength and perseverance.
photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash.