I want to first be clear on what I'm not talking about. First, we understand God to have created everything that there is--in fact, there is nothing that God didn't create, except for God himself. Everything falls into those two categories--God, or creation (not God)! In that sense, yes, everything is God's "kingdom" in that God does reign and is sovereign over all God's creation. That is a very cosmic understanding of "kingdom", and not the exact way Jesus is using it when he talks about the Kingdom of God.
Secondly, Jesus is not using the term legalistically or literally. When we think of "kingdom" on earth, we think of a monarchy, that is, a country or territory with a king or queen reigning with absolute power and authority. When Jesus talks about the Kingdom of Heaven, he's not talking about building a new country literally. And when we say that Christians should not be building their own kingdoms on earth, we are definitely not talking about creating our own little countries and seceding from the United States!
Mark 4:26-29 gives us one of Jesus' parables: "Then Jesus said, 'This is what God's kingdom is like. It's as though someone scatters seed on the ground, then sleeps and wakes night and day. The seed sprouts and grows, but the farmer doesn't know how. The earth produces crops all by itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full head of grain. Whenever the crop is ready, the farmer goes out to cut the grain because it's harvest time.'" [CEB]
God's Kingdom is something that Jesus compares to a way of living, a culture, or a profession, as in this case with the farmer. The key to this parable is that the farmer's reality is very different from the reality of a farmer here on earth. Here on earth, we must be very intentional about sowing, fertilizing, weeding, and caring for plants against disease and pests in order to have a harvest time at all! You might imagine how much this would change the profession of farming, if all food could be grown in this manner!
Along that same line of thinking, God's Kingdom is a reality very different from our reality here on earth. God's logic, the way God's Kingdom is organized, the order and sequence of existence is all different than in our human kingdoms. In that sense, the Kingdom of God is less of a "place" or a "thing" and is more of a trajectory, a series of actions, and a way of life which is unlike the trajectory, actions and way of life we live in our human kingdoms.
What motivates human kingdoms? Why do we even build them, and what are they like? Let's look at Matthew 6:19-21: [Jesus speaking, Sermon on the Mount] "Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don't eat them and where thieves don't break in and steal them. Where your treasure is, your heart will be also." [CEB]
Did you catch the motivation behind human kingdoms? It's not the word treasures, although preachers will often tell you that is the case. The fact is that Jesus encourages us to "collect treasures for yourselves in heaven"! Treasure is a good thing! The problem is not treasure, but the motivation behind it: "for your own benefit on earth". In order to build up the Kingdom of God, we must stop pursuing our own benefits and selfishness, and instead look out for the benefit of others. This, of course, goes against the very nature of the (sinful) human being--we are genetically programmed to serve ourselves, protect ourselves and raise ourselves up as the most important ones around, gaining importance, prominence and influence. We are naturally very sinful, selfish, prideful and--in pursuit of our own benefit--we naturally seek to build up our own kingdoms here on earth, where rust and moth eat our efforts.
If we claim to be Christians at all, we must pursue, idealize, or at least attempt a lifestyle where we allow God to change the way we think, to challenge the very basic understandings of human civilization. Rather than seeking to build our own kingdoms, i.e., living lives where we protect, serve and help ourselves first and foremost, we are called to a radically, completely different way of life where we truly put others' welfare first. And as a side note, this cannot only be people we love and cherish, because then we are effectively building our own kingdoms as families or small groups, isolated and impenetrable from the outside. Not only are we to be completely selfless in this life, but we are called to make sure that at least some of that effort to care for others is loving people who do not necessarily love us back or hold the same Christian views we do. But more details about why will be forthcoming in another devotional.
Here are some questions to help guide you in thinking about "kingdoms":
1. Do I deserve everything I have and more? Have I "earned" my own living? Do I consider my time, treasure and talent truly "mine" at all?
2. In 100 years, do I really hope that people will still remember me for all I have done? Or do I really pray that somehow, through my work, God's Kingdom is magnified, even though my name is long forgotten?
3. Why do I fear putting more time, money, energy and attention into the church or other ministries? Do I fear losing a part of myself to God or the church?
4. If someone were to hack into my email, financial data, and correspondence, and know everything about my daily routine, would it appear that I was primarily building God's Kingdom, or my own?
5. Am I willing to spend less time on my kingdom and give more time to God's Kingdom? Why or why not?
Well written, thought-provoking devotional!
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