This morning, I have been reading Scot McKnight’s book A New Vision for Israel. (I have been immersing myself in lots of kingdom-related material during July.) In a chapter entitled "The God of Jesus," I came across these wonderful lines:
…The emphasis here falls on the jealousy of God (Exod. 20:5), especially for his new name "abba," and on the total focus the disciples are to have in their obedience of him. The disciples of Jesus are to reserve this kind of respect, trust, and obedience for God alone, who is now called "abba"; no teacher on earth and no human father are to be given that kind of honor and trust. (pp. 26-27)
I read these lines several times. After all, they are such a reminder of things that are lasting and important. This is in contrast to the kind of news that takes place every day.
This morning, I watched about ten minutes of my favorite morning news show, MSNBC’s "Morning Joe." What did they talk about? What happened yesterday with John McCain and Barack Obama. That is the news today.
I read the front page of our local newspaper. Baylor University fires President John Lilley after two and one-half years. Lots of discussion. Yet, that is the news today.
I looked at a few newspapers online. NFL camps are beginning. Sportswriters are already speculating about the coaches who will probably lose their jobs this year if they don’t win. That was in the sports pages today.
Now don’t get me wrong. Each one of these stories is interesting to me. I am interested in who will win the next election. Because I live just a few miles from Baylor University (and for a few other reasons as well), I am interested in what is happening there. And, being a football fan, I will be reading the sports news again tomorrow.
Yet, I want my life to have a respect, trust, and obedience to God that impacts the way I see the news, the way I approach life, and the way I handle anything that calls for my allegience. This God has an unrivaled place in my life. Again, "…no teacher on earth and no human father are to be given this kind of honor and trust."
Now this is good for me to remember as I start a new day. What about you?
Jim,
Thanks for thinking and writing about kingdom things. I’ve been thinking a lot about some of the same things. We can only be helped when we focus on being kingdom people more than being affiliated with a kingdom organization (what is that?).
Bob Young