“Play it safe.” “Don’t take any risks.” “Why rock the boat?” “It’s better to keep it dull and routine than expressive and unpredictable.” Or does it?

The older we become, don’t we deep inside generally seek a more predictable, dull, and routine way of life? Whatever changes we are typically confronted with only creates more work and effort on our part. So basically, our nature tilts towards laziness where we don’t want to make the effort. We would rather live life with contentment, peacefulness, and stability. But is that reality?

The scriptures teach us that a people without vision will perish. We need a mission to focus our life towards. Now our life’s mission could simply be to avoid all confrontation, to avoid being involved in other people’s lives, to live for ourselves without a care of the world around us. We simple live our life so that when we are gone no one will have missed us. We live as a world unto ourselves.

But is that the life of a Christ-Follower? Is that what the Kingdom of God is all about?  Didn’t Jesus forewarn his disciples that He came to bring division among families and people? Didn’t He predict that we would stand before courts and rulers as a witness to Him? Didn’t He compare our struggles with that of a pregnant woman in labor? Didn’t He threaten the status quo with His mission of preaching, teaching. and healing?  Didn’t the apostle Paul ·write that Christ-followers are turning the world upside down? Didn’t he cause riots in the streets with his message of One God? Didn’t his former religious partners seek to destroy him? Didn’t small armies pursue him with the purpose of killing him? How controversial was he in his time? Yet didn’t he preach a message of peace, contentment, and stability?

The Kingdom of God is not a tamed vision. It requires total surrender. It requires the death of selfish desires. It is not the path of least resistance. Instead, it’s a journey through battlefields. With the armor of God, we are proactive in our daily walk with Him. We do not know what to expect on any given day. All we know is that He is with us. Today may be a roller coaster of emotions, struggles with the self, darts from the evil one, or attacks from love ones. Through it all though we have an Advocate who is with us and we rely on. In prayer and with others we call for assistance. We move forward towards our heavenly call. Our mission is sure. Yes, we may desire the easy way out. But, as a disciple of His we have agreed to take whatever comes our way and handle it with His love. We may have initially desired tame visions, but in the pursuit of the Kingdom of God we take on more than we are capable of handling apart from Him. Yes, we like it dull, routine, and boring. But we gladly take whatever comes our way because it will make us stronger for the Kingdom, stronger for Him, and stronger for our love ones.

OUR PRAYER:

Dear Dad, glorify your name in all that we do. Let not our path be one of ease and comfort, but one of challenge and dependency on you. You are always with us. Help us always be with you. Make you the center of our life. Let nothing come between us. Help us capture your vision, to see your work, to accomplish your will in everything we do.

Help us be a living example of kingdom life in today’s world. Let your kingdom surround us and surround all the people we meet today. Let your glory shine through us and in us so that every person we meet today knows they have met you.  Amen.