Kingdom Building
September 27, 2019
Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 6:6-19
pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses….
As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. –1 Timothy 6:11b-12, 17-19
The phrase take hold of the eternal life is written in present tense as something we should do right now. The case can be made that followers of God have been working toward the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God since Adam and Eve left the garden. Jesus, however, made it clear that ushering in the Kingdom of God is our prime directive, if I can borrow language from Star Trek. The scripture above gives us behaviors that will help us in the work necessary to complete this assignment.
Righteousness equals justice and is visible in our everyday relationships as individuals, families, communities of faith, and governmental entities. While we think we have come a long way in the area of justice, we have a long way to go. Psalm 98.9 tells us that at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. Part of our job is to work toward that equity for all people.
We do that work through love, endurance, gentleness but then the writer of Timothy uses language we associate with violence Fight the good fight of the faith. The type of fighting I believe the writer is talking about is the perseverance necessary to love the unlovable, to endure at the side of the oppressed until they are freed to be who God create them to be, and to do that all in a gentle manner—quite a challenge. He also tells the rich to be rich in good works. That applies to all who are rich in the love of God.
Prayer: God of the Past, Present, and Future, thank you for the opportunity to work toward your kingdom. Give us the strength and courage to continue that journey in the chaos of our world today. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.