Your Kingdom Come

The reign of God that Jesus announces is full of grace for sinners and this brings joy to many. It also fully engages the energies of those who receive it. But then, there are others who hate his reign, no matter how kind it is. They will never yield to anyone. Even some of Christ's servants find him to be a demanding figure. 'What is the minimum I need to do to please this man?' they may ask. When Christ returns, these 'bare minimum' people will suffer loss, even if they are saved. The Lord's enemies will be destroyed, so their evil intent should not infect the Lord's servants.

When Jesus ascended to the Father to receive his kingdom, he refused to say anything about how this kingdom would work out, other than that we should continue in what he has begun: 'You will be my witnesses… to the end of the earth'. So we pray that God's kingdom will come, and participate in its coming by bearing witness to the amazing grace of Christ. This, for the moment, is all we need to know.