Guardian of Time (5)

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6.33

Every moment for the King
Since, as we have seen, the Lord Jesus grants us the time of our lives for augmenting, improving, and expanding His rule on earth as it is in heaven, we are obliged to take His command about seeking the Kingdom into every area of our lives. In heaven, perfect righteousness, peace, and joy obtain, because the Lord is there, and all those He has thus far gathered unto Himself. This is what He intends for the time of our lives as well, not fully, but really and increasingly.

We are making the most of the time of our lives when we are using every moment of it on the King’s business, devoting ourselves to the progress of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit as our calling for life (Rom. 14.17, 18). It is the role of the conscience to guard our time for these ends, and to maintain seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness as the defining priority of our lives.

The better we understand and the more consistent we are in practicing the Kingship of Jesus and in seeking His Kingdom, the better use we will make of the time of our lives in bringing glory and honor to the Lord.

Know the King
Seeking the Kingdom means preparing, growing, and living to experience and express the reality of Christ’s rule in every area of our lives – every area, every moment, all for His glory and Kingdom.

This requires, in the first place, that we maintain a vibrant and fruitful relationship with the Lord of the Kingdom Himself.

Peter commands us to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ so that we encounter Him in His glory through the various disciplines He has provided (2 Pet. 3.18; 2 Cor. 3.12-18). We cannot expect to have much success in advancing the rule of Christ in the time of our lives if we do not know the Lord well enough to understand how He would have us use our time for His honor and glory.

The paltry spiritual life that characterizes many professing Christians will keep them from making the most of the time of their lives for the Lord, for the simple reason that their relationship with Him is not as deep and vibrant as it should be.

The Kingdom visible
The Kingdom of God – that reign of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit – comes to expression in our lives through the various relationships, roles, and responsibilities in which we engage each day. Thus, the more mindful we are about these, the better we prepare for each, and the more attentive and diligent we are in conducting them, the greater will be the likelihood that what we are learning about Christ and His Kingdom will become visible in our time at work, our conversations and relationships with others, and the various cultural activities of our lives.

Thus the Kingdom of God comes in the time of our lives, bringing the fragrance and flavor of heaven into everything we do.

Kingdom agent and outpost
Finally, we seek the Kingdom of God when we are involved in the work of making disciples and building the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 28.18-20).

The Church is the agent and sign of the Kingdom, as well as its outpost, brokering God’s grace and truth to the world through the lives and ministries of faithful disciples and witnesses of Jesus Christ. Each of us is called to participate in the great work of making disciples and bearing witness for Christ; using our time with others to encourage, instruct, and assist them in knowing the Lord and growing in Him; and joining with other disciples to carry out the various works of ministry that build up the local community of believers in unity and maturity (Eph. 4.1-16). One way to make sure your time is being used for the Kingdom of God is to devote some of your time to the work of helping your own local congregation grow as the Body of Christ. Indeed, this work should take up a good bit of your labor in your Personal Mission Field, since many of the people included there will be believers and church members. We need to encourage one another about our participation in helping our local church become more the Body of Jesus in our community (Eph. 4.12-16).

Making disciples is not the calling of pastors alone. Jesus expects all His subjects to be actively involved in this great work (Matt. 28.18-20). Similarly, each of us has unique gifts and opportunities for ministering to others, and we must be faithful stewards of these as the Lord leads us day by day (1 Pet. 4.10, 11; 1 Cor. 4.1, 2).

When we are seeking the Kingdom of God in these ways – growing in the Lord, doing His work in all our work and other activities, making disciples and building His Church – we will be making the best possible use of the time entrusted to us by the Lord; and we can expect a return on our investment that brings honor and glory to Christ, and the blessings of the Kingdom to those around us.

Thus the time that flows to us, pristine and purposeful, will flow back to Christ, adorned with grace and glory, and bringing Him honor and praise as His Kingdom advances on earth as it is in heaven, in our lives and Personal Mission Fields.

For reflection
1.  Why is it so important that believers grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ? How can they do that?

2.  What do we mean by saying that the local church is the sign, agent, and outpost of the Kingdom? How does serving in our church help us in using our time according to the mind of Christ?

3.  What are some observations that would signal to you that the rule of King Jesus was coming into your time as it exists before His throne in heaven?

Next steps – Preparation: How would you evaluate yourself in each of the areas of Kingdom-seeking mentioned in this article? What can you do to improve and become more consistent in each of these?

T. M. Moore

Paul guides us through the ongoing struggle of growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Our book, The Know Him, unpacks the apostle’s teaching to help you make daily progress in the Lord. Learn more and order your free copy by clicking here. If you’re not sure what it means to enter and seek the Kingdom of God, order a free copy of our book, The Kingdom Turn, by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.