Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment, Part 4

[Part 1, Part 2, Part 3]

Conclusion and Afterthoughts

After I wrote this article, I reflected on this topic quite a bit more. The more I meditated on it, the more it seemed like it all boiled down to one question – what kingdom do I choose to represent and reside in? I found myself asking some questions, “Why don’t I get riled up when someone tears Christianity up one side and down the other? Why don’t I become offended when someone speaks badly of this nation? Why don’t I have any issues with all of the differences within Christian doctrines and denominations? It’s surely not because I don’t know what I believe or am short on passion, so what is it? What I arrived at is simple. My identity cannot be found in any of these things. I don’t buy into all of the religious mess of Christianity, so it’s not about who or what I am labeled. My eternal residence is not limited to this nation, so I don’t need to defend her or be offended if someone speaks poorly of her. She is not my home to defend or represent. I don’t belong to any denominations of men because they’re all riddled with division and segregation, so I have no affiliation that can be threatened.

This is why one who has been given new eyes to see the eternal Kingdom (Psalm 145:13) easily sees all of the vain and temporal efforts and advances of American religion. It gives those willing to disconnect from this temporal identity and reputation freedom to advance one kingdom and one King – Christ and His Kingdom! With this viewpoint, this kingdom shift, what the majority see as beneficial and successful looks like temporal refuse. It is the simple biblical understanding that I am truly an alien here. When Jesus said that the kingdom is “at hand”, He did not mean it is this earth. It is “here” in the sense that it is parallel to this reality that we know as this physical, temporal life. It is attainable but only accessible to those who have been born from above. Only these have been enabled to see the kingdom of heaven (John 3:3). It is a Kingdom that is not of this world. No earthly kingdom can contain this kingdom, not even America. There can only be one kingdom that remains. One throne and one king sitting upon it. My challenge is to any who would hear. Do all that you can to make sure that absolutely everything in your life is placed under the kingship of Jesus, The Christ. All I desire is to urge all of us to lay aside any other thing that seeks to be exalted above God in our lives. Even seemingly “good” things can cause us to completely miss the “best”.

May we be found living out 1 Peter 2:9-12 in humility and constant remembrance that we’re all in need of a merciful Saviour.

But you are A CHOSEN RACE, a royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.