Since I’m around college students a lot, I frequently get to hear them respond to the question “So what do you want to do with your life?” Sometimes the question isn’t as bluntly stated, but whether they’re being asked “what do you want to be?” “what are your dreams” or “what are your plans for after graduation?,” the root of the inquiry is to try and understand what kind of life they want to lead.
Interestingly, one response that I’ve never heard (and I’ve heard plenty) is “I want to build a kingdom for myself, where I get everything I want in a manner that’s convenient to me. I will make all the rules and then I will decide whether or not I will live by those rules. No one in this kingdom will be as important as me.”
And although no one is brass enough to answer this way, from the way they live their lives, this appears to be the dream of many.
- They make choices based on what’s best for them.
- They act as if no one else matters.
- They live for what pleases them.
Jesus, however, made it very clear that if we aren’t living for Him, we’re living against Him (Matthew 12:30). Similarly, if we aren’t building His kingdom, we’re building ours.
And our kingdom will not stand.
Which means that the only logical thing to do is to get busy working for the Kingdom that will endure; forsaking our own fiefdom, for a treasure that is secure.
How will you build His kingdom today?
This post was partially inspired by MercyMe’s song In the Blink of an Eye. [affiliate link]