While reading, Quest for More: Living for Something Bigger than You by Paul David Tripp, recently, I have been pondering the value and importance of examining ourselves and taking greater thought to whether we are living each day for our own desires (our little kingdom), or whether we are investing purposefully in the True Kingdom of God.
Tripp says, “We were never meant to be self-focused kings ruling minuscule little kingdoms with a population of one. Sure, it’s right for you to care about your health, your job, your house, your family…Yet it is a functional human tragedy to live only for those things…you were created to be an ‘above and more’ being. You were made to be transcendent.”
He continues:
“The promises of the little kingdom [our agenda, our desires] will always fail. They will always leave me coming up short, because the spiritual oxygen that my heart needs to breathe can only be found in the Lord. Achievement, acceptance, appearance, and possessions may give you identity, meaning, and purpose for awhile. But they will enslave you in the process and disappoint you in the end.”
I am striving to be faithful in managing my home, serving my husband and baby, but at the same time, am I taking any thought to the greater purpose of these acts? Is it to receive acceptance from others? Am I completing them in a thoughtless manner? Am I investing in the here and now or for eternity in my conversation, service, and actions? What ways can I bless others from my home? The pursuit of my own interests will bring little satisfaction…but pursuing God and His kingdom will be a worthwhile investment!
I just heard Paul Tripp speak at a conference, and he was really good. He got us thinking about the little idols our hearts set up that get in the way of kingdom thinking.
Hope you enjoy the book!