Whose Kingdom Are You Building?

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” (Colossians 1:13)

I’ve never been much for team sports. I can’t stand the thought of everyone counting on me to get a base hit in the bottom of the ninth or defend the basket at the buzzer or kick the necessary field goal in overtime. I’m much more inclined to tackle a personal challenge or compete against others when it’s only my reputation on the line.

I still remember my first soccer game. I was five or six years old, and I chased the ball back and forth across the field for what seemed like hours. I just wanted to kick the soccer ball—to help my team out. And then I got my chance. The ball came right to me, and I took off, punting it farther and farther down the field. I was on fire. It seemed there was no stopping me!

But of course there wasn’t. I was running in the wrong direction. Before I realized it, I had scored a goal for the other team.

The Bible says that there is a battle waging between two kingdoms: God’s kingdom and the kingdom of darkness. On the cross, Jesus made Satan’s defeat certain. But it is up to Christ’s followers to walk in that victory and rout the enemy until the day that He returns in triumph. This means that with every decision we make—big ones and small ones—we can either bring a bit of God’s kingdom to earth so that the Lord’s will is done as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10) or we can allow the enemy to stand his ground.

So, the question is: Which team are you scoring goals for?

“The issue is now clear. It is between light and darkness, and everyone must choose his side.”

G. K. Chesterton

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