Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 47:1-5
Ps 47:1-5
1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. 2 How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth! 3 He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. 4 He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. Selah 5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets.
John 18:36-37
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” 37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
In previous articles we have mentioned God’s view of things as opposed to “this world” view of things. God sees all things as related to his eternal plan for all of mankind and the eternal redemption of the faithful. His plan from before creation was full fellowship with his creation and this will be culminated with the return of Jesus when the faithful will be called to their new eternal home. This eternal state is referred to as the “kingdom of heaven” or “kingdom of God” in many different references of scripture. We usually just call it heaven.
Paul refers in the book of Ephesians to the “heavenly places” (or heavenly realms or heavenlies – depending on the translation being used). It is my conviction that this an extension of heaven from eternity back into time. In other words, it is the saved of all the earth; past and present. This is referred to in scripture as the church of God or of Christ or the firstborn, as well as other designations. This body of saved is also referred to as the kingdom of God.
So as Paul states in Colossians 1:13, the saved have been translated from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of his dear Son. The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom (Jesus said it is not of this world) and requires spiritual armor and spiritual weapons. It is not against flesh and blood but the forces of evil led by Satan himself. Jesus is king and we are his citizens from today into eternity.
Thank you Lord for your matchless wisdom that makes the wisdom of this world seem as foolishness. Thank you for providing all I need to be in your kingdom and for your grace that makes me a citizen. Strengthen my faith and help me fight my spiritual battles every day, realizing you have already won the war against sin in the resurrection of Jesus. I ask a special prayer for those who are grieving over the loss of those they love and your richest blessings of strength and healing for those taking treatments and having surgeries. I pray in the name of King Jesus.
Robert
