Written by Mary Taylor, a contemporary writer. This is an excerpt from the book “A Beautiful Year in the Bible.”
Living into God’s kingdom means inverting our expectations. According to the world’s standards, the best of us are self-assured and self-sufficient. Yet, Jesus teaches that we must adopt a childlike posture—reliant and trusting upon God—to enter the Kingdom…Children, with their innate trust and dependence on their parents, embody the humility and openness required to live in God’s Kingdom. In other words, embracing a Kingdom mindset means acknowledging that we are not in control and submitting ourselves to God’s guidance. This posture can be challenging to adopt, standing in stark contrast to conventional notions of control and power. We often seek to manage our lives meticulously, striving to predict what lies ahead and adopting personal metrics for success…When we rely on ourselves instead of relying on God, we miss the Kingdom of God being built in us and through us…Wealth and power are not inherently bad, but the illusion of control they can cultivate often makes it harder for us to turn to and fully depend on God.
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. [Philippians 3:7-8]
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