Jesus disappointed everyone who thought that His role as Messiah was to set up an earthly kingdom. He had no desire to be that kind of a king. He took pains to make it clear that this was not on the agenda at all. But He spoke constantly about His Kingdom and invited people to come and join it.

He recognized that not everyone would understand this; as He Himself put it, “Many are called, but few are chosen.”

He said, ”All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never cast out.”
John 6:37

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.”
John 6:44-45

The ability to understand what it means to follow Jesus is a gift from God. Not everyone who hears the invitation will “get it.” To this day there are many who think they’ve understood, but then proceed to build their own empire instead of God’s Kingdom.

Living in His Kingdom means that I choose to live my life His way; I make the choices He would approve; I deny myself the sinful pleasures that my sinful nature craves, and I seek holiness in the things I do.

I can’t do this perfectly, but His mercy covers all my sin; He will never cast me out. So repentance and faith are the keynotes of my life as I live under Him in His Kingdom.

Lord, thank You for receiving me, imperfect as I am. Give me the understanding that I need to follow You, living in Your Kingdom, today. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles