Kingdom Ambition

New Years resolutions can be hit or miss. Statista, an online research company, recently studied New Years resolutions and found that they only last, on average, through the second week of February! And while commitments to eat healthy, exercise, or improve one’s mental well-being are all good things, the problem is that these “good things” are often prioritized over what the Lord has for us. In other words, we let the “good” get in the way of his “great.” 

Christ reminds us that he alone is the source of all our needs and the only way for our life to be fulfilled is by “seek[ing] first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” But what does this look like practically? We are to seek him in the Internal Kingdom of our minds by allowing him to govern our beliefs and turning to him in our anxieties. It means we are to seek him in the External Kingdom of our lives, not by earning our righteousness, but by clinging to the grace given by Christ when he purchased us with his perfect life and sacrificial death. 

The Holy Spirit will change us as we, more and more, die to sin and live for him. This should be our greatest resolution as a believer: to cling to Christ and allow the Spirit to empower us as we work out our salvation. The hope that we will be changed both in this life and the next is the hope of the Eternal Kingdom that we long for! Christ has changed us, is changing us, and will ultimately change us in the coming of the new heavens and the new earth.