Starting with the End

Life is about change.

Beginning. Middle. End.

Our lives are never static. We rush to one appointment, and then head off to another.

And as our calendars and homes fill up, so do our stress levels.

Is this what it’s all about?

More appointments? More stuff? More stress?

Jesus said in Matthew 25:34: “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”NLT

Why do we worry so much when we already know it doesn’t do us any good?

Maybe there’s an answer in Jesus’ message. In this entire teaching about not worrying, Jesus throws out this line in the preceding verse: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”NLT

How do we seek out the Kingdom of God? How do we know when we find it?

Is it as easy as slipping into a pair of sweatpants, or does it require you to live on a mountain top and stare at your belly button for twenty years?

And. Jesus throws in an and. He says we must seek the Kingdom and live righteously.

What does that look like? WWJD? How does one live right with God and others?

We start with the end, because the end holds the answers.

The last part of our vision focuses on how we perceive God’s Kingdom looks like. This gives us a vision to pursue, a road to walk, and a dream to realize.

It reads as follows:

A kingdom where the poor are rich and the lonely find family. Where justice and mercy slow dance. Where hearts, souls, and minds are opened and wisdom expands. Where we pour love on Jesus’ tired, dirty, beautiful, aching feet whenever we serve another person. A kingdom where we receive our name and engage our calling. Where shattered lives and fragmented dreams find the hope that leads to restoration. We have caught a glimpse of this kingdom and we have found it captivating. We as the church have been called to get this kingdom started on earth as it is in heaven. The keys to this kingdom are in our hands. When are we going to unlock these gates? Who will help push the boundaries of this kingdom until it swallows up all that causes disconnection and suffering? As this River bursts forth we will flood our community with the tangible presence of Jesus Christ.

Related Verses

Matthew 6:19-34“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

“Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.