04-22-24-ENG.

He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, He who rejects unjust gain And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil; He will dwell on the heights, His refuge will be the impregnable rock; His bread will be given him, His water will be sure. Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will behold a far-distant land.

Isaiah 33:15–17
Applying kingdom values to your thoughts, words, and actions should be a regular pursuit. If it falls to the wayside due to the busy schedules and distractions in life, then the close relationship you desire with God will also grow more distant. This is because God has given us these kingdom values as a way of reflecting Him to a world in need. He desires to be close to those of us who have hearts that honor Him through aligning ourselves underneath Him. It may become easy to neglect pursuing the kingdom values in your life, though, because it brings many bumps and potential bruises with it. But remember that the people who experience negative repercussions due to their identification with Christ and His kingdom values system will also get to see heaven overrule earth. There is a benefit to the pain.

 Instead of being entwined and trapped in the kingdom of earth, where men or the devil and his minions rule, you will get to see the kingdom of heaven where God rules. When it appears that the earth’s kingdom is keeping you from moving ahead, either through denying you a promotion or excluding you from activities, you will get to see what happens when God demonstrates that He is the ultimate ruler over all. Society may seek to control your mind, emotions, or even your productivity—but society will have to yield to God when you invite Him in to intervene. If you hold to His kingdom values system, He will override the systems of this age. As a kingdom follower, you will know what it means for the supernatural to invade the natural. You will know firsthand what it looks like for heaven to invade history. You’ll get to experience eternity overruling earth. You’ll get to see what God looks like when He shows up and shows out on your behalf. One of the reasons so many of us have never seen God overrule anything, or anyone, in our lives is because we’ve not chosen to live according to kingdom values.

We’ve never had a situation where God saw that we were acting and speaking according to His kingdom values so that He could act and speak in defense of us. God doesn’t intervene just because we need it. He intervenes when He sees that we have chosen to live according to His established standard. If you choose not to identify with the person or values of the King, you don’t get to see the kingdom of heaven overruling the kingdom of men. This is a choice you get to make. Only you can make your choice for yourself. God will never force you to live your life as a committed kingdom disciple expressing His kingdom values to the world.

That’s one reason why He has made it so clear what the benefits are when we do live according to His Word. These benefits are meant to incentivize us toward a higher calling. Some of the benefits we will receive on earth. Other benefits won’t come until eternity. But you can know for certain that God will reward a heart that seeks after Him and someone who models their life after His expressed kingdom values. 

Reaction:
What is one way you can be obedient to what God has revealed to you at this time? Have you witnessed God show up for you when you had no way to show up for yourself, and what did you learn from that? Why is it easy to want to give up when difficulties and trials come as a result of doing good? 

Prayer:
Jesus, I don’t want to waste my life living for myself. I want to honor You in all I do and say. Show me how I can do that more than I do right now. Help my heart to be rightly aligned underneath You as Lord and Savior of my soul. In Your name I pray, amen.