Made for More: 30 Days of Experiencing More Life, Love, and FreedomSample

Day 28: The Kingdom

The good heart—your new heart, the one God has given you—and the life He intends for you are designed to come together in the context of His Kingdom. To understand your heart and live your life fully, you must know what that Kingdom is all about.

Jesus majored on the subject. The Kingdom is mentioned 119 times in the 90 chapters that make up the four Gospels. Clearly, the Kingdom isn’t a side note; it’s the central story Jesus came to tell.

God’s Kingdom is not a democracy. We don’t get a vote on how it works. But we do get to decide whether or not we believe what Jesus says about it. Our wills matter… greatly—but His will and ways matter most. He built the whole thing, after all. He created the Kingdom with Himself at the center—not us. And yet, He invites us to join Him there and participate. Participate first in our own recovery and healing and then to join Him in helping others.

Another likely reason Jesus spoke more about the Kingdom than anything else? Because He’s the King of it! The more we grow in our relationship with Him, the more He shows us who we are, who He is and how the Kingdom works—what He called "the kingdom of heaven."

In the gospels, Jesus gives a series of word pictures to help us understand:

• A man who sowed good seed in his field
• A mustard seed, planted and grown into a tree
• Yeast that works its way through the dough
• A merchant searching for fine pearls
• A homeowner bringing out treasures, both old and new

In the book of Matthew, Jesus specifically speaks about the Kingdom as:

• A king settling accounts with his servants (18:23)
• A king throwing a wedding banquet for his son (22:2)

When we grasp the powerful union of Heart, Love, Life, and Kingdom—or better yet, when that union gets hold of us—everything changes. We begin to recover lost ground in our lives. We grow. We come alive.

God is on the move dear one. Love and Life are looking for you—because they are God Himself. He’s calling you into something greater, something Kingdom-sized.

This is the call of Reformation: not just knowing more but becoming more. Not everyone will say yes—many didn’t in Jesus’ day, the first Reformer, nor in the Reformation sparked by Martin Luther. But the goal is not just mass conversion, although God does want ALL to be saved. It’s what we are saved for, that is the goal. And the goal of the Cross is intimacy. The Trinity wanted the sons and daughters back; their image bearers loved intimately back to life. It’s experiencing this love, the intimate love of God that changes everything, an intimacy that will not only change a heart, but will change the world.

So, for those who are thirsty for purpose and longing for freedom… the King is ready. The path is marked. A guide is given.

Enter the training of the Kingdom by the Spirit who dwells in you. Say it aloud if you’re ready:

“Holy Spirit, here is my heart, mind, body, and soul. I offer all of who I am to be trained up into who I truly am, so that I might partner with You to love others into the Kingdom. Amen—and I’m in.”

As you reflect on all this with God today, consider asking Him:

Jesus, what does having a Kingdom mindset mean for my everyday life?

Holy Spirit, where would You like to begin my Kingdom training today?

Father, is there one phrase or sentence that feels like it’s just for me today? Would You help me hear it clearly and understand why it matters?