The Kingdom of Heaven

And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

Daniel 2:44

Context:

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a dream. His dream was of a large statue with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay. Then a large stone, which was cut without hands, struck the image, broke it, crushed it, and caused the wind to blow it away. In the end the stone became "a great mountain and filled the whole earth" (Dan. 2:35). Daniel subsequently explains how each metal represents a kingdom that takes over after the previous kingdom. He then makes this statement, saying that at the end God is the one that will establish a kingdom that will consume all of the previous kingdoms.

Message:

A quick look at history can match up various kingdoms with each part of the statue. As stated in the passage the gold head represents King Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon. Next came Persia, then Greece, and then Rome, and lastly Rome as it was divided. This brings us right up to Jesus's birth, life, death, and resurrection. 

Jesus constantly talked about the 'Kingdom of Heaven' and this is why. Jesus did not just come to forgive our sins, He came to establish "a kingdom which shall never be destroyed". A lot of Christians think of the kingdom of Heaven as something to look forward to after we die but it is so much more than that. Jesus said the kingdom is within us (Luke 17:21). At the start of His ministry he stated "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17). I believe the kingdom of heaven began right here on earth with Jesus. He is calling us to live in His kingdom now, not later. We should be studying out what He said about the Kingdom and striving to live it out. Jesus even told us to seek the kingdom of heaven first (Matt. 6:33).

What are your thoughts on the Kingdom of Heaven?

Jesus, Servants, and Beaver Football

Today, as I was perusing the sports section in the local newspaper the following opening sentence caught my eye:

"The story of Jesus kneeling to wash his disciples' feet has become a common theme among the Oregon State football team this season." (Connor Letourneau, The Oregonian)

Of course the writer is referencing the popular story in John chapter 13 in which Jesus kneels down before supper and washes each of his disciples feet. He does this as an example of the servant leadership that he wants his disciples to follow. In the above referenced article, Connor Letourneau, talks about the popularity of this passage among the Oregon State football team. He then goes on to focus on the story of one, underappreciated, member of the team: Tim McMullen.

Tim is OSU's placeholder, he's the guy who holds the ball for the field goal kicker. Everyone knows the kickers. Footballs kickers are either the heroes or the scapegoats. They could save the game with a good kick or they could let it slip away with a bad one, but no one ever pays attention to the guy holding the ball even though he's just as important to the kick's success. The story outlines the story of McMullen and how he gave up a chance to transfer, be the main punter for a team, and possibly gain a career in the NFL, in order to stay at OSU and push for his friend's success. This is a great example of a feet washer.

This story made me think about how many foot washers are around us in every career. How many people that do 'behind the scenes' jobs with a focus on making someone else successful. People who truly model the selfless attitude that Jesus represented to us in the act of washing His disciple's feet. Do you have anyone like that surrounding you? How often do you appreciate them for what they do? If they're a true foot washer they aren't doing it for recognition but they deserve it anyway. Look around you and determine who you need to appreciate today. Who is making sacrifices in order to make you look good? I know I have a few of them at my workplace.

To read the full article go here.

"A Leadership Mandate".... from a friend

My friend and fellow blogger, Dan Black, has just released his first book. Dan has dedicated his adult life to the study of leadership and has been blogging on the subject for over four years.

Check out his blog here. 

In his book, The Leadership Mandate, Dan presents a profound mandate in simple writing. He reminds us of the truth that we are all leaders due to the influence we have on those around us. When we understand this idea then we can begin to be conscious about building and improving our influence. Dan doesn't leave us alone on that topic either. After convincing us that we are leaders he gives us 10 essential tips on how to develop that leadership and that influence.

This book is a short read but it brings a much needed understanding of leadership to its readers. If you are interested in providing a lasting change in your world around you then this book is well worth the buy.

You can find the book on Amazon here.