Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.
Psalm 45:6-7
A Place for Us in God's Kingdom
"Will I ever be a part of God's kingdom?"
When it comes right down to it, that might be the most important question that human beings can ever ask themselves. "Will I ever be a part of God's kingdom?" It's an important question because those who are a part of God's kingdom get to live and reign with him forever in heaven. Meanwhile, those who are not a part of his kingdom are forced to spend eternity separated from him forever in hell.
So, "Will I ever be a part of his kingdom?"
In the psalm verses before us today, we are told about the kingdom of God and about what God, our King, is like. We are told that he is eternal ("Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever.") We are told that he reigns with justice ("a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.") And we are told about the perfect life that he demands from those who desire to be a part of his kingdom ("You love righteousness and hate wickedness.")
It doesn't sound very hopeful, then, does it? "Will I ever be a part of his kingdom? How can I be when I know I have lived a life that has so often lacked righteousness and a life that has so often been filled with wickedness? How can I be when I know I have lived a life that is daily stained with sin? How can I ever expect to be a part of his kingdom when I know that no sin and no guilty sinners will ever be allowed to enter his holy kingdom?"
If it were solely up to us, we would never be a part of his kingdom. Instead, we would be left to suffer outside of it forever.
But, friends, let that horrifying truth also be the truth that gives you joy as you look forward to Christmas. That's because, the very reason Jesus, our eternal God and King, came into our world as the baby of Bethlehem was so that our place in his kingdom would not be solely up to us. Instead, he came into our world so that our place in his kingdom would depend solely upon him.
He came to live a life that loved righteousness and hated wickedness, and he lived that life as our substitute. He came to die the death that our stained-with-sin lives deserved. He came to suffer hell in our place so that we would never have to. He came to forgive our sins. He came to earn a place in his kingdom for us, and through his saving work, he has.
So, will you ever be a part of his kingdom? Praise be to God, through faith in his saving work on your behalf, you already are!
Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, you are my King, my Savior, and my God. Thank you for making me a part of your eternal kingdom through your work on my behalf. Amen.
The devotions on Thursdays and Fridays in December lead us in Songs from the Psalms.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
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