I belong to a kingdom. It’s a holy nation. In this kingdom, I am part of a royal priesthood. My job description is to love people within my kingdom and outside my kingdom. My job requires me to heal the sick, raise the dead, feed the poor, and tell other people about my kingdom.
The people in my kingdom are not perfect, although our King sees us as perfect. Lately, I think we have forgotten our primary directive – to love people – to love ALL people, regardless of their ethnicity, their political affiliation, their religion, their sin or their birthplace. I think lately we have forgotten how our King loved and hung out with people who were sinners. I think we have forgotten even when our King was being persecuted, he offered forgiveness, loved the sinner next to him, and never complained about being mistreated.
But I guess this goes to show you, this kingdom is not for perfect people. This kingdom extends a welcome to all who are hurting, to all people with a past, to the liar, the adulterer, the murder, the racist. All are welcomed because this Kingdom borders are open. No one is beyond the redemptive power of this Kingdom.
You may ask why would I want to be a part of such a group of misfits? Because our King is amazing! He has this way of loving people that transform them. He forgives. He is relational and finds a way to spend time with all who invites Him. He heals the broken-hearted, and the physically ill. He imparts joy, and hope, and peace. He is beautiful! (And every citizen gets a retirement plan that is literally to die for!)
So I invite all to come and be a part of this kingdom. As citizens of this kingdom we are learning to be more like our King. I apologize if we have not modeled our King well lately, but I encourage you to taste and see our King is good!
“Yeshua answered, “My kingship does not derive its authority from this world’s order of things. If it did, my men would have fought to keep me from being arrested by the Judeans. But my kingship does not come from here.” “So then,” Pilate said to him, “You are a king, after all.” Yeshua answered, “You say I am a king. The reason I have been born, the reason I have come into the world, is to bear witness to the truth. Every one who belongs to the truth listens to me.””
Yochanan (Jhn) 18:36-37 CJB
http://bible.com/1275/jhn.18.36-37.cjb