Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” (John 18:36, NIV 1984).
My Musings – “A Republic, if you can keep it.” Quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin as he left Independence Hall on the final day of deliberation on the U.S. Constitution. He likely never thought we would keep it this long, nor is it likely any of his contemporaries did either. And with history as our guide, we will not keep it forever. But if you are a patriot like me, you hoped it would never happen in your lifetime. And it still may not. Despite witnessing the events on January 8, 2021, that I never thought I would ever see in my country (by my own countrymen and women), it still may not. We may still keep our republic for our lifetime and many generations to come.
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
But whether or not we lose it anytime soon, and whatever country takes its place at center stage of our fallen world after us, earthly kingdoms are fragile things, destined rise and eventually fall. That’s why we must hold the treasures of this world lightly, even the country that we have come to love and treasure so much. Like earthly treasures that “moth and rust destroy,” there’s tarnish on our Liberty Bell. Tarnish that did not happen overnight. It’s been growing for a long time now. The above events just shined a spotlight on how far things have progressed. We may not get the shine back any time soon. But the Republic we have, the Republic so many have given their lives to defend, is worth it. But as Abraham Lincoln said (paraphrasing Jesus Christ) — “a house divided against itself will fall.”
My Advice – As we work together (and we must work together) to remove the tarnish and restore the shine, let’s not lose sight of the prize that is calling us Heavenward. Make sure we are citizens of the Kingdom that will never fall. Our work for that Kingdom can only help this kingdom.
The Brew Is A Musing 
The last two sentences that you wrote Steve, where we prioritize the kingdoms that we are in, God’s kingdom and our own kingdoms, that we find ourselves in, solidify for me, the reality and supremacy of the eternal versus the temporal.
It is not that the temporal does not or can not have value and contain truth, it obviously can, but at best, the temporal can only have partial truth, where we know and achieve in part, while the eternal is the complete or whole truth and it was for this purpose, to make the availability of the eternal, and the possession of the same, a reality for us, that Jesus gave His earthly life for us.
Jesus bridged what we cannot bridge, He who was without sin, to open the way, through faith in what He has achieved. A Republic on earth is indeed a better way, and of value and worth, but it is not the complete truth but only partial and when we lose sight of that, when our vision becomes clouded and we place the temporal over the eternal, we are in opposition to the reality and revelation of God, especially as spoken by Jesus.
And it is only when we keep the eternal kingdom as the supreme focus of our minds and hearts that we have any chance at all of moving the temporal, here on earth, more in that direction. And I fear, for far too many, in spite of good and honourable intentions, our focus has shifted. Jesus told us that without Him, we could do nothing. One mindset focuses on what we can do and the other on what He can do, in us and through us, usually by one on one interactions with others, whether they be friend or whether they be foe. One mindset is focused on achieving our perception of God’s will, here on earth now, while the other is focused on staying in step with Christ’s explicit directions to preach the Gospel, to love one another and be a light in this darkness here on earth, while awaiting for Jesus to return and bring His Kingdom with Him to us, here on earth, for a thousand years. And I find the loss of this necessity to prioritize, sad, because it clouds a lot of what we see. In God’s Word, reconciliation always takes precedence over separation. Separation is a reality but it is always a last resort. And if our light no longer differs from theirs, what Gospel do we preach? Blessings.
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Thanks for you comments Bruce. You and I have the same mindset on so many things. Not surprising. God bless.
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Amen, sir, well said! May God have mercy on us all! Blessings!
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Reblogged this on The Brew Is A Musing.
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