\u201cYeah, it\u2019s just behind school, out in the woods. I built it with my dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
After school we slipped out of the carpool line and headed for the woods. For two hours we searched for a fort that didn\u2019t exist. My friend didn\u2019t catch on, even when I told him about the full-size kitchen and elevator. \u201cIt\u2019s just around the corner!\u201d I kept promising.<\/p>\n
By the time we wandered back to school, the place was swarming with cops. The next morning the principal was waiting for me with a paddle.<\/p>\n
\u201cTouch your toes, son,\u201d he said.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” text_align=”left” row_position=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” overflow=”visible” pointer_events=”all”][vc_column_inner column_padding=”padding-10-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” overflow=”visible” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” enable_animation=”true” animation=”fade-in-from-bottom” animation_easing=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” column_padding_type=”default” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column_text]\n
I\u2019ve built a lot of kingdoms in my life, and like my imaginary fort, they\u2019ve all disappointed. When I was a teenager, I lived for the Kingdom of Ego \u2013 anything to make myself look good. When I got married, I tried to build a more traditional kingdom \u2013 the Kingdom of the American Dream. One of the most damaging kingdoms I\u2019ve built is the Kingdom of Performance \u2013 the one where I try to please God by working hard to make up for all my past failures.<\/p>\n
We build kingdoms because we crave refuge. We need somewhere to hang our hope. How do you identify a kingdom? Follow the \u201cif onlys.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf only I can make it to the top of my company.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf only I can insulate my family from suffering.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf only I can gain so-and-sos approval \u2026 or win the political battle \u2026 or make a name for myself \u2026\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Kingdoms are built on hope and \u201cif onlys,\u201d and they come at a steep price.[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line”][vc_column_text]\n I read an article recently about people who took radical measures to invest in Bitcoin when it first came out. Some of them sold their homes, moved into trailers, and poured every penny into Bitcoin stock. They did it because they saw the potential for life-changing wealth, and to them, the risk was worth the reward.<\/p>\n It reminds me of a parable Jesus told in Matthew 13:44: \u201cThe kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.\u201d<\/p>\n The truth is, we always sell \u201call we have\u201d for a kingdom. I don\u2019t necessarily mean financially. I mean we sell ourselves. We become sold-out, stake-my-life-on-this, ALL IN. Why? Because our hope rides on our kingdoms.[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line”][vc_column_text]\n How do you know if you\u2019ve put your hope in the right kingdom? It\u2019s actually very simple.<\/p>\n You look at the King.<\/p>\n By definition, every kingdom has a king. And I can almost guarantee that if the king of your kingdom isn\u2019t Jesus, it\u2019s you. Below the infinite number of kingdoms we construct, there are really only two: The Kingdom of Christ and the Kingdom of Self.<\/p>\n \u201cSelf\u201d always disappoints. It looks promising at first. It\u2019s like a race through the woods \u2013 heady and exciting \u2013 a chase after something as amazing as a fort with a hot air balloon landing pad. But two hours, or two years, or a lifetime later, it\u2019s all foolishness and deception.<\/p>\n The first step to Jesus is the death of the king inside of you. It\u2019s a death that actually leads to life, for as Jesus once said, \u201cWhoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it\u201d (Matthew 16:25).<\/p>\n Don\u2019t be deceived. Be like the man who knows how to spot true treasure. And in your joy, let go of everything else, and go buy that field.[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”Small Line” line_alignment=”center” line_thickness=”2″ divider_color=”accent-color” animate=”yes”][vc_column_text]\n [vc_row type=”full_width_content” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” gradient_type=”default” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-10-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":108909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,45,46],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-108899","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-christian-life","8":"category-counselors-corner","9":"category-magazine"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Cost of a Kingdom<\/h4>\n
The Test of a Worthy Kingdom<\/h4>\n
Want to learn more about the Kingdom of God?<\/i> Join us<\/i><\/a> for an 8-week series on The Kingdom: Becoming a Citizen of Heaven on Earth.<\/i><\/h4>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"