Friday, June 10, 2016

Kingdom, Power, Glory


For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.  Amen.

This last line of prayer we recite is called a Doxology - a short hymn of praise to God. Why is this little line important?


I think it is a reminder to us that God is God and we are not. According to Orberg in the book, The Lord's Prayer: Praying with Power, "We can try to build our own kingdoms...and put ourselves first, but Jesus invites us to a life focused on his kingdom, his power and his glory."

>We pray the prayer at times without hearing the words, but there has to be some value to us in reciting that the kingdom, power and glory belong to God - not to us. What difference does that make? If I build a kingdom of my own - focusing on my wants and needs - then I am ignoring God. I am centering my life on myself instead of on God. I am not loving God; I am probably not loving my neighbor. If I build my life as if all around me is God's kingdom, my life is different. My focus is different - I can be loving and faithful.

If I claim power of my own, I forget God has real power. I don't serve as a conduit for that power. I fail to bless others, and fail to make myself available for God's work.

If I center my life around the idea of God's kingdom, and if I recognize and utilize God's power, then God is glorified.

Whose kingdom is it? God's.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home