Matthew 6:9-13 (King James Version)
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
This prayer, taught to Jesus’ followers, says, “Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” God has called us to make the world a bit more like heaven where His will is done and He is considered holy. How should we do this?
*We should start with the room in which we are at this moment and there seek to make it as much a part of heaven as we can possibly make it. Next we should expand our thoughts to those with whom we live and make our household as much like heaven as we are able to do. We should treat those with whom we live as the sons and daughters of God that they are. But we should not stop there. Next we must consider those who live next door to us and seek to give them a taste of heaven and of this God whom we serve. Do they know that God loves them and wants the very best for them? Do they have any needs that God has placed in their hearts with which we might help them? Are there any barriers that we have caused to prevent them from seeing the heaven which God is seeking to create on this earth? Again, we would not stop there, but would next ask ourselves about the community in which we live. How can I make my community a bit more like heaven on earth? What is God’s will for this place? What is He already doing here? What about our country? How might we serve our country and make it a little more heavenly? What of those who live in other countries? What would it look like if more of God’s will was done in their country? How might we use what God has given us to help those in other places? We might start with a country next door and expand to other parts of the world.
Of course all of this is not necessarily sequential and we can and should pursue God’s will on more than one front at a time. But as we begin to feel overwhelmed by the sense of the gravity of the situation and the immensity of the task, perhaps we should read that first line again: “We should start with the room in which we are at this moment and there seek to make it as much a part of heaven as we can possibly make it.” What mustard seed efforts might I make today as I start at home?
*I know that I have read something like this in a book somewhere but when I looked for it I could not find it. Perhaps one of my friends who reads the same books I do could inform me as to where I have read something like this so that I might give the original author full credit.