Kingdom Investments One Moment at a Time

A saltine cracker and a thanksgiving feast.

One is palatable, offering minimal food value, the other delectable in pleasure and abundant in nutrition.

One is often used in times of weak stomach or sickness, the other enjoyed amid time of joy  & fellowship.

A contrast of significant difference.

A similar divergence arose in my reading this morning:  Revelation 22 and then the topic of an excerpt from John Piper’s Pierced by the Word devotional.  (Totally unrelated readings just happened to fall on the same day in my regular routine).

The final chapter of Revelation described the grandeur and incomprehensible splendor of that upcoming final day of God’s triumphant reign and our truest joy realized.

The devotional chapter asked the question, “Why TV?”

(The point was not that TV was intrinsically ‘wrong’ in itself, just that it is often so scrawny and pathetic, so paltry in what it offers to the human soul.)

Kind of like a saltine cracker.

And when compared to the reality of our future hope (and present motivation!) of the glorious reign of Christ, the majesty of Himself and our response of worship, TV is so lame.

Additionally,  when one considers all that TV propagandizes to us: ( this world’s culture, a ‘today is what  matters’ emphasis, a worldview absent of God), what is the wisdom of our pursuit of its pleasure?

And finally, when one also considers all that it robs us of (and this was the point of Piper’s chapter)—the time we could have been doing so many more (endless possibility!) things of value, what is the wisdom of choosing to wile away precious time before its paltry fare?

God’s kingdom glory (Rev 22) waits (soon!) before us, but our kingdom opportunity (how we spend our time) is before us now.!

Will we spend it carelessly in front of the TV (or computer…or ???)  or will we invest our hours of life with the throne of the Lamb in mind?

Or said another way: Will my life show a trail of soda cracker crumbs or the post-feast kitchen remains of an abundant, throne-in-mind banquet ?

                “No longer will there be anything accursed, 

but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it,

and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

Revelation 22:1-5 ESV