Kingdom Roots

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

 

We all want roots. Someplace we can turn to in times of both joy and crisis. The world strives for identity and belonging. Already, over seven million people worldwide have taken the Ancestry DNA test. This is just one of the many DNA tests helping users discover their ethnic history. Ancestry (the company) interviewed a portion of the seven million people who took their test, asking them how they felt when they received their test results. Their answers looked something like this: “When I received my results I felt like I was meeting myself for the first time,” or, “Thank you for helping me fill in the blanks in my life.” The company advertised using phrases like, “Many people are getting to know themselves better through Ancestry’s DNA test, and it’s making them feel good.”

The world wants identity. It wants roots. It thinks, if I just knew where I came from I’d know myself. As Christians, we know where we’ve come from, and we know what we’re here to do. We know our roots – We come from God and we serve the world as His children. We are here to further His kingdom. To do this we are asked to let go of ourselves and fully devote our lives to His mission. Knowing these things prepares us to step out away from the “norm” of searching for identity and realize we have already found it.

The people we try so hard to please, the groups we strive to belong to, and even the families we feel secure in – They will all pass. Our biological and social roots can’t compare to the roots we have in Christ.

In Philippians 3:20, the apostle Paul paints an image of who we are as followers of God living in the world.  He says, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” We are citizens of heaven – Not of a club, a small group, a school, a church, or a country, but of God’s Kingdom! We are waiting for Jesus to return and complete what He started when He came to this earth to die for us and welcome us into His family.

Our job as followers of the Lord is not to simply find the kingdom of God but to forward it. We are the Lord’s Kingdom. That is our Identity! Although we need faith to see it, it is never changing – Forever constant. Our Identity is found in our Kingdom purpose – To love God and make Him known.

 

 

About the author:

Maya is a 14-year old trying her best to remember that her roots are planted in God alone as she moves from middle school to high-school and continues to grow in her faith. She loves adventure, trying new things, deep conversation, living in the moment, dreaming big, and working hard.