Yesterday during the Super Bowl, a couple of people named Holmgren were working in two kingdoms.
The one kingdom exalts those with power and wealth; the other, a King who emptied Himself of glory, who became poor that we might become rich.
The one kingdom values athletic perfection, warlike planning and aggression; the other a Messiah who was pierced through for our transgressions, whose death at first seemed a senseless waste of a life filled with promise.
The one kingdom was on gaudy display via excited electrons that lit countless homes and sports bars throughout the world in an unnatural blue light. The other comes only to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.
The one kingdom produces unimaginably pricey commercials that use loveless sex and silliness to get us to buy burgers, cell phones, and beer. The other counsels that we sell all to acquire a priceless hidden treasure.
The one kingdom calls us to preen, prance and thump our chests before emotionally frenzied fans. The other calls some of us to serve gladly in a place that few have heard of and even fewer would want to visit.
The rewards in the one kingdom, though lavish, quickly tarnish. The rewards in the other are reserved for us forever in a place that most people pay lip service to but who live as though it doesn’t exist.
The one kingdom values victory above all else. The other takes victory from defeat, hope from despair, life from death.
Which kingdom are you serving?
About Stan Guthrie
Stan Guthrie is an editor at large for Christianity Today magazine and for the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. His latest book is God's Story in 66 Verses. He also is author of All that Jesus Asks: How His Questions Can Teach and Transform Us, Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends for the 21st Century, and A Concise Guide to Bible Prophecy. He is co-author of The Sacrament of Evangelism. Besides authoring, writing, and editing books, Stan is a literary agent, bringing together good authors, good books, and good publishers.
Stan writes the monthly Priorities colum for BreakPoint.org. He has appeared on National Public Radio's Tell Me More, WGN's Milt Rosenberg program, and many Christian shows, including The Eric Metaxas Show and Moody Radio's New Day Florida. A licensed minister and an inspirational speaker, he served as moderator for the Christian Book Expo panel discussion, Does the God of Christianity Exist, and What Difference Does It Make?
A gripping, hard-hitting overview of issues confronting the spread of the world's most global faith. Includes discussion questions and suggestions for further reading.