More Jesus, Kingdom Vision, and the Overcomer

We are still looking at The 5 Kingdom Principles for Overcoming as found in 1 Peter 2:21-23, and gaining that Perspective we need to live fully and fruitfully. We want more Jesus, to have the Kingdom Vision to see the Savior clearly in the midst of a million pretenders and manmade saviors.

Who are they and what do these culturally created false messiahs look like, distracting us from Jesus? All you have to do is watch the nightly news and you see a whole bunch of pretenders, fakes, false hopes, and maybe nice people, but very shallow saviors:

Money—if you have enough, you’ll never have to worry ever again. You can provide for yourself!
Power, Celebrity, Fame—if you know the right people you’ll live a happy life as master of your own destiny. You’ll be popular! Better yet, you’ll be someone else’s god.
Technology—if you have the right app or the right device, you’ll have a leg up on everyone else.
Health—if you work out, eat right, and sleep well, you’ll live almost forever!
Drugs—if they’re legalized and you use the right one, your mind will be opened and your environment will be like paradise. You will know total freedom! It’s kind of like heaven…sort of.
Politics—if you look to the government to solve all your problems, it will! Just like magic!
Tolerance—if you just stop having moral standards and careful discernment, I’m ok, you’re ok. We’re better than ok. We’re tolerant! Apply halo here and listen to the angels sing.

* * *

Shallow saviors, to be sure.

* * *

And they are precisely the reason so many people lose hope.

People become jaded, give up, and learn to resent other people. Following false messiahs provides distraction–they will only lead us to fatalism, victimhood, and ultimately death.

We fall into the trap of seeing ourselves in comparison to others whose Facebook statuses and curb appeal lives say that they’ve made it to the top! And here we are at the bottom. “What I need is more ____,” we think. Fill in the blank with any false hope.

The Truth is: What we really need is more …Jesus! We need Kingdom Vision that shows the way of clarity in a world of distractions. We look to Jesus because He left an example so that we might follow in His footsteps.

Mark 8:34 Then Jesus called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said:

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”