The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

Luke 13: 19-21
He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
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The Kingdom of God, not dictated by space or time, is simply the "kingship" of Jesus. This means that we enter the Kingdom of God by acknowledging Jesus as our king, looking to him as our protector and authority, and honoring the laws of His land [The Greatest Commandment].

What does Jesus' kingdom look like? It's a little hard to communicate this sometimes because we have our preconceived ideas about the kingdom of God being equal to heaven. While Jesus will certainly be the king of heaven, we also have the opportunity, and in fact the necessity of living under his kingship now. You see, if you have been fortunate enough to become aware of God's kingdom and Jesus' position as King, then you have been presented with a choice. In fact you are presented with that choice almost every moment of every day as a process of choosing sin or righteousness, death or life. The choice is whether to submit to his authority. If you do submit to it, the implication is that you will accept his benefits, desire to follow his example and spread His love. If you do not accept it, the implication is that you would rather live in your own kingdom somewhere outside the gates of God's love. Why is that such a difficult decision? Outside there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth - which sounds exactly like a world that has rejected love. And I am not innocent from choosing that world. So many times I have chosen to crown myself king of my life instead of acknowledging Jesus as the rightful heir.

Jesus, be my King today!