In this chapter, Plantinga makes very interesting points about what vocation means to us as Christians. He notes that it is not what we do, but how well we do it, and if we do it for God's glory. I found a lot of this chapter quite inspiring, because it is good to remember that no matter what you do, you can honor God through it. I really liked when he talked about being a prime citizen of God's kingdom. He says:
"A prime citizen passionately yearns for the kingdom. A prime citizen has been redeemed far down in her spirit, way downtown in her heart, so that she deeply loves God and the things of God. She relishes in God's Word. She rejoices in God her Savior....In her best moods she longs not just for happiness, but for joy; not just for joy, but for God; not just for God, but also for the kingdom of God. Because of her enthusiasm for the kingdom, she doesn't merely endorse justice in the world; she hungers and works for it."
This is a picture of what I should be, what I strive to be in my life as a follower of God. I like looking at my spiritual and life goals in this way. It is a good challenge to try to live my life by focusing my kingdom on God's kingdom. I had never before thought of myself as having a kingdom of my own, one that must work with other kingdoms and under the domain of God's kingdom. As Plantinga says, “none of us reigns in isolation. Much of the time we only have our say in community with others….Success also depends on meshing our kingdom with the kingdoms of others—learning to share living space, for example, or to take part in good teamwork. Successful living depends especially on fitting our small kingdom inside God’s big kingdom, always recalling where we got our dominion in the first place.” This idea of each of us having our own kingdoms makes me feel a new sense of responsibility, because my decisions affect more than just myself. It is also a reminder to serve God through the way I live my life.
I also found the idea of my own personal kingdom very interesting.Ive always thought in terms of things I could or couldn't do instead of focusing on a reigning over aspects of my life.
ReplyDeleteI think you touched on some really important points here. I really liked the way that Plantinga talked about meshing out kingdoms with other kingdoms. This really emphasizes the importance of interacting with the world. Just because the world is fallen doesn't mean that we should turn our backs on it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for talking about the "prime citizen". I've always wondered: whats the point of working harder than others to spread the Word if we're going to heaven anyway?
ReplyDeleteNow that I read this, I can see that the true happiness comes from serving God himself, rather than focusing on reaching heaven in the first place.
I like how you focused on the idea of each of us having our own kingdom. I too had never thought about it in this sense. If this is the case then there are all sorts of implications about what kind of kingdom we should have. I like how you noted the importance of fitting our kingdom under God's kingdom and cooperating with the kingdoms of others.
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