Reject the false kingdom

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C S Lewis, a young boy named Edmund finds himself in the magical land of Narnia. There he meets a queen who promises to make him a prince and one day king of Narnia. Edmund, understandably is highly tempted by this offer and initially has no qualms in aligning himself with the queen. As the story progresses he finds the queen, who is really a witch, has neither the desire nor the right to make him king. What he does not realise is that, along with his brother and sisters, his claim to the throne is more real than her own.

The devil often offers us things which, if we but knew it, are already ours. Quick assurances or easy pleasures which turn out to not be quite what they seem. In Matthew 4 he tries this with Jesus, taking him to a high place and offering him all the kingdoms of the earth. The price? Bow down and worship me. Jesus rejects the temptation. This is not the kingdom he came to establish, and he will worship none but God.

It seems that there is no easy route to the kingdom. To take one is almost certainly to be deceived. Once gained, however, the benefits of the real kingdom are far better than the pale substitutes the devil can offer. The repentance John talks about means turning my back on the false kingdom. Rejecting the quick fix or the pat answer. It means getting down to business and searching for the kingdom. Investing the time in getting to know the mind of Christ. Sometimes I'm not certain I have that dedication in me - yet somehow I feel compelled to try.