God does not build His kingdom as we would, in our human wisdom. Remember the story of King Saul? To all appearances, he was a prototype of what the Israelites wanted in a King. He was impressive, tall, strong, handsome, polished, and looked like a leader. But as the Lord told the prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7: “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Since Christ’s resurrection, we have all been called to help bring God’s kingdom “on Earth as it is in Heaven.” But how is building God’s kingdom different from building any other organization or movement? 

As we seek to advance God’s kingdom here on Earth, we cannot do it with only human strength and earthly resources. God the Holy Spirit has equipped all believers with spiritual gifts to do His work. We all have our unique gift set, and we all have a part to play in building up His church. Regardless of what specific gifts we possess, we all draw these gifts from the same Holy Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit empowers us to do works we could not do if we only had our own strength. Have you ever experienced doing something that was far beyond your ability and realized that it was God working through you? When we seek God’s will and coordinate our human efforts with the Spirit’s supernational power, we can see God move in extraordinary ways!

Today: Ask the Lord to help you become aware of the Holy Spirit working in you and choose to follow Him as He leads.